Seth Rogen recalls Anne Hathaway quitting Knocked Up over birth scene

Seth Rogen has recalled Anne Hathaway quitting his 2007 comedy Knocked Up over the film's "crowning" scene.

The Superbad actor starred alongside Katherine Heigl in the comedy, about a reporter named Alison who becomes pregnant after a one-night stand with a slacker.

Hathaway was originally cast as Alison, but she dropped out and was replaced by the Grey's Anatomy actress.

During a conversation with his The Invite co-star Olivia Wilde on The A24 Podcast, Rogen explained that Hathaway did not agree with the plan to show graphic footage of a woman giving birth to a child.

"I mean, that was (the reason given). It could have been 100 million things; that was what I remember being told. She didn't want the crowning of the baby to be visually represented, which I respect," he said.

Wilde noted that the footage wasn't going to be of Hathaway, and Rogen confirmed that director Judd Apatow used video of somebody else at the crowning stage, where the baby's head emerges from a woman's vagina.

"No, and there was no confusion after it happened in the movie... because it was a birth, it was a baby coming out of it," he stated. "Daniel Day-Lewis wouldn't do that, like, that's a(nother) level of acting. It's obviously not real."

Of his experience working with The Devil Wears Prada star, he added, "We had started rehearsing the movie... maybe she was just like, 'I don't know if this is for me,' and again, I don't know, I will take what she said at face value, which was the crowning."

The Booksmart director praised Hathaway for sensing that the part wasn't right for her, and Rogen replied, "And history will tell, she has been right about a lot more things than I have over the years. I think she was probably right. She knew what was right for her."

Wilde revealed that she first met Rogen when she auditioned for the role before Heigl ended up getting the part.

Hathaway has spoken about her decision in the past, explaining to Marie Claire that she didn't believe it was "necessary to the story" to show a vagina.