The Disney+ family film, Luca, has a post-credits scene because actor Sacha Baron Cohen improvised so much. Pixar’s new movie debuted Friday, June 18, exclusively releasing to Disney’s streaming service and foregoing a theatrical release. The film is available to all subscribers and does not include a Premier Access fee like other recently released titles.
Luca is a coming-of-age flick set in the Italian Riviera between the 1950s to the 1960s that tells the story of a young sea monster boy with the power to assume human form while staying on land. Though warned of the dangers of the human world, Luca longs for a life beyond the sea and ends up experiencing a world of possibilities in Portorosso. The animated movie stars Jacob Tremblay (Room) as the title character, Luca Paguro, and features the voice of Cohen as Luca’s weird Uncle Ugo, who is a transparent deep-sea creature who prefers the dark bottom of the ocean. Not only did Cohen contribute bringing to life the anglerfish-esque critter, but it seems he also helped contribute to another aspect of the film.
Polygon reports that the new Pixar film Luca has a post-credits scene because Cohen improvised so much. It turns out that Cohen’s character, Ugo, wasn’t even originally going to exist until the movie’s director, Enrico Casarosa, realized that Luca needed a personification of the potential exile to the depths of the ocean that prompts Luca to venture away from home. Cohen helped bring Ugo alive so much so that the creative team decided to include a post-credits scene featuring Cohen’s character, which shows Uncle Ugo swimming around in the depths of the ocean rambling to himself. Read Casarosa’s explanation of the team’s decision below:
It was a pleasure to see. [Cohen] came in and he improvised so much that we even put a little button at the end of our movie to contain more of the improvisation that he did for us because he was so fun.
Cohen is a master improviser, having made a name for himself from his portrayal of fictional characters (such as Ali G, Borat, and Bruno) interviewing and interacting with unsuspecting subjects. Over the years, he’s adopted various guises and accents for his characters, which has helped him fine tune his improvisational skills. Based on his career, it’s no wonder that he was able to improvise in Luca and really help bring his character to life.
The reviews are out and everybody loves Luca for a number of different reasons. One of those reasons is the humor that Cohen brought to his role, albeit how brief it is. Fans of Cohen, and his character, may be disappointed that he does not appear again in the film after his one scene. However, for those fans patient enough to sit through the entire Luca credit sequence, they will be rewarded with one final scene of Cohen improvising his way through a conversation. It is well worth the wait.
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