When they met on the set of a quiet, critically applauded dramedy called "Freaks and Geeks," Pineapple Express was probably unfathomable for either of its co-stars James Franco and Seth Rogen. Since the short-lived show, Franco's become one of holiday's best brooders, most famously as James Dean and the heir to the Green Goblins reign of terror in the Spiderman franchise, while Rogen's teamed with fellow "Freaks"-alum Judd Apatow to climb the top of the comedy heap. Here, the two talk about working with each other and Pineapple Express' indie-bred director, David Gordon Green, as well as what an audience can expect from the movie (besides a contact high).

Seth Rogen...

On his "serious" co-star:
Franco, he’s a great guy. I’m sure he gets called a "serious actor" a lot. I bet he hates getting called "serious." [As if] he’s a serious actor not like me, I’m not a serious [actor] — I mean I don’t know what that means.

But he’s a great guy, we get along fantastically.  We have the exact same attitude about how all this stuff should go, we’re both very easygoing about it all and we want to try anything, so it’s been going great. It feels a lot like when we did Freaks and Geeks [which ran from 1999-2000]. It’s a lot of fun.  I think people are going be blown away at how hysterical he is. He’s one of the funniest people I’ve ever been around.

On director David Gordon Green:
He’s amazing, he’s great. I’m excited to see what he tells me to do next, which is a great feeling.  Judd [Apatow, who directed Rogen in Freaks and Geeks, the 40-year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up], when he directs is all about telling you different things to say, say this, say that.  David is more about telling you different ways to say things, if that makes sense. 

One of his favorite directions is, "Say it like you’ve got earwax in your mouth," that’s something I’ve heard a lot. That’s the comment he makes a lot.  He throws you curveballs, and it’s great because it takes you out of your comfort zone and makes you do something that you would never, ever think of doing on your own.

On what he hopes audiences get from Pineapple Express:
This movie is designed to entertain the hell out of you. Ideally you’ll take something home from it and it might make you think a little, and it might make you feel, but our prime goal is just to make you have a fantastic time in the theatre, that’s what I hope people take out of it.

James Franco...

On why he did Pineapple Express:
I haven’t really done much comedy since Freaks and Geeks not that I haven’t wanted to. It just seems really hard to find a good comedy to do.  A lot of them just seem so ridiculous or derivative, and I just think Judd and all those guys are making the best comedies around, so it seemed liked the perfect opportunity.

On what Green adds to the mix:
When David’s name came up, it just sounded great because it’s kind of a whacky comedy, and David’s known to make very serious, independent films. So it’s a great, mix. It’ll have this edgy, independent film look, but it will also be very funny, and I think it’s perfect and just because of that it’ll be even more unique.

On the path of his former and current co-star Rogen:
I think we’re a great team; he’s a really funny guy.  On Freaks and Geeks, I think that was his first job and he was really funny. I feel like he didn’t have a chance to do everything that he can do on that show, and so to see him six years later writing? I think he got four scripts produced this year, producing this movie, it is incredible.