Claire Scanlon’s 2018 Netflix film Set It Up was praised for the brilliant and refreshing chemistry between its leads Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell, who was proclaimed to be the Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks for the millennial generation. However, Deutch reportedly regrets filming one of the scenes in this well-received rom-com.
Set It Up sees two young New Yorkers and corporate assistants trying to make their lives a tad bit easier by setting up their workaholic bosses on a date. However, as they try and make this endeavour successful, feelings evolve, and the two of them find themselves in a romantic coup altogether.
Viewers have found it to be a relatable and comforting watch where even the cliches are made to seem natural and fresh. Amidst the various chaotic scenarios, the whopping 92 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes show that it is a fan favourite, and viewers adore how the bizarre situations push the oddballs into realising their feelings for each other.
There is one such scene where the leads bond unexpectedly. Despite the various problems in their life, namely Charlie’s demanding girlfriend and Harper’s equally demanding boss waiting to see something substantial from her, the two get drunk at Harper’s best friend’s party.
The duo goes to Charlie’s house with a pizza, sneak into the latter’s room using a fire escape and follow the usual romantic devices by staring at each other while eating. While fans absolutely loved the sequence, Deutch regretted filming the scene.
Although Deutch loved the script and her character, she absolutely regretted filming the scene she was “just stoked about” as she would get to eat pizza and also knew how special the scene would be to the essence of the film.
Deutch even asked for a plain cheese from Joe’s Pizza to add authenticity to the scene. The prop master got her four pies, while Powell got himself a gluten-free version as he is very health-conscious. However, Deutch couldn’t eat all the four pizzas that led to a huge accident on set.
Talking about the pizza scene, she said, “I threw up violently halfway through the scene.” The actress added, “And then I had to proceed to be very close to Glen Powell, who now, I think, looks at me in a very different light. So that was something that happened.”
According to Scanlon, she tried stopping Deutch but to no avail. She revealed, Zoey puked because she’s so flipping Method that she ate way too many pieces of pizza. I said, ‘Don’t eat the pizza! There’s a spit bucket! Spit it out!'” Scanlon confirmed the duo was sick of pizzas by the end of the scene. However, she also explained the idea behind food and romance and how romantic connections are often built on the basis of a shared love for food.
“I think it’s the fact that it’s the people you want to see together and their moment of connection where they kind of get a clue,” she revealed. “So people are projecting onto the pizza and putting more power into the actual pizza than there really is. But I appreciate that people are connecting to it!”
Watch Set It Up on Netflix now to revisit the iconic pizza scene!
