There exists a sequence in the new Anaconda so inherently ludicrous and comically surreal that it justifies the price of admission and a jumbo popcorn all on its own. While the scene is entirely tangential to the primary narrative, witnessing it in a crowded theater is a singular experience. It isn’t exactly a plot-shattering spoiler, but if you intend to see the film with fresh eyes, consider this your warning: we are about to delve into the gritty, hilarious details of the movie’s most talked-about moment with the director and cast.
[Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for a specific, riotous sequence in Anaconda.]
If you’ve already survived the trek through Anaconda, you likely know exactly what we’re referring to: the “spider-pee” incident. For those who stayed behind, here is the context: the film follows a quartet of middle-aged friends—portrayed by Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Steve Zahn, and Thandiwe Newton—who are each grappling with their own versions of a mid-life malaise. During a birthday reunion, Rudd’s character, an actor whose career has seen better days, reveals he has secured the rights to an Anaconda sequel. He convinces his friends to fly to Brazil for some rogue, guerrilla-style filmmaking. Naturally, the production descends into chaos as they find themselves hunted by both ruthless mercenaries and prehistoric serpents.
The absurdity peaks when Black’s character is bitten by a massive, venomous arachnid. In the panic of the jungle, a suggestion is made: someone needs to urinate on the wound. Zahn’s character bravely volunteers, but there is a psychological hurdle—he suffers from severe paruresis (shy bladder) and hasn’t been able to “go” in public for years. After an intense coaching session from his friends, he’s ready to proceed, but with one final, bizarre caveat: he can only urinate while sitting down.
This culminates in a visual that can only be described as a perverted game of Twister: Rudd bends over to serve as a human chair for Zahn, while Newton sits nearby, clutching Zahn’s hand for moral support as he attempts to relieve himself on Black’s leg.
“Envision being the filmmaker tasked with explaining that choreography to these actors,” director Tom Gormican tells Polygon. “We cycled through roughly ten different iterations of how one man could sit on another to successfully aim at a third man’s leg. It turned into a complex math problem on set. At one point, we all just looked at each other and realized, ‘This is certainly not a typical job for grown adults.’”
Newton adds with a laugh, “When you see the final product, you wonder how they even orchestrated something so bizarre. They are all tangled together as one unit.”
Reflecting on the production, Steve Zahn admits he struggled to maintain his composure during the shoot. “I could hardly get through it,” the Emmy-nominated actor recalls. “The intimacy of saying, ‘Man, I would love to pee all over you’—that was just pure fun.”
Zahn is a veteran of cult comedies like Saving Silverman, but he notes that performing such a stunt within the framework of a high-budget studio blockbuster felt different. “It’s one thing to do a bit like that in a small indie film or the mid-budget comedies we did in the nineties,” he explains. “But to have this massive budget and a legacy IP, and then go that far with a scene? It’s genuinely wild.”
The brilliance of Gormican’s direction lies in his ability to pivot from visceral horror to slapstick comedy without losing the audience. “It’s a fantastic balance,” Newton says. “You’re doing this ridiculous bit, and five minutes later, you’re facing a massive, terrifying CGI snake. It’s incredible that it all exists in the same movie.”
For the record, medical science confirms that urine does absolutely nothing for spider bites (the jellyfish sting remedy is also a total myth). However, once Gormican and co-writer Kevin Etten stumbled upon the concept, they couldn’t let it go.
“We were hunting for some classic jungle tropes to subvert,” the director explains. “You have the standard set pieces—mudslides and vine swinging—but we wanted something fresh. I asked, ‘What if they get bitten by something?’ and Kevin suggested the peeing. I argued that was for jellyfish, and we ended up in this deep internet rabbit hole. The idea of someone being shy at the exact moment their friend’s life depended on their bladder just felt too funny to pass up. We just kept asking ourselves: how do we make this more ridiculous?”
By all accounts, they succeeded brilliantly.
Anaconda is currently playing in theaters nationwide.
Source: Polygon
