Before he put on the Ant-Man suit and began an idyll with Marvel Studios that lasted eight years and that finds its last fruit in ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’, we were used to seeing Paul Rudd, Plain and simple, it made us laugh—as if it were simple. What we did not know until now was What led the man from New Jersey to give himself body and soul to the world of acting.
Jo, what a reference!
During an interview with Men’s Health, Rudd has revealed that one of his biggest references was the magnificent ‘Jo, what a night!’ by Martin Scorsese. Specifically, it was the role of Griffin Dune as Paul Hackett the one that inspired him to take things much more seriously and take the step of studying acting. Thus he explains the reasons for the revelation.
“Griffin Dunne’s been through a lot. And finally he finds a safe place in some guy’s penthouse because there’s a gangster looking for him on the streets. And he calls the cops and they say, ‘Go to sleep.’ And they hang up on him. But he’s not mad. He’s just stunned. And he’s like, ‘Oh wow. Oh wow.’ The only emotion is surprise. It goes beyond frustration. And it’s sublime.”
After leaving the cinema with a new perspective on his trade and his professional future, Rudd threw himself into his training and decided to work in the world of theater for a year, being forced to turning down some roles in big productions; fact that did not make too much grace to the representatives of him.
“My agent said, ‘What are you doing?’ My career was just getting started. But I had a very clear picture of what I wanted and how I wanted to do it. I didn’t want to be seen as a joke among actors I really admire. I wanted to learn how to do it right. I had a real goal.”
But the decision was correct, and the actor actor he is grateful for the possibilities that each role he accepted from that moment offered him; all determinants when it comes to achieving the status of a star in the big leagues that he currently holds.
“Of course, some of the movies weren’t as good as I’d imagined, but they were beneficial, each in their own way. Without ‘Wet Hot American Summer,’ I wouldn’t have made ‘Staff: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,’ which was pivotal. And I’ve gotten to work with Judd Apatow for years.”