Paul Rudd, in Sydney for Ant-Man premiere, a big fan of Michael Hutchence
Paul Rudd is no fly-by-night lover of all things Australian — as a teen he loved Aussie film and bands and thought one of our rock stars was the “coolest dude in the world”.
Confidential
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Paul Rudd is no fly-by-night lover of all things Australian — as a kid he thought Michael Hutchence was the “coolest dude in the world”.
The Hollywood star’s Down Under penchant started some 30 years ago when working on 1993 TV miniseries The Fire Next Time and a makeup artist colleague gave him a pair of Blundstone boots.
“I have been a Blundstone’s dude for about 30-something-odd years,” Rudd told Confidential, having been snapped in a pair of the Aussie shoes when he arrived in Sydney earlier in the week.
“I have always had a kind of love affair with Australia. I moved around a lot when I was a kid but I kind of grew up in the middle of the country in Kansas City but I was so into a lot of bands from Australia.”
Rudd, in Australia to promote the February 16 release of Marvel film, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, continued: “The band that really hit me hard was INXS and I thought that Michael Hutchence was like the coolest dude in the world.
“I grew my hair really long like him. Listening to them led me to Hunters & Collectors and I started to follow stuff that was going on in Australia.”
It was Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom that further cemented his love of Australia and he subsequently played Dave Paris in the director’s Romeo + Juliet.
“Then I discovered Romper Stomper and all of this Australian art that was being made here,” he said.
“The music that came from here seemed very Australian and the movies were very quirky in an Australian way.”
Rudd said he so far had not had the opportunity to film any projects here.
“I never get a say,” he said of the shoot location.
“I’ll say, ‘how about we do this one in Australia’ and they will be like, ‘let’s try Atlanta’.”
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is Rudd’s latest foray into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Directed by Peyton Reed, the film also stars Evangeline Lilly, Jonathan Majors, Michelle Pfeiffer and Michael Douglas.
Rudd agreed that some might not see him as a stereotypical superhero actor in playing Scott Lang/Ant-Man.
“I think that people want to see themselves in movies,” he said.
“In regard to me being a superhero, no offence taken, it is strange but I think that audiences are pretty savvy and want to see things that might be unexpected or maybe things they haven’t quite seen before or that don’t fit traditional archetypes.”
Sydney Premiere
Hollywood great Paul Rudd says “a lot of blood sweat and tears,” went into what was unequivocally the “hardest Marvel film” he’s ever made.
The Ant-Man star, 53, dressed in a crisp cream suit for his appearance at a special fan event hosted at the Hoyts Entertainment Quarter on Thursday night.
“I don’t know if I want Marvel fans to know anything about this movie,” he told The Daily Telegraph.
“I want them to go in and be surprised by the scale and the scope and the tone of it.
“It’s huge.”
Walking the red carpet in front of a crowd of costumed Sydney fans, some of whom had been lining up since this morning, Rudd was joined by co-star Jonathan Majors (who stars as the villain Kang), and director Peyton Reed.
The American actor committed to an intense diet and fitness regime to get back into superhero shape. “There’s a lot of physical stuff happening in this movie. I had to do a lot of training,” Rudd said.
In an interview with Men’s Health, Rudd claimed “eight hours of sleep” was his secret to looking young.
“Then diet. Then weights. Then cardio,” he told the magazine.
Rudd — who has starred in Clueless, Anchorman, Knocked Up, This is 40, The 40-year-Old Virgin and Ghostbusters: Afterlife — also sticks to a simple diet, eating eggs daily and incorporating salmon into most meals.
“It sounds like hell. It’s really not. I find routine comforting,” he said.
“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. Routine is a human need.
“It’s grounding in a really positive and healthy way.”
Ant-Man and The Wasp kicks off phase five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCA), and features superheroes Scott Lang (Rudd) and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly).
Michelle Pfeiffer, Kathryn Newton and Michael Douglas also appear in the film.
I think it’s fun to play a character that is a superhero that doesn’t really have any innate superhero abilities,” Rudd said.
“So it’s a regular person, dealing with regular issues.
“What do I do with my life? And how do I be heroic in my own kind of way in the MCU?
“It brings me here to Australia, all these people are here because they’re excited to see a Marvel movie. It’s such a global phenomenon.
“To be able to do that and be a part of this is completely unique.”
Rudd touched down in Sydney on Wednesday, sporting an iconic Aussie touch to his wardrobe as he made his way out of customs at Sydney International Airport.
The evergreen actors accentuated his black jeans, white T-shirt and cap ensemble with a pair of classic Blundstone Chelsea boots.
The US actor was photographed exiting via Sydney Airport’s VIP entrance with co-star Majors and director Reed.
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania opens in cinemas on February 16.
Got a news tip? Email mikaela.wilkes@news.com.au
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