Paul Rudd went shirtless at age 46 for his first Ant-Man film, and it did not come easy. Rudd had to adhere to a very strict diet plan along with his hours spent at the gym. The Clueless actor explained that his diet was so restrictive that his reward for a good day of training was sparkling water. Rudd followed this ‘painful’ diet to get in shape recently for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Rudd first appeared in the MCU in the 2015 movie, Ant-Man. It was a turning point in the career of the actor, who until that point was a major presence only in comedy movies. Marvel found a relatable superhero in the lovable goof, Paul Rudd.
Paul Rudd’s Diet For Ant-Man Was Horrible
Paul Rudd was the last person you would expect to see with six-pack abs before Ant-Man came out. However, in a blink-and-miss scene in the film, fans get to see the ripped body of The 40-Year-Old Virgin actor. Rudd finally revealed some details of his diet that helped him get into amazing shape when he appeared on a recent podcast episode of Off Menu.
The FRIENDS actor shared that his diet was restrictive and horrible. Rudd told hosts Ed Gamble and James Acaster that his strict diet meant his rewarding ‘food’ for a good day of training was just sparkling water. He further joked that he feared exploding from all the carbonation as he drank so much sparkling water. Rudd shared with the Off Menu podcast:
“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.’ Too much carbonation, I would have exploded at that size. One bubble would take me out.”
The Wanderlust actor got accustomed to the treat and shared that though the sparkling water wasn’t even a flavored brand, it was a great treat. Rudd shared that he got into the groove and was okay with having the ‘boring’ food over and over again. “You feel good — waking up with tons of energy is the strangest sensation. That was new for me,” the Knocked Up actor shared.
Paul Rudd’s Extended Shirtless Scene In Ant-Man Was Cut
In an interview with Men’s Health, Paul Rudd shared that he began training at least four months before he had to appear in any of the MCU films. The training was even more rigorous for the first Ant-Man film. However, the shirtless scene in Ant-Man, for which he trained harder, was cut from the movie due to its essentiality. The scene then became a much shorter split-second scene, and Paul Rudd was totally okay with it.
Rudd shared that he was annoyed initially but later realized that doing a shirtless scene was not his style. He revealed that he would have made fun of himself, as he would have looked like an idiot walking around shirtless. The Romeo + Juliet actor shared with Men’s Health:
“On one hand, I was annoyed because I put in a year’s worth of hard work. On the other, if I had to look at myself shirtless in a Marvel movie, I would just want to make fun of it in every single way. I would feel kind of like an idiot walking around without my shirt on. Because that’s not my style.”
In the Off Menu podcast, Rudd also joked that Chris Hemsworth in Avengers: Endgame and Jonathan Majors in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania made him feel pointless in bulking up. Rudd’s being too harsh on himself as he’s still one of the youngest-looking actors at 54 in Hollywood. Fans can enjoy all of his performances as Ant-Man, streaming the MCU movies on Disney+.
