Seth Rogen breaks silence on Anne Hathaway's 'Knocked Up' exit

Nearly two decades after Knocked Up hit theaters, Seth Rogen is finally shedding light on one of the film’s biggest behind-the-scenes “what ifs.”

Appearing on the A24 Podcast with Olivia Wilde, Rogen revealed why Anne Hathaway stepped away from the 2007 comedy before filming began, opening the door for Katherine Heigl to take over the lead role.

“It was Anne Hathaway who quit the movie,” Rogen said.

Olivia Wilde, who also auditioned for the part, jumped in with the question fans have wondered for years: “Because of the crowning right? Is that real?”

“Yeah, I mean… it could have been a hundred million things. That was what I remember being told,” Rogen replied. “Crowning is a tough one. She didn’t want the crowning of the baby to be visually representative. Even though it wasn’t going to be hers… It’s obviously not real.”

He added, “But she didn’t even want…she felt that it was not her brand.”

Rogen admitted there may have been more to the decision, saying, “Part of me also… we had started rehearsing the movie… maybe she was just like, ‘I don’t know if this is for me.’ I don’t know. I will take what she said at face value, which was the crowning.”

Looking back, the actor said Hathaway simply trusted her instincts.

“She had a sense, and she knew it was not for her. And history will tell… she has been right about a lot more things than I have over the years. So I think she was probably right. [Heigl] knew what was right for her, yes. And then Heigl was great. Katie Heigl was great.”

Sometimes, Hollywood’s biggest casting changes happen because one actor knows when to walk away.