Seth Rogen might not be the first name that comes to mind when dream casting a musical production. He certainly wasn’t the first name that came to James Corden’s mind when was choosing the cast for his Crosswalk The Musical production of The Lion King. But Rogen was there and he made it work… by giving him the role of “scenery, trees, birds… rocks… stuff like that.”
In case the concept of Crosswalk The Musical isn’t fresh in your mind, it’s essentially a musical that occurs in increments of a few seconds (however long the traffic light is red and the crosswalk symbol is lit up) in front of stopped traffic, in the middle of the road. It’s an ambitious production in which Rose Byrne, Rogen’s co-star in Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, landed the role of Nala, opposite Corden’s Simba.
The two guests had varying reactions to their involvement in the production. Byrne was excited about the pageantry of the theater: “Theater is my passion. It’s where my career began and it’s my heart and soul.” Rogen was less receptive: “I think there’s been a mistake. I thought I was here just to be, like, one of the people on the couch.”
But Seth did pull through and make the most of his role: At one point, he was so convincing as a piece of the scenery holding up the moon that Corden didn’t even know he was there. That was far from the most thrilling part of the productionâCorden hopping on the hood of a truck was a highlightâbut it was perhaps the biggest triumph.
Check it out above and let us know what movie Corden should adapt for the (middle of the) street next. And watch below as we chat with Rogen, Byrne and the other stars of Neighbors 2 about which cast member would run their own personal sorority.
Image:Â CBS