31 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Paul Rudd – The Lovable Ant-Man

Paul Rudd, famously known by his MCU character’s name Scott Land AKA Ant-Man, has been a Hollywood mainstay for nearly half his life, since the 1990s. He has garnered world-wide recognition with his performance in different roles, exceeding the expectations of his fans. Here are a few interesting things to know about him:

1. Dubbed ‘Mr. Perfect,’ Rudd, with a British taste for tea and a long list of comic characters to his name, became a teen sensation after his breakthrough role in the comedy film ‘Clueless.’
2. He was born Paul Stephen Rudd on April 6, 1969, in Passaic, New Jersey, United States, to Golria Irene and Michael Rudd. He has a younger sister, Mandi Rudd Arnold.
3. His father was a vice-president of Trans World Airlines, and later earned his living as a historical guide, while his mother was a sales manager at KCMO-TV in Kansas City. His sister is the owner of Brand Energy Marketing Company, who is a volunteer at the KC Pet Project, which deals with pets’ adoption.
4. His parents migrated from England and are descended of Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants from Belarus, Poland and Russia. His grandfather, born Davis Rudnitsky, anglicized their surname from ‘Rudnitzky’ to Rudd.
5. His father’s job in airline industry necessitated constant travel and the family eventually settled in Kansas City where he attended Broadmoor Junior High and Shawnee Mission West High School, graduating in 1987. He later went to University of Kansas, where he majored in theater.
6. Rudd joined American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles which led to a three-month theater workshop at Oxford University’s British Drama Academy. He was tutored by the producer and editor Michael Kahn.
7. To support himself at acting school, he worked as a DJ at a Bat Mitzvah. After graduation he did variety of odd jobs, including glazing hams at the Holiday Ham Company, delivering newspapers, and bagging groceries, which lasted for about six months.
8. In 1992, Rudd began landing a series of television jobs, including a sitcom ‘Wild Oats,’ which he hated so much he used to go home and spray paint obscenities on the walls of his own apartment.
9. Though ‘Wild Oats’ was short lived, it gave him a big break in ‘Clueless,’ as the dreamy stepbrother. With his pleasant good looks and love interest in the movie, he became an iconic 1990s teen comedy, established him as an up-and–coming artist.
10. Rudd made his feature film debut as Tommy Doyle in the 1995 slasher film ‘Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers,’ and went on feature in ‘The Size of Watermelons,’ ‘Romeo + Juliet,’ and the ‘Locusts.’
11. In 2000, for his portrayal of Lt. Wally Worthington, in the film ‘The Cider House Rules,’ he was nominated for ‘Screen Actors Guild Award,’ for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
12. He played FBI Agent, Ian Curtis, in the Hong Kong action film ‘Gen-Y Cops,’ in 2000 and followed it up as Andy in ‘Wet Hot American Summer,’ in 2001. He told Entertainment Weekly that he was literally not sure he ever got paid for this movie, because of its tight budget.
13. In the 2003 film ‘The Shape of Things,’ Rudd reprised the role of Adam Sorenson, from a play staged in London in the summer of 2001. He lost 25 pounds for the film.
14. Rudd is a self-described mega-fan of the television series ‘Lost,’ for which he volunteered to interview cast member Emilie de Ravin, whom he has never met, for interview magazine.
15. In 2011, Rudd donated his birthday that year to the ‘American Cancer Society,’ by which he requested his friends, family, business associates and complete strangers, to open up their wallets and donate their age instead of gifts. He lost his father to cancer and in his honor he set a goal of raising $50,000.
16. In the 2005 film ‘The Baxter,’ despite playing a couple, Michelle Williams and Rudd never actually shared any scene together.
17. In the sex comedy film ‘The 40-Year-Old Virgin,’ the entire ‘You Know How I Know You’re Gay’ scene was improvised by Rudd and Seth Rogen. During this scene he is seen wearing a t-shirt that has a picture of himself on it.
18. Rudd auditioned for the role of Jack Dawson in Titanic, as his father had been an avid Titanic historian. During his audition, he was able to rattle off various facts about the ship, but it did not help him land a key role.
19. He made his debut as producer with 2007 film ‘The Ten,’ and later went on to add ‘Wanderlust’ in 2012 and ‘Fun Mom Dinner,’ in 2017. He starred in all his films.
20. Rudd co-starring with Seann William Scott in the 2008 film ‘Role Models,’ improvised many lines with constant re-write. One day Rudd peed in his pants because he was laughing so hard at an improvised line.
21. In 2012, he appeared in four episode of political satire sitcom ‘Parks and Recreation,’ as Bobby Newport, for which he won the ‘Critics Choice Television Award,’ for Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series.
22. He played lead character Scott Lang / Ant-Man in the 2015 film ‘Ant-Man,’ for which he was awarded the ‘Male Star of the Year,’ at the ‘CinemaCon Awards.’ When he told his nine-year old son he was going to be Ant-Man, his son said, ‘Wow, I can’t wait to see how stupid that’ll be.’
23. In order to get into shape for the superhero character, Rudd had gone on an extensive training and workout regimen in order to build muscle size. He also worked with a gymnast to be convincing as possible with rolls and flips.
24. In his preparation for Ant-Man character, he cut out alcohol, fried-foods, and carbohydrates from his diet in a Chris Pratt approach to eliminate anything fun for a year to play a hero.
25. The film Ant-Man was a box office success grossing $519 million worldwide placing it 14^th on the list of 2015’s ‘Most Valuable Blockbusters’ Film. Rudd was nominated for 2016 ‘Critics’ Choice Awards-Best Actor in an Action Movie,’ ‘Saturn Awards-Best Actor,’ and for ‘MTV Movie Awards-Best Hero.’
26. He reprised his role of super hero in ‘Captain America: Civil War,’ 2016 and as well as in Ant-Man’s sequel, ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’ in 2018. He did learn close up magic for the later movie.
27. On February 23, 2003, he got married to Julie Yaeger, the American Television Producer and a former Publicist, with whom he has two children, a son named Jack Sullivan and a daughter named Darby.
28. Rudd received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on July 1, 2015. He unveiled the 2,554^th star on the mile-long strip of plaques on Hollywood Boulevard.
29. As a supporter of Stuttering Association for the Young, he hosted the organization’s 6^th Annual All-Star Bowling Benefit on January 22, 2018. He is also founding member of the charity ‘The Big Slick,’ a celebrity studded sports focused event to supports Kansas City’s Children’s Mercy Hospital.
30. Along with Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Rudd is co-owner of ‘Samuel’s Sweet Shop,’ in Rhinebeck, N.K. They decided to buy the shop and maintain it after its owner, Ira Gutner, a friend of theirs, tragically passed away in 2014.
31. Paul Rudd Net Worth: $70 Million