Paul Rudd is Excited His Kids Can Watch Marvel’s Ant-Man
You know that time I sat with 12 other bloggers in a freezing Atlanta backyard watching Raul Rudd film for Marvel’s Ant-Man? Yeah, that secret set visit we made back in November! We can finally talk about it!
Paul Rudd
I have to admit going in, that I do not often get start struck much anymore, but Paul Rudd was something else. He is completely humble, incredibly friendly and just amazing to be around. He had us laughing within seconds of entering our backyard tent and left us smiling. Perhaps one of the most fascinating parts of our time with him, especially as a parent myself, was his excitement when he talked about his kids.
Ant-Man will be be first of Paul Rudd’s movies that his kids can actually watch. And the fact that he is going to be a superhero couldn’t be that bad to relay to his kids, right? Although, he did say that when his (then) 9 year old son asked which superhero he was, his son wasn’t quite sure about the name, “Ant-Man.” It didn’t quite hold the “panache as Iron Man.” I do think he fits into his character/costume well though!
Nonetheless, I am sure that seeing his dad play Ant-Man will be incredible. Even though the movie is a bit different than what we Rudd fans are used to seeing him in, it’s going to be fabulous! Even Paul himself said he was excited because it was a “different kind of thing, which was interesting in and of itself… and [he] figured it would probably be funny.” With Paul throwing in some ad-lib lines here and there, I am sure it will be.
He did tell us that Marvel has their own way of doing things and they often try a lot of different versions while shooting films. The Marvel Approach:
“…they want to kind of explore every avenue. And I like that. I like working like that,and sometimes it feels maybe like you’re going down a nowhere road. But I think so much of this stuff is shaped as you edit it, and and you get into post, and we do the scenes as written, but then we’ll play around with it as well.”
Throughout our day on the set, we were able to watch the birthday party scene they were filming (which, coincidentally, due to unseasonably frigid temps in Atlanta, was moved inside) on a monitor from the backyard. In the scene, we noticed plenty of interaction between Paul and his young co-star, Abby Ryder Fortson. Between shoots, he would not only help entertain Abby, but he would also cut up and sing various songs with other crew members. This actually kept us entertained throughout our day on the set.
Watching him engage with the kids, and knowing his proud dad status, we asked him what it was like playing a deadbeat dad in the film. After joking about not seeing his own family in years, he explained how they tried to focus on the relationships we have with our kids and our parents. He now has experience in both of those areas and it has enriched his experience as the character, as well as in performing it. In the scenes with Abby, he has life experiences to draw from since he has a daughter younger than her.
Oh… and that picture of Paul Rudd and Abby Ryder Fortson you see above? That is the scene we watched them film! This birthday party scene was shot from several different angles with the same lines over and over again. As the sun went down outside, they brought in large lights to act as sunlight. Party guests hung out in another tent playing games and entertaining the kids. I can’t wait to see how this final scene plays out on the big screen!
From the few scenes we saw on the set, I am sure that will come through in the film. He has a genuine love of his status as a father and there is no doubt his children should be proud to see dad on the big screen.
Head to the theaters on July 17th to see Paul Rudd as Ant-Man. He will be taking his kids to see it, so don’t be afraid to bring your family along!