Does Paul Rudd really like Rush?
While Paul Rudd is now more commonly recognised for his work in the Marvel Cinematic Univers (MCU), appearing in five films in the role of Ant-Man, before this, the actor had already established a stellar comedic legacy. In what seems an age ago, Rudd starred in some of the most cherished comedies for millennial viewers. Clueless, Anchorman, Role Models and Forgetting Sarah Marshall are just a few treasured features, but for many, his best effort is 2009’s I Love You, Man. After all, the film tied Rudd to Canadian prog-rockers Rush forevermore.
In the bromantic comedy, Rudd plays Peter Klaven, a Los Angeles real estate agent who must find the best man for his wedding after proposing to his girlfriend, Zooey. However, he has a big problem. Save for his younger brother, Robbie, the character has a distinct lack of male friends. At first, his search for candidates proves fruitless. Then, one day at an open house at The Incredible Hulk star Lou Ferrigno’s mansion – which he is trying to sell – he meets Sydney Fife. The pair quickly bond, and their mutual adoration of Rush is the catalyst.
In one of the most memorable sequences in the film, the duo jam in Fife’s garage to Rush’s 1981 track ‘Tom Sawyer’ and sing the song when riding on a moped together. Elsewhere, as their jam continues to play, Fife is confronted in Venice Beach by an angry bodybuilder who stepped in his dog’s mess. After this scene, Rudd takes over vocals during one section of the song, which is wonderfully dorky. Then, later in the movie, the pair’s connection to Rush is immortalised when Klaven and Sydney attend a real Rush concert, where they both lose it.
Since 2009, fans have been eager to know if Rudd really does like Rush. Finally, he has responded to the age-old question: of course he likes Rush. Speaking alongside Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania co-star Johnathan Majors for a WIRED interview in February, they answered some of the internet’s most searched questions about them. Replying to the query, “Does Paul Rudd actually like Rush?” Rudd made the revelation.
“I actually do like Rush,” he explained. “I did a movie called I Love You, Man. In the movie, my character, Peter Klaven loves Rush, and Jason Segal’s character loves Rush. And we both really do like Rush. And Rush came and filmed a day on our film… It was a total Rush. It was amazing.”
