Paul Rudd isn’t clueless about what he wants for his family.
After all, the Ant-Man star shared his thoughts on whether his son Jack, 19, or his daughter Darby, 14, would be interested in stepping in front of the camera.
“They’re not so much interested,” Paul exclusively told E! News’ Francesca Amiker at the Death of a Unicorn red carpet. “I want them to do whatever makes them happy.”
And while his real-life kids—whom he shares with wife Julie Yaeger—aren’t planning on joining the industry, he does have a talented onscreen daughter, Jenna Ortega, whom he got to know while filming the upcoming horror comedy.
“I’d never met her,” Paul explained but added that now, “I’m just crazy about her. She is so great. We all know that she’s really talented.”
“I was so knocked out by who she is,” he continued. “I really think she is extraordinary and will do whatever she wants to do with her career, in whatever ways, because she’s that good.” (For more with Paul, tune into E! News tonight, March 10 at 11 p.m.)
And Paul knows that skill all too well. When it came to getting what he wanted in his career, the 55-year-old would do whatever it takes. For instance, preparing to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe required an overhaul of his daily routine.
“I can be a hyper-focused person if I have a goal,” he revealed to Men’s Health in February 2023. “If I’m doing one of these movies and I know that in four months I have to do a shirtless scene, I’m pretty dialed in. I also try and find the happy medium. I could work out hard and eat perfectly and I’ll still look worse than most of the other Avengers.”
As for what the routine actually looked like?
“I get up and I have a cup of coffee, and then I do cardio before I eat anything,” the Clueless alum noted. “I never would’ve done that before [Ant-Man]. I lift weights, hopefully at least three times a week. And I’ve learned so much about how my body reacts to foods, how it reacts to exercise, and where I’m happiest and how much it affects me mentally.”
“If I’m in this suit, running around playing a character who’s supposed to be a superhero, I just feel better,” he continued. “And I feel less like an impostor.”
Although Paul admitted that eating a protein-filled diet without any fruit “sounds like hell,” it turns out the routine is rather “comforting.”
“There isn’t an office that we have to go to every day where we see the same people and do the same kind of job,” he added. “Routine is a human need. It’s grounding in a really positive and healthy way.”
Now, read on for more of Paul’s most iconic roles.
Sisters
In 1992, Paul Rudd had his first-ever TV (and overall acting) gig when he joined the cast of Sisters. During his time on the drama he played Kirby Philby, an aspiring filmmaker who dates and then marries one of the four sisters’ daughters named Reed (Ashley Judd). Although the show was about four sisters and their lives, Rudd’s storyline was pretty memorable.
Clueless
Ugh, as if! In 1995, Rudd starred in Clueless, which to this day is one of his most iconic roles. He played Josh, the ex-stepbrother of Cher (Alicia Silverstone) and although the two fight like siblings and are total opposites—he’s a UCLA student and she’s a popular Beverly Hills high schooler—they ultimately find love together…and make a lot of other people’s lives better as well.
Wet Hot American Summer
On the last day of summer camp in 1981, the counselors of Camp Firewood—one of which is Andy (Rudd), the hot lifeguard—do everything they can to live it up, finish what they started and maybe save the camp from a piece of NASA’s Skylab that is hurtling towards earth. The hilarious comedy stars Elizabeth Banks, Molly Shannon, Christopher Meloni and more.
Friends
Rudd didn’t join the NBC comedy until season nine, but when he did fans instantly fell for him as Phoebe’s (Lisa Kudrow) forever love and eventual husband Mike Hannigan or as we fondly call him, Crap Bag!
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
In 2004, the New Jersey native assembled as one of the four awesome anchormen for San Diego’s news station, Channel 4. He played Brian Fantana, who covers in-field reporting and loves things like Sex Panther cologne, and always has Ron Burgundy’s (Will Ferrell) back, even when their news station’s dynamic is threatened by Veronica Corningston (Christina Applegate) in the 1970s.
The 40 Year Old Virgin
Rudd played David, one of Andy’s (Steve Carell) friends in The 40 Year Old Virgin, who pressures him into having sex with a single mother who he likes since he hasn’t done the deed by the age of 40.
