NEED TO KNOW
Dave Franco appeared on the latest episode of Call Her Daddy
The actor looked back at how embarrassing his breakout role in Superbad ended up being
Franco told host Alex Cooper about some real-life embarrassing moments that almost meet the level of what he’s experienced on-screen
Dave Franco has come a long way from his Superbad days.
The actor, 40, recently appeared on Call Her Daddy, where he opened up about growing up with his brother James Franco.
“My real name is David, but no one has ever really called me that. And when I was a kid, my brother had this kid in his class named David that he hated. So he said, ‘You’re not gonna be named David,’ ” he explained.
“That’s how I became Davey. And I guess, you know, the people that know me well, most people call me Davey.
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Sony Pictures
Dave Franco in “Superbad”
Many people saw Franco for the first time in 2006’s Superbad, in a scene where Jonah Hill calls him out for peeing his pants. Host Alex Cooper asked about embarrassing moments Franco endured in real life, but he had to take a moment to discuss how the role led to one of his biggest embarrassing moments, both on and off screen.
“I had a journey with that scene in and of itself, where I only have a few lines in this movie, but the movie was so big that people did recognize me on the street,” he explains.
“And they were yelling at me, ‘Why don’t you go piss your pants again?’ I quickly realized, ‘I gotta keep working and get more jobs, so I’m not piss boy for the rest of my life.’ “
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Dave and James Franco in 2017
As for real-life embarrassment, Dave recalled an early time trying to approach a crush.
“I was debilitatingly shy. I was the kid who said, like, six words out loud in middle school. I was just so quiet,” he shares.
“I remember I had a crush on this girl in sixth grade, and I heard that maybe she might sort of be kinda interested, and I was like, ‘Okay. I’m gonna seal the deal. I’m going to get her a present.’ “
Raymond Hall/GC Images
Dave Franco in July 2025
“I went to 7/11. I got her a big bag of candy. I come to lunch the next day and I had this whole thing in my head, was gonna be this big romantic gesture. And when I was confronted with the moment, just the anxiety took over,” the actor continues.
“So what happened was, I saw her from a distance. She was under this tree with her friends, and I started running at her, and when I got close enough, I threw the bag of candy and continued running away without breaking stride.”
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