The Shitheads Team Shares Their Surprising Production Challenge: A Portable Toilet Explosion on Day One at Sundance Studio
Title: Filmmaker Macon Blair Recalls Wild Production Moments for ‘The Shitheads’
Park City, UT — The comedy film The Shitheads, directed and written by Macon Blair, made its premiere on January 23 at the Park City Library Theatre. The film features actors Dave Franco and O’Shea Jackson Jr., who portray two hapless individuals tasked with transporting a wealthy teenager, played by Mason Thames, to a rehabilitation facility. However, what begins as a straightforward job spirals into a chaotic adventure.
During a panel discussion at the premiere, Blair recounted a particularly unexpected incident during filming. “The motel set was a working motel, and adjacent to it was a parking lot for long-range truckers. Somebody had, let’s say, left their portable bathroom lying in the parking lot, and the picture car drove over it, and it exploded,” he said. “It was goddamn disgusting, and yet there was nothing to be done about it but keep shooting. It felt very, very appropriate. Everybody just put cotton balls in their nose and got back to work.”
Franco, who also produces and stars in the film, chimed in with a humorous memory of the event, asking, “Was this on day zero? That’s what that was? I remember that smell vividly.”
In a lighter reflection on the filming experience, Blair noted, “By comparison, every day after that felt a little bit easier. It sort of set the bar at a certain place.”
The Shitheads showcases not only the chaos behind its production but also the camaraderie among the cast and crew as they navigated unexpected challenges.
