Fast Times at Ridgemont High hit theaters in 1982 and struck a chord with movie fans, in part because of the characters. stoner surfer Jeff Spicoli, played by Sean Pennit’s just one particular example that helped make the film fit his own high school experiences. Because who didn’t know a “Spicoli” when they went to school?

It was a part that Penn took very seriously — something that would become a hallmark of his work — but at the time Fast times was released, he only had a few previous film credits to his name. “He was in character the whole time” Cameron Crowe shared in a new interview with Empty lunch podcast, which you can watch below. “He never said, ‘Hi, I’m Sean,’ until after the film was wrapped. He came to visit us in a black leather jacket and introduced himself. I thought it was funny, but he played it so seriously that you could I’m not really saying it and it was so real, which of course is the funniest thing.”

The moment they finally heard Spicoli’s most famous lyrics

Crowe remembers being on pins and needles, waiting to hear Penn deliver what he says is his favorite line from the script, the moment Spicoli responds indignantly to his teacher, Mr. Hand, played by legendary actor Ray Walford, “You dick!” Although he tried, Penn refused to deliver the line before filming it. “I’d always tell him you have to call him ‘butt.’ I’ll die if (the line) doesn’t come out perfect, because it’s my favorite thing in the script. Just call him ‘bunny,'” he told hosts Phil Rosenthal and David Wild. The actor, after many requests, simply said, “I’m not going to do it. You’ll know when we do.”

READ MORE: How ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’ Revolutionized Teen Movies

The moment of truth finally arrived and a number of people were on hand to witness it. Future Pearl Jam manager Kelly Curtis was behind the camera with Crowe, while his then-girlfriend and eventual wife, Of the heart Nancy Wilsonhe was also in the room. Everyone was anticipating the delivery. “Ray Walston, the only celebrity in the cast, is there and he’s getting Sean ready for the line,” he reflects. “Sean says “you dick!’ We looked at each other and said, “Oh my God Eureka! It’s better than we expected…it was spectacular.”

But the famous line caused drama on the “Fast Times” set.

Walston, as it turned out, was not satisfied. “(He) came off the set and said to (director) Amy Heckerling, ‘I’m not going to let a young actor talk to me like that!’ Sean was so confident. He was so fired up with (the line) that he reportedly told Ray Walston, “Red-faced mother! We’d die behind the camera,” Crowe recalls. “At one point, Ray Walston said, ‘I didn’t do everything I was doing in the business to be talked to by a 21-year-old (like that). I didn’t work with Bill Bixby and Billy Wilder to be told I’m a red-faced MF by this little guy who calls me stupid too!’ Meanwhile, we’re standing behind the camera because this is our film at Spicoli and this is Sean.

Watch Cameron Crowe on the Naked Lunch podcast.

Tom Petty saw himself in Jeff Spicoli

Date Fast Times at Ridgemont High was released, Crowe found out he had a very famous fan of the film, Tom Petty. The moment came to light while the pair were working Heartbreakers Beach Partyhis accidental directorial debut, which recently appeared for his first theatrical performances.

“(The movie) had just come out and the studio didn’t like the movie and didn’t believe in it. They reduced (the number of) rooms (its design) at the last minute. Practical, Fast times it wasn’t seen by people on VHS until later,” he says. “It bombed in theaters, but he knew about Spicoli. He was telling me, “I felt like Spicoli when I was in Gainesville. People would see me with my long hair and immediately assume I was murdered and unable to think. That’s when he said, “Raise the camera, I’m going to sing this song for you that you’re going to love,” and that was the beginning of my career as a director. “I’m stupid” (in Heartbreakers Beach Party) is his ode to his own Spicoli-ness, which is insane. I went crazy when he did it. I’ll never forget how that felt.”

READ MORE: Tom Petty’s gift to Cameron Crowe