After a four-year hiatus from his role as Ant-Man, Paul Rudd returns as the beloved superhero in the highly-anticipated 2023 Marvel movie, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. It’s a role he’s had since 2015.
But Rudd recently admitted that his body wasn’t in superhero mode before filming. And he revealed the two events that made him realize he was out of shape.
Paul Rudd debuted his superhero in 2015’s ‘Ant-Man’
Rudd joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2015. He first appeared as Scott Lang, aka Ant-Man, in Ant-Man. And he reprised the role for three movies — Captain America: Civil War, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and Avengers: Endgame — and the Disney+ MCU series, What If…?.
Most fans feel Rudd is the perfect actor for the part. He brings a great combination of comedic timing and action-packed heroism to the role. But according to the actor, he never believed he’d become a Marvel superhero.
He recently recalled thinking it was an idea out of left field. And he admittedly never expected fans to embrace him the way they did.
“My agent set up a meeting with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige,” Rudd told Men’s Health. “Marvel was pretty new. They weren’t even part of Disney. It would’ve been like somebody saying, ‘How would you feel about doing Dancing with the Stars?’
“A superhero franchise was never on my radar, ” he continued. “I never really thought I was the type of actor that they would offer any of those parts to — and I knew that if it was announced that I was going to be joining a superhero franchise, most people would say, ‘What the f***?’”
Paul Rudd reveals the two things that made him realize he wasn’t in shape for ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’
Just before shooting Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Rudd completed filming his Apple TV+ series, The Shrink Next Door. The show didn’t require the actor to train or be very physical. And when he started training for the Marvel movie, he immediately realized how much he’d fallen out of his health and fitness routine.
“I worked really hard to get back into shape for Quantumania, and I realized, ‘Oh my God, this is so much harder than it was [for the last Ant-Man project],’” Rudd said in his chat with Men’s Health. “I had fallen off more than I had in the past. All of a sudden my clothes fit tight.”
“And I thought, ‘God, this sucks I can’t even wear these pants,’” he recalled. “So I’d say to myself, ‘Well, I might as well just eat some of these cookies.’ I was irritable and self-conscious. I just wasn’t in a good mood. I really beat myself up.”
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The other event that made Rudd realize he needed to get into shape was when he learned he’d be on the cover of Men’s Health. “My first reaction to being in Men’s Health was: ‘I can’t. There’s no way,’” the Marvel star said.
But when his agent told him it was a done deal, Rudd took that as fuel for motivation. “But the fitness that I do now has less to do with the fact that I might have to do another Marvel movie or a magazine shoot and more because I finally understand if you make fitness a part of your lifestyle, you’ll just feel good,” he explained.
What is Paul Rudd’s diet and fitness routine?
Following Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Rudd has fallen back into a regular health routine. And in his interview with Men’s Health, he shared his daily diet and exercise regimen, which includes a daily menu of eggs, lots of salmon, and protein shakes.
“I get up and I have a cup of coffee, and then I do cardio before I eat anything,” Rudd detailed. “I never would’ve done that before [Ant-Man]. I lift weights, hopefully at least three times a week.”
The actor also revealed how comfortable he feels in his routine. And he noted that it ultimately helps him be a better Ant-Man.
“I’ve learned so much about how my body reacts to foods, how it reacts to exercise, and where I’m happiest and how much it affects me mentally,” Rudd added. ”If I’m in this suit, running around playing a character who’s supposed to be a superhero, I just feel better. And I feel less like an impostor.”
