Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner Never Met Blue Ivy Carter While MakingMufasaDespite Sharing Scenes Together (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Yes,Seth RogenandBilly Eichnershare scenes withBlue Ivy CarterinMufasa: The Lion King. And no, the two comedians didn’t meet their costar in the voiceover booth.

“We’ve never met,” Rogen, 42, tells PEOPLE. Although “all of our scenes are with Blue Ivy,” he adds, the 12-year-old actor-musician “was not invited to our recording sessions.”

“They try to keep the cast as far away from us as possible,” quips Eichner, 46.

“Yeah,” confirms Rogen. “Me and Billy get our own little booth. No one else interacts with us.”

Seth Rogen-Billy Eichner and Beyonce and Blue Ivy at Lion King premiere 12.9.24 LA 2024.Ian West/PA Images/Getty Images; Gilbert Flores/Getty Images

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Ian West/PA Images/Getty Images; Gilbert Flores/Getty Images

Reprising their beloved roles from Disney’s 2019 photorealisticLion Kingremake, Eichner voices meerkat Timon and Eichner voices warthog Pumbaa. Joining them onscreen is Carter as Kiara, daughter to her real-life motherBeyoncé’s Nala andDonald Glover’s Simba. Kiara, Timon and Pumbaa listen to the tale of the princess’ grandfather Mufasa, courtesy ofJohn Kani’s mandrill Rafiki.

Considering how siloed voiceover talent is for a big project likeMufasa, says Eichner, it’s remarkable that he and Rogen “record the entire thing together. Timon and Pumbaa are a comedy duo. You really can’t do it any other way.”

billy eichner Seth Rogen DT

Disney

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In addition, he says, “we improvised so much and a shocking amount of that ad libbing gets into the movie and then gets animated. Which is wild.”

Adds Rogen: “At great expense to the Walt Disney Corporation.”

“At great expense,” Eichner agrees. “But I think that’s why it works because you can feel that spontaneity, which is pretty rare in this big epic Disney family movie. To have that type of kind of raw improv make it to the screen is pretty unusual.”

(Left-right:) Kevin Harrison Jr., Tiffany Boone, Aaron Pierre, Anika Noni Rose, Billy Eichner, Seth Rogen and Barry Jenkins on Dec. 11.Kate Green/Getty Images

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Kate Green/Getty Images

During the press tour for 2019’sTheLion King, Rogen and Eichner did meet Beyoncé, they confirm. “And it was great. What a thrill,” says Rogen.

The Grammy winner was “lovely,” agrees Eichner. “It was very exciting.”

For : The Lion King, pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE.

source: people.com