Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock are two of the most famous comedians alive. In addition to their legendary stand-up routines, both Seinfeld and Rock also saw huge success in television. Seinfeld, with Larry David, created the sitcom Seinfeld which aired on NBC between 1989 and 1998. Rock created the sitcom Everybody Hates Chris, based on his teenage years, which aired from 2005 until 2009.
Both comedians have also appeared on the big screen. In 2007, Rock voiced the character Mooseblood the Mosquito in Seinfeld’s Bee Movie. The animated flick was successful at the box office. It might surprise some people to learn that Seinfeld actually had to trick Rock to appear in it.
Bee Movie (2007)
Bee Movie, produced by DreamWorks Animation, is a computer-animated comedy film released in 2007. It features an ensemble voice cast including big names like Jerry Seinfeld, Renée Zellweger, Matthew Broderick, John Goodman, Larry King, Oprah Winfrey, and Chris Rock.
The story revolves around a young bee named Barry B. Benson, voiced by Seinfeld. Dissatisfied at the prospect of a lifetime working in the honey industry, Barry ventures outside the hive and discovers that humans have been harvesting and consuming honey for centuries. Intrigued by this revelation, Barry decides to sue the human race for stealing bees’ honey.
During his journey, Barry befriends a human named Vanessa, voiced by Zellweger, and the two develop an unlikely friendship. Together, they work to expose the truth about the honey industry and challenge societal norms. Along the way, Barry faces many challenges, including encounters with humans and the legal system.
Bee Movie combines humor, satire, and adventure to explore themes of individuality, friendship, and environmental conservation. The film showcases vibrant animation, clever wordplay, and witty humor, often appealing to both children and adults. It incorporates elements of both slapstick comedy and social commentary, making it an entertaining and thought-provoking film.
Getting Chris Rock signed on
Initially, Seinfeld didn’t want to do the movie, but Steven Spielberg changed his mind. At a dinner, Seinfeld brought up the movie as something funny to add to the conversation. Spielberg, however, didn’t find it silly but instead thought it was a great concept for a movie. Seinfeld actually recalled thinking, “I didn’t think it was a movie.”
After changing his mind, Seinfeld went into the project enthusiastically. He told Rotten Tomatoes, “I saw this whole technology, and the look of it is so different. I thought, ‘Gee, what if we took that look but [made them] talk like I want them to talk, maybe that would be something interesting.’ I just got excited about it.”
An animated movie was nothing new to Chris Rock, having played Marty the Zebra in the Madagascar movies. Rock, however, didn’t seem as enthusiastic as Seinfeld to do it, but he started to change his mind when he was told that Spielberg had a hand in the creation of the movie.
Rock said in an interview with Collider, Seinfeld “actually told me Spielberg was going to be in it, and when I get there, there is no Spielberg.” He laughed when he admitted, “So, he kind of owes me. I don’t know how. I’m just gonna hold on to that chip and just figure out when I get to cash it in.”
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Despite the ‘trick,’ Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock seem to still be on good terms with the two comedians getting together during the second series of Seinfeld’s popular talk show Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.