Michael Cera Admits Rihanna Wasn’t Faking and “Definitely Hit” Him In ‘This Is The End’ Slap Scene: “She Really Sent Me Flying, And It Was Great”

Not many can say they’ve been slapped by Rihanna and got paid for it, but Michael Cera sure can.

Cera reflected on the most iconic roles of his career in an interview published by GQ on Thursday (Aug. 17), one of which included Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg‘s outrageous and star-studded 2013 comedy This Is The End.

“I kinda came in late,” he explained to the outlet, noting that he was wrapping up another project and that they had been filming the infamous house party scene of the film for “at least a week” by the time he arrived on set.

The film features a slew of celebs, with the principal cast consisting of Rogen himself, plus James Franco, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride and Craig Robinson. The six stars get trapped in their home during an insane house party due to an apocalypse. All of the celebrities in the movie portray amplified versions of themselves, with Cera taking on an especially “weird” version of himself. He highlighted that his co-stars and crew had been “creating a character for [him] to step into.”

“It was really just all there for me, I just had to live up to what they’re saying,” he told GQ.

Although Cera scored a scene alongside the Super Bowl halftime headliner, it was one where his “weird” persona turns into quite the rude boy, having to slap her butt while she’s in the midst of a conversation with Jason Segel.

In response, Bad Gal Riri turns around and smacks Cera in the face. For those who watched the ear-splitting slap and wondered if it was real, Cera admitted that she “definitely hit”him.

“But I really, I wanted that, you know?” he added. “I mean, I think it’s a lot funnier and a lot more convincing. I mean, a fake slap doesn’t look good.”

He noted that “she really hit [him] hard.”

“She really sent me flying, and it was great,” he shared. “And now it’s on film forever, this pain that I experienced.”

Rogen told Sway’s Universe back in 2013 that after three or four takes, they ultimately captured the one they used in the film, which they “didn’t add any sound to.”

“She cupped his ear and actually whacked out his equilibrium and he had to go lay down in his trailer for around half an hour,” he recalled.

In the words of Rihanna, both her and Cera deserve to take a bow for their superb slap scene.

This Is The End is streaming on Netflix.