- Paul Rudd was surprised when he was approached to star in Ant-Man nearly a decade ago.
- Rudd, like many actors joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, had to get in shape for his role.
- Rudd’s secret to staying fit and looking young includes plenty of sleep, exercise and salmon.
When Paul Rudd was approached about ten years ago to star in Ant-Man, the versatile actor was initially surprised. Starring in a superhero movie was not the direction he envisioned for his career, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe was not the vast and prestigious film empire it is today.
“My agent set up a meeting with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige,” Rudd told Men’s Health. “Marvel was very new. They weren’t even part of Disney. It’s someone: How about doing a Dancing With the Stars movie? A superhero franchise was never on my radar.”
Rudd has previously starred in films such as Uncertain, Hot Humid American Summer, Knockout and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and might not seem like the most obvious choice to helm a superhero movie. It’s a sentiment Rudd himself agrees with.
“I never thought I was the kind of actor they would offer any of these roles,” Rudd said. “But when the idea came up, I was really excited to do something out of left field, and if it was announced that I was going to be in a superhero franchise, a lot of people would be like, ‘What the hell?’ I knew he would say. ?'”
Casting a Marvel movie is now known to be a difficult process with impressive results. (See Kumail Nanjiani’s dramatic physical transformation for 2021’s Forever .) For Rudd, preparing for the role of Scott Lang or Ant-Man involved a year-long process that included trainers and ditching sugar.
When the 53-year-old actor was asked the secret to his superhero body and much-discussed youthful looks, Rudd called it “sleep”.
“And then the diet,” Rudd continued, citing foods and drinks like eggs, salmon and fruit-free protein shakes. “And then the weight. And then cardio.”
Rudd added: “I get up and have a cup of coffee and then do cardio before I eat anything. I would never have done this before. [“Ant-Man”]. I lift weights at least three times a week. I’ve learned a lot about how my body reacts to food, how it reacts to exercise and where I’m happiest, and how much it affects me mentally.”
Rudd will reprise his role as Lang in The Man and the Bees: Quantum of Solace, out February 17.
