Paul Rudd sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to discuss the fan-favorite superhero Ant-Man. Rudd, who is best known for playing likable guys in such rom-coms as This Is 40 and I Love You, Man, is taking on the pint-size superhero’s shoes. The film cost $130 million to make which is a bit meek compared to Avengers: Age of Ultron’s budget of $279.9 million.
“What’s different about it is that it’s a character who’s joining a universe that exists throughout several movies, and that’s like nothing I’ve ever done,” says Rudd.
Rudd is known for his comedic performances, but he did not expect to be in a Marvel film. “I don’t have an agenda where I do a comedy and say, ‘I have to do a drama next,’ or ‘I am looking for an action movie now,’” says Rudd. “The Marvel world wasn’t anything I thought about seriously because I guess I never imagined I’d get hired.” Rudd’s frequent collaborator Judd Apatow, has had him portray dad roles in the past. To get him that ‘dad bod,’ he would send Rudd food to help speed the process along. For Ant-Man, he had to have the opposite mentality. “Besides just working out with a trainer and weights, I also worked with a gymnast. I knew I was going to have to do rolls and flips and things like that. I just wanted to be as convincing as possible.”
Ant-Man hits theaters July 17.
Written by Whitney Wood
