Paul Rudd’s favourite comedy performances: “Never gets the props”
As well as having seemingly discovered the Fountain of Youth, Paul Rudd has carved out an incredible career. From his 1990s film appearances in the likes of Clueless and Romeo + Juliet to his recurring part as Phoebe’s husband on Friends and joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) as the diminutive superhero Ant-Man, Rudd has grown from a bit-part player in comedies to a genuine blockbuster draw. Not bad for a guy who got his start in a Nintendo commercial.
The effervescent star is mostly known for his comedic performances. He has tried his hand at more serious roles, notably in movies like The Fundamentals of Caring and All Is Bright, but everyone knows he is at his best when making people laugh. As Brian Fantana, one-quarter of the legendary news team in the Anchorman series, he is part of one of the all-time great cinematic farces. However, Hollywood has long overlooked esteemed comedians in favour of their more dramatic colleagues.
What critics and fans seem to really dig is a comedian who ditches the clown makeup and does a ‘proper’ film instead. Think Jim Carrey in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or Adam Sandler in Uncut Gems. When asked by Marie Claire if he found this trope annoying, Rudd had a typically hilarious response: “What’s annoying is that nobody is hiring me to play the guy with the incurable disease!’ he joked before relenting, ‘It’s always been the case that comedy never gets the props that drama does.”
To counter this attitude, Rudd provided some of his all-time favourite funny performances. “Steve Coogan in Hamlet 2 is such a committed and brilliantly funny performance,” he said, further adding, “Jack Black in School of Rock is one of the great comedic performances of the last decade, and certainly some of the things Jim Carrey has done, and what Will Ferrell does. It’s easy to write them off and say, ‘Oh, that’s just a comedy’, but it’s so much more than that. It’s easier to make somebody cry than to make somebody laugh because everyone’s sense of humour is so different. Whereas if something is moving, more people will find it moving.”
School of Rock, the Richard Linklater-directed musical comedy, is widely regarded as one of the best family comedies of all time. Black’s performance as a deadbeat musician posing as a prep school teacher is one of its biggest highlights and draws. The more obscure Hamlet 2 follows a similar format, with Coogan playing a failed actor-turned-teacher who leads a group of students in a modern, highly tasteless sequel to Shakespeare’s timeless classic. Though not as beloved as the former, the film clearly has plenty of famous fans, with Roger Ebert giving it a glowing review when it first came out.
Rudd isn’t the only big name to bring up how undervalued comedic performers are. Richard Curtis once said that he would have voted for Will Ferrell to win an Oscar for Elf if it were allowed.
Unfortunately, there is something about a gripping dramatic performance that people just can’t get enough of. Comedy has been seen as a ‘lesser’ art form for centuries (looking at you, Plato), and while that perception will hopefully change one day, in the meantime, Rudd is going to have to get used to not winning major awards for incredible performances like most of his peers.
