Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Stars on Mars series premiere, "The Experiment Begins." Read at your own risk!
Stars on Mars is a reality competition that's meant to answer one central question: Can celebrities survive on a simulated version of Mars? If you watched the premiere on Fox or with your Hulu subscription, you know that Christopher Mintz-Plasse was not cut out for the task and was the first person taken out of the competition. The actor managed to have a decent time on the show, regardless, though. And while reflecting on it, he discussed getting called "McLovin" by Marshawn Lynch and sitting back and sipping Hennessy with him.
During the premiere episode, Christopher Mintz-Plasse talked about how strangers have called him McLovin since the release of 2007's Superbad, as his character, Fogell, went by that moniker. Readers might assume that such a thing might become slightly agitating. Not long after the actor shared his sentiments, Marshawn Lynch spotted him and later mentioned in a confessional that he'd only refer to him as "McLovin" when he saw him. Mintz-Plasse spoke to CinemaBlend about the moment and told me that he didn't experience that during his two days on Stars on Mars:
I mean, I think that that's one of those edited reality moments because I don't have any recollection of him calling me McLovin in the house. Because when we hung in Adelaide the night before, he's like, ‘What's up McLovin?' I was like, ‘Hey, my name's Chris, McLovin, you can call me whatever.’ He goes like, ‘Oh, I’m gonna call you Chris,’ and Richard [Sherman] was like, ‘Call him Chris,’ and it was like one of these cool, sweet moments. He didn’t call me it to my face, and I don’t know how they edited things… I understand that that’s my most famous role, and people want to see that on a show, so I have no issue with it. But I think they sliced it a certain way to look a certain way.
To sum it up, the Kick-Ass alum didn't feel disrespected by the Super Bowl winner. And even if the athlete had been referring to him by his notorious nickname, the actor is of the understanding that it's due to just how much people still connect with the role he played over a decade ago. It also seems that the two became somewhat chummy, as they both hung out with another co-star -- NFL great Richard Sherman before the show.
If you wish you could've been a fly on the wall when Christopher Mintz-Plasse hung out with Marshawn Lynch and Richard Sherman, then you aren't alone. I asked the 33-year-old star about that experience and learned that Hennessey was involved:
There were a few of us staying at the hotel in Adelaide, and I was up just getting wine or something before our flight the next morning, and I saw Richard [Sherman] and Marshawn [Lynch] at the bar. So I got to go over there and introduce myself and have a really sick one-and-a-half-hour conversation with the two of them. I drank Hennessey for the first time, which I’ve never done. Marshawn is obsessed, and it is delicious. So that was really cool to buddy up with them.
I don't know what was discussed during that magical hour-and-a-half, but I would guess that at some point, someone mentioned Superbad 2 and whether it would ever happen. If they're really up on the movie's lore, they might've even asked about Mintz-Plasse's on set tension with Jonah Hill. Though I'm sure the group had plenty of things to chat about. On a side note, Marshawn Lynch himself also has some solid acting chops, as he was hilarious as part of the cast of Murderville and has some other notable acting credits on top of his NFL accomplishments.
Unfortunately, we won't get any more interactions between the famous trio -- at least on air anyways. Christopher Mintz-Plasse was voted off the show as the least "mission critical" member of the team due to his lack of contribution in the first team challenge. He was sent away from the space station while the remaining celebrities waited for more mission instructions from host William Shatner.
The fan-favorite actor may be gone off of Stars on Mars, but there's still plenty of reason to watch the show if you haven't tuned in yet. Marshawn Lynch, as well as some other notable stars, have me hooked on the series and eager to see what missions they'll complete next. I have no read on who will remain by the time it ends, but I think that's part of what makes it so exciting to watch.
Stars on Mars airs on Fox on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Make sure you keep up with the 2023 TV schedule for info on other fun and silly unscripted series this summer as well.
