“Paul would come back pretty bruised”: Michael Douglas Asked Producers to Cut Down His Action Scenes After Seeing Paul Rudd Getting “Beat Up” in $476M Film

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Michael Douglas has been active in the acting industry since 1969 and the journey has been spectacular given that he is still a prominent figure in Hollywood. He gained international recognition with his role as Hank Pym in the Marvel Cinematic Universe beginning with the 2015 film, Ant-Man.

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Michael Douglas as Hank Pym in Ant-Man
Michael Douglas as Hank Pym

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From the MCU films, we got to know that Entomologist and quantum physicist, Hank Pym created Pym particles. Those particles powered the Ant-Man suit thus giving him a chance to participate in enough action sequences. However, the actor willingly chopped down his flicks in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. 

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Michael Douglas Addressed Reducing His Action-Flicks in Ant-Man 3

Ant-Man 3 – Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer
Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer in Ant-Man 3

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Given the success of the first two films in the Ant-Man series, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania had enjoyed fair success despite the underwhelming performance stated by the critics. It introduced Jonathan Majors’ Kang The Conquerer, who was a variant of Kang in Loki called He Who Remains. Due to the MCU’s next big baddie, major fights were seen in the new film which meant that old Ant-Man had its chance to shine in glory.

However, Michael Douglas who plays Hank Pym or the original Ant-Man took a step back when he was offered to shine on the big screen alongside Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang/Ant-Man in action sequences.

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In an interview, he addressed the action scenes which fans would see in the film. While it was “fun” to him, he took a step back due to Kang.

I was not involved in a couple of the big fight scenes that existed. In one of them, Paul Rudd has a tremendous fight with, with what I think is Marvel’s next big villain, Kang.”

He further mentioned that Rudd would bear some aftermath of his action flicks which is why he limited his screen time.

“But Paul would come back pretty bruised and pretty beat up. So I limited my actions in this film.”

It looks like he did great decision-making in chopping off some intense scenes from his part as the funny Scott Lang actor revealed his experience facing off Creed III star.

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Paul Rudd Commented on Fighting Jonathan Majors in Ant-Man 3

Paul Rudd and Jonathan Majors in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Paul Rudd and Jonathan Majors in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Also Read: “He kind of attacked me”: Diane Keaton Reveals Michael Douglas Kissed Her Like A ‘Pitbull’ In $25M Movie Despite Claiming She Loved Getting Intimate With Male Co-Stars

In a February interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Rudd opened up about taking on Majors in Quantumania. When asked what it felt like to take on a muscular physique actor, he shared,

“It’s legit. It feels intense. He’s really a great actor, and throughout the entire film, it felt as if he was a formidable foe.”

In another interview, he mentioned that Marvel had to “tone down” their fighting scene in their climax battle after witnessing the intensity.

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He shared at the time,

“They actually had to tone it down. They had to tone it down. They’re like, ‘You know what, this is a little too much.'”

Despite the intense fighting scenes between Kang and Ant-Man, the film received mixed reviews from critics as they felt it was inferior to its predecessors, especially in the plot. Grossing around $476 million worldwide, it is available on Disney+.

Source: Youtube

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Written by Priya Sharma

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Priya Sharma, Senior Content Writer and Social Media Manager at FandomWire and Animated Times. Having graduated in Journalism and Mass Communication, she possesses extensive expertise in crafting engaging and informative content. She has written over 2000 articles across Animated Times and FandomWire on pop culture, showing her dedication to delivering diverse and trending content to readers across the world. Apart from pop culture, she is quite enthusiastic about the Hallyu culture and is exploring the world of anime, expanding the horizons of her knowledge.