The 1995 film helped make Rudd a heartthrob
Credit: Everett(2)
NEED TO KNOW
- Paul Rudd reflected on auditioning for 1995’s Clueless
- The actor was initially interested in auditioning for Christian, whom he called the ‘most interesting part’
- Rudd went on to star in Friends and movies like Knocked Up and I Love You, Man
Paul Rudd set hearts aflutter with his role as Josh in Clueless, but he really wanted to play a different role.
Rudd, 57, opened up about his career in an article with The Hollywood Reporter, published June 3. The MCU actor had his first breakthrough in 1995's Clueless, an adaptation of Jane Austen's classic Emma, where he starred alongside Alicia Silverstone's Cher as Josh Lucas, her former stepbrother-turned-love interest.
However, Rudd told the outlet that he didn't want to play Josh, but rather Cher's love interest Christian (who's revealed to be gay) or Dionne's boyfriend Murray. The roles ultimately went to Justin Walker and Donald Faison, respectively.
Credit: Everett(2)
Rudd told THR of the role of Christian, “I remember reading it, like, ‘Wait a minute, this is a gay character, who's also the coolest character in the movie? I've never seen this before and it's the most interesting part.' ”
He also told the outlet that he was initially more interested in “serious acting,” didn't stress about the audition, after which, "I was not on the phone with my agents, like, ‘Did I get it? Did I get it?' ” he said.
But Adam Scott — Rudd's longtime friend who attended acting school with him — told THR that he could tell Clueless was going to be a hit. “I was at the premiere of Clueless out in Malibu with him, and it comes up on this big screen on the beach, and immediately I was like, ‘Oh, Paul's going to be a famous person now,' ” the Severance star said. “And sure enough, everything changed after that.”
He continued, “Suddenly, we could just walk into any bar. It was like, ‘Whoa, what the f— is going on? This is incredible.' ”
In 2001, Rudd was part of the ensemble cast of another comedy film, Wet Hot American Summer. “I know Clueless was funny, but this was my kind of funny,” Rudd told the outlet.
The cult classic film, which was a parody of ‘80s sex comedies, included current and future stars like Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Molly Shannon, Christopher Meloni, Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper and Elizabeth Banks.
Credit: Todd Owyoung/NBC
Rudd got another career boost in 2002 when he was cast on Friends as Mike Hannigan, the love interest and eventual husband of Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow). When the show ended in 2004, he moved on to adult comedies, like Anchorman and The 40-Year-Old Virgin, as well as portraying Ant-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Rudd, who stars in the new movie Power Ballad with Nick Jonas, told PEOPLE in May that he was “nervous” having to sing in front of Jonas, 33. In the film, Rudd plays Rick, a wedding singer. Jonas's Danny, a pop star, is in attendance at the wedding and ends up turning one of Rick's songs into a hit that reignites his career.
"I'd sung in movies before, but it was always silly — you get a lot of leeway,” Rudd explained to PEOPLE. “This was real, actual singing. I was doing it with you and [writer-director-producer] John Carney, who's a musician himself. This job is always nerve-wracking. Acting, singing — you're putting yourself out there, so you close your eyes and jump in the deep end."
Rudd pointed out that he sang in 2008's Role Models, but Power Ballad was “all serious singing.”
Jonas, however, told Rudd, "Well, you blew everybody away on set.”
Power Ballad is in theaters now.
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