Knocked Up
Ben Stone (Seth Rogen) is a stoner who doesn’t really do much with his life, so when he gets his one-night stand Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl) pregnant he doesn’t know what to do. Alison is a successful businesswoman who has the support of her sister Debbie (Leslie Mann) and her husband Pete (Rudd) and their kids, while Ben is barely holding it all together and yet, they are going to be parents.
Role Models
When Danny (Rudd) and Wheeler (Seann William Scott) pick a fight with a tow-truck driver while out promoting their energy drink, they are given community service to make up for it. They are assigned to be Big Brothers, Danny to Augie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), a geek who loves live action role play, and Wheeler to Ronnie (Bobb’e J. Thompson), who is a sassy, young kid who likes to mess around.
I Love You, Man
As Peter’s (Rudd) wedding gets closer he realizes he has no guy friends to be his Best Man. The good news is he meets Sydney (Jason Segel) and instantly bonds with him. The bad news is, his new friendship puts a strain on his relationship with his fiancée.
How Do You Know
Lisa (Reese Witherspoon) is trying to figure out if she’s in love, what to do now that she’s not playing softball, and where she’s headed when she finds herself in a love triangle between George (Rudd), a corporate guy whose life is falling apart and Matty (Owen Wilson), a baseball player who she was dating before he tried to control her.
Our Idiot Brother
Ned (Rudd) finds himself in jail following a marijuana incident at the farmer’s market and when he gets out he has to go live with his sisters. While he is eternally optimistic, his three sisters aren’t exactly thrilled to have him couch surfing at their homes. In the end, his happiness and honesty brings to light issues in each of the women’s lives and together they bond as a family.
Wanderlust
When George (Rudd) and Linda Gergenblatt (Jennifer Aniston) suddenly find themselves unemployed and heading to Atlanta for new job prospects, their new lives are put on hold when they come across a rural hippie commune where love rules. The question they must ask themselves is, will they embrace the hippie culture or go back to reality?
Parks and Recreation
Bobby Newport (Rudd) might’ve been a minor character on Parks and Recreation, but he was definitely memorable. Beginning in season four, Bobby Newport faced off against Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) as she ran for city council. He was a trust fund kid who just wanted his dad to notice him, but that didn’t mean he didn’t like to play dirty.
This is 40
This Is 40 is the follow-up to Knocked Up, but this time the focus is on Pete (Rudd) and Debbie (Mann) as they prepare to turn 40. Their businesses are failing, they are about to lose their house and their relationship is on thin ice, but together they might be able to fix it…and get back to where they first fell in love.
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
Rudd reprises his role as Brian Fantana in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues as Ron Burgundy (Ferrell) and company take their news team to New York City in hopes of becoming the greatest news team ever while working for the first 24-hour channel.
Admission
A Princeton admissions officer (Tina Fey) is up for a major promotion when she meets John Pressman (Rudd), who has a college-bound prodigy he wants her to meet. After meeting the student she thinks he could actually be the son she gave for an adoption while in college herself, which could risk her career and change her forever.
They Came Together
They Came Together is the ultimate cheesy rom-com starring Rudd as Joel and Poehler as Molly. When describing how they met their love story is told through the lens of every corny romantic comedy ever, except their meet-cute and everything else about their relationship isn’t exactly romantic, but it is cliché in all the best ways.
Ant-Man
Rudd became an unlikely superhero when he suited up to play Scott Lang AKA Ant-Man in 2015. In this film, Ant-Man uses his ability to shrink to scale and his cat burglar ways to help his mentor Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) pull off a heist that will save the world.
Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp
In 2015, we headed back to Camp Firewood circa 1981 thanks to Netflix’s revival series, which focused on the first day of camp spread out over numerous episodes.
Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later
In this follow-up season of Wet Hot American Summer, the counselors, including Andy (Rudd), the rock n roll dreamboat, go back to Camp Firewood. After making a pact on the last day of summer in 1981, they all return 10 years later to catch up and see how their lives have changed.
Ant-Man and the Wasp
In 2018, Rudd reprised his role as Scott Lang AKA Ant-Man, but this time Scott has to balance being a superhero and a father while teaming up with The Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) to complete a new mission that will uncover secrets from their past.
Avengers: Endgame
Avengers meet Ant-Man! In April 2019, the Avengers and their remaining allies, as well as Ant-Man (Rudd) and Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), team up to restore order to the universe and try and fix all of the destruction that Thanos (Josh Brolin) has caused.
