For the first two decades of his career, Paul Rudd – whose breakout role came as an adorable Josh Lucas in Clueless (1995) – literally remained oblivious to the action genre, instead cementing his place as one of the most sought-after actors for romantic comedies due to his charming persona.
That took a sharp turn in 2015, as he joined the action-packed world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as superhero Ant-Man. The first full teaser of Ant-Man saw Rudd go shirtless and show off his abs. However, to achieve the transformed look, the This is 40 star had to follow a horrible diet.
What Paul Rudd Felt About His Physique After Gaining Abs for Ant-Man
Paul Rudd returned to the MCU earlier this year with the third stand-alone movie based on Scott Lang, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The film, which paved the way for Jonathan Majors‘ Kang the Conqueror to make his debut on the big screen, faltered critically and financially but still managed to impress a few fans with the actor’s physique – despite him being on the wrong side of the 50s.
To achieve those abs we saw in 2015, the 54-year-old had to adopt a very restrictive diet. Speaking on the Off Menu podcast, Rudd revealed:
“When I was having to train for the Ant-Man movie, I was on a very restrictive diet. My reward was sparkling water. That’s how horrible that diet was. I was like, ‘Ugh alright. I’m going to have some sparkling water now. I’ve earned it.”
However, even after such a strict diet and dedication, the Role Models star felt that he wasn’t as muscular as the other Marvel superheroes, admitting:
“I think I worked out harder than anyone, I would eat better than everyone, and I looked worse than all of them. I had to work out all the time, and eat perfectly, just to look kind of bad. Not even great.”
In particular, looking at Chris Hemsworth, who portrays Thor in Avengers: Endgame, shattered Rudd’s confidence as well as the desire to punish himself.
“You stand next to a guy like that, and I just think, ‘Well, what’s the point of any of this? Why am I killing myself when that can exist, and then I look at myself and this exists.’ I can never achieve that,” Rudd said.
He had the same experience while working with Majors in Ant-Man 3, and since his shape-shifting superhero didn’t have to take his shirt off in this installment, Rudd thought it was pointless to bulk up.
Read more: Paul Rudd Had To Face Strangers Yelling “Look at us!” After Inadvertently Becoming a Viral Meme
Paul Rudd Had to Compete With The Dark Knight Rises Actor for Ant-Man
It remains unlikely we will ever see Rudd’s abs again, but at least we will always have the memories of 2015 – the year that transformed Rudd from a romantic comedy icon to an action stalwart. Interestingly, the race to portray the Marvel Comics character wasn’t easy for the actor, as he was supposedly competing with a The Dark Knight Rises star.
According to MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, as Marvel searched for its Ant-Man to kick off Phase Three of the MCU, they considered Joseph Gordon-Levitt alongside Rudd for the role that valued relatability factor more than physical prowess.
In that regard, Rudd, who had plenty of next-door-guy roles in his catalog, always had the upper hand. Not only did he translate Scott Lang’s comic book personality to the tee on the big screen but also gave fans a lot to talk about by hitting the gym for his abs. As a result, the movie was a huge success, grossing $519.3 million worldwide.
