Dave Franco Says That Wild Motel Scene in ‘Idiots’ Is the Craziest Thing He’s Ever Done

Dave Franco continues to talk about one of the wildest moments from his new R-rated comedy Idiots. Directed by Macon Blair, the film stars Franco alongside O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Mason Thames.

Franco plays Mark, one half of an underachieving duo who must escort a troubled teenager named Sheridan to rehab. What begins as a simple road trip quickly turns into a chaotic series of disasters.

The film reaches one of its most outrageous moments inside a motel. Mark gets caught in an elaborate and messy comic sequence that Franco now considers one of the craziest scenes he has ever filmed. Franco even compared the sequence’s gross-out humor to the memorable bathroom scene featuring Jeff Daniels in Dumb and Dumber.

Franco told The Hollywood Reporter that he called his wife, actress Alison Brie, immediately after filming the motel sequence. He wanted to tell her that he had just completed what he considered the craziest moment of his career.

The production used an elaborate practical effect for the scene. The cast and crew saw the effect in action for the first time when the cameras started rolling. The unexpected result made the crew laugh. However, Franco had to stay in character as Mark’s situation continued to fall apart.

The filmmakers shot the sequence twice. They then added an extra comedic twist to the second take. The scene captures the kind of fearless, physical comedy that Blair wanted throughout Idiots. Franco sees Idiots as a throwback to the raunchy comedies that dominated theaters during the 2000s.

He has cited movies including The Hangover, Superbad, Pineapple Express and Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle as influences on the film’s tone. These movies mixed crude jokes with strong characters and increasingly ridiculous situations. Idiots follows a similar formula.

Franco believes audiences still want this type of comedy. However, Hollywood now produces far fewer R-rated studio comedies for theatrical audiences. With Idiots, Franco and Blair aim to bring that irreverent style back to the big screen.

The movie also went through a major title change. Blair originally developed the project under the title The Shitheads. The name reflected the reckless behavior of its central characters.

After the film premiered at Sundance, the filmmakers changed the title to Idiots. The new name gave the movie a broader marketing appeal while preserving its crude and irreverent personality.

The original spirit remains in the film. Mark and Davis continue to make questionable decisions, while the script builds much of its humor around their increasingly disastrous choices.

Idiots also marks the culmination of a long-running collaboration between Franco and Blair. Franco first became interested in Blair after watching his films Blue Ruin and I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore. The two eventually developed a friendship.

When Blair wrote The Shitheads, Franco immediately connected with the project. However, the film spent years searching for financing before production could begin. Franco eventually joined the project as both its lead actor and a producer. He also helped Blair assemble the cast. He recommended O’Shea Jackson Jr. for Davis and Mason Thames for Sheridan, helping build the trio at the center of the film’s chaotic story.

Idiots puts Dave Franco, O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Mason Thames at the center of an unpredictable road-trip comedy. The film combines crude humor, physical comedy and dysfunctional characters while embracing the spirit of classic 2000s R-rated comedies. For Franco, however, one motel sequence stands above the rest. He considers it one of the wildest moments he has ever performed on camera.

Idiots is now playing in theaters.