Paul Rudd Interview – Ant-Man Set Visit

Disclaimer: I was invited on an expense paid trip to visit the set of Marvel’s new Ant-Man. All opinions are my own.

Ant-Man Set Visit With Paul Rudd

Being able to be a part of this Paul Rudd Interview was a once in a lifetime chance to step out of Fan Girl mode and into press girl Q&A role.  If you didn’t already know this, Paul Rudd is from Kansas City. I have always been a fan of his movies. I was so excited to get a chance to sit down and talk to him. Having him play a much more dynamic role in a movie to see his dramatic scale in a Marvel action film makes me giddy inside. Whenever people think of Paul Rudd, they know that is a well-rounded and truly likable guy. After all, he is from the Midwest.

I was dying to know questions about Ant-Man as well. How did he like playing the role? What was the most challenging part? How well did he know comics? What did his family think or have to say when he mentioned “Ant-Man”?

While being on set to interview him, it was truly a unique opportunity that I have never experienced before in my entire life. The scene they were working on was about his character Scott Lang, who just gets out of prison. He shows up to his daughter’s birthday party unannounced and brings her a very unique gift. While he was filming it we were outside watching him from a tent with a television and headsets. He had so much energy, and later we found out that he had been working every day—15 hours straights—for weeks! He was able to stay positive, full of energy, and yet do so good.

I actually went on set while they were filming. While I was in the house that they were filming in I was able to just stand right next to Paul Rudd. I obviously couldn’t have a Fan Girl moment like I could have…but I am starting to get really comfortable in these unique press opportunities!

Although Paul is goober positive, I personally can tell that he was tired during our interview. The conditions were weird because we were outside in a tent where it was about 20 degrees. He was also just doing a scene where when he comes home to his daughter’s birthday, he gets beat up a little bit mentally. He then had to snap in to interview mode for us!

Paul Rudd Interview Main Points

• Working with Marvel is FUN!
• He isn’t really a comic guy. (Or should I say he wasn’t a big comic guy.)
• He first signed up to do Ant-man with Edgar Wright who was a friend of his.
• He talked to us about how hard it was to wear the suit and how it was hard to move in it.
• When it came to prepare for the role, Rudd had to do more training than research.
• Paul talked to us about how his son felt with him playing Ant-Man.  His son was clueless on who Ant-Man was. He talked about how “it doesn’t have quite the same verve and panache as Iron Man.”  Then once his son was able to try on the helmet, he thought it was pretty cool!
• We also talked about “Marvel’s Way of Filming”. Rudd stated, “Marvel has a way of shooting these films. They have a Marvel approach, and they’ll often try lots of different versions of things. They want to kind of explore every avenue. And I like that.
• Marvel really tried to focus on the parenting in the movie.  Paul plays a deadbeat dad, but he states how they focus on “relationships” with our kids.
• Paul found the physical aspect of the filming “challenging and very fun”!

As we move in to snap the picture taken below, he mentions that this is his “dream Spring Break picture!” 

At the end of the interview, I was right next to Paul, he talked about the challenging part was having to cut out his calories and his Guinness beers. So as we were finished and we all started to navigate around outside of the tent for a picture, I did say except for when you are watching the World Series. He did light up with a spark of energy when he explained how it was perfect timing because at that point they were working on an Ant scene where they didn’t need him. Paul told me how he got those two weeks off when Royals were headed toward the World Series, “I worked every day and then those two weeks” they didn’t me “one of the greatest things is being in the movie and there is section when I am really small and I can’t really be in those scenes to shoot cause it’s all gonna be CGI!…”Literally worked a year and then has two weeks off for the Royals!”

Fun Paul Rudd Fact – Both girls’ names were “Abby”!

This is Paul Rudd and Abby Ryder in the Birthday Scene I watched being filmed in Atlanta!

Not only is Paul Rudd a Superhero in this movie but he is in real life!  I just interviewed him this Friday where he helped raise 1 Million dollars for our Children’s Hospital at Big Slick Kansas City!  (I guess that was technically my 2nd Paul Rudd Interview with one more to come this WEEK!) One REALLY neat fact is that he was playing games with one of the children here in Kansas City and her name was also ABBY!

For those that don’t realize that Abby was also the actress’s real name who plays his daughter in Ant-Man!

Paul Rudd being a REAL life Superhero by donating his time and playing with a girl named Abby Logan from Children’s Mercy Hospital. This was during his Big Slick KC fundraiser.

Be sure to go and see Marvel’s NEW next BIG (or really really small) THING on July 17, 2015!

The next evolution of the Marvel Cinematic Universe brings a founding member of The Avengers to the big screen for the first time with Marvel Studios’ “Ant-Man” when master thief Scott Lang must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats.