Paul Rudd was already a huge star and one of the most beloved actors in Hollywood before he took on the role of Ant-Man. He had some of the greatest comedies of our era – Anchorman, Friends, Parks and Recreation – under his belt and had somehow managed to avoid the ageing process throughout his decades in front of the camera. But when Marvel comes calling, you enter a whole new league. As Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania hits Disney+, we look back at some of Paul Rudd’s most wholesome moments, all of which mark him out as an everyday superhero.
The time his daughter dressed as The Wasp… but he had other ideas
Imagine your dad is the actual Ant-Man. You’d totally think The Wasp was a slam dunk for your Halloween outfit, wouldn’t you? I mean, you can have the real Ant-Man as your sidekick! Poor Darby, Paul Rudd’s daughter. Back in 2019, she donned her adorable mini Wasp outfit, and headed out for some trick or treating… only to be joined by her dad dressed as comedy music legend Weird Al Yankovic. It may not have been the Avengers meet-up you’d be expecting, but it sure made for some hilarious and very sweet photos. A father-daughter moment for the ages.
When he saved his friend’s sweet shop
When Rudd’s friend Ira Gutner died, it looked certain that his sweet shop – an integral part of the community in Rhinebeck, New York for more than 25 years – would close. Not on Rudd’s watch. He and fellow actor Jeffery Dean Morgan and their spouses, Hilarie Burton and Julie Rudd, decided to buy the shop and rescue it from closure. It’s not just an investment opportunity, Rudd and Morgan are very involved in the shop, with Rudd even helping out by manning the till sometimes.
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That time Paul Rudd did his bit for democracy
Clearly a fan of the power of a sweet treat, Rudd was spotted handing out blueberry-and-cream cookies to early voters in Brooklyn as they queued to do their civic duty in the 2020 US elections. “I want to say thank you for coming out and voting and doing your part,” Rudd told stunned members of the public.
He FaceTimed a little boy who was being bullied
12-year-old Brody Cooper was having a hard time in school. Only two teachers and two fellow students wrote in his school yearbook, and his distraught mum Cassandra took to Facebook to appeal to parents to teach their kids kindness. But then Paul Rudd stepped in to make sure Brody didn’t feel alone, calling him to chat about dinosaurs and fencing. Cassandra shared an adorable clip from the call, in which Rudd said Brody seemed like “my kind of guy”. “You truly made Brody so happy,” wrote Cassandra.
