The “sublime” Martin Scorsese movie that convinced Paul Rudd to become an actor
Apart from discovering the Fountain of Youth, Paul Rudd is also famous for being a very good actor. Beginning his career in the early 1990s, his work has taken him to the sets of classic romcoms, horrors, dramas, Shakespearean retellings, superhero blockbusters, and the most popular sitcom of all time.
Even now, as he enters his sixth decade on the planet, Rudd is still a significant draw and an incredibly beloved star. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who isn’t a fan.
Rudd, who was born in America but to English parents, has worked with many iconic directors during his long and fruitful career. In his role as the Sex Panther-wielding Brian Fantana in Anchorman and its sequel, both of which were directed by comedy royalty, Adam McKay.
In the rebooted Ghostbusters series, he had the chance to work with Jason Reitman, the filmmaker behind Juno and Up in the Air, and the son of the original Ghostbusters director, Ivan Reitman. He also came close to working with James Cameron, but lost out on the role of Jack Dawson in Titanic to Leonardo DiCaprio. Makes you wonder—maybe in some alternate universe, it’s Leo who ended up guest-starring on Friends instead.
The one director that has had the biggest impact on the handsome funnyman is the one and only Martin Scorsese. As he explained to Men’s Health, Rudd was inspired to study acting by one of the maestro’s films. You’re probably thinking it was something like Goodfellas or Raging Bull. In fact, it was Scorsese’s little-known black comedy, After Hours.
“Griffin Dunne has been through so much,” he said, referring to the film’s lead actor. “He finally finds a safe harbour in some guy’s loft because there’s a mob out in the streets looking for him. And he calls the cops, and they say, ‘Go get some sleep’. And they hang up on him. But he doesn’t get mad. He’s just stupefied. And he says, ‘Oh, wow. Oh, wow.’ The only emotion is surprise. It’s beyond frustration. And it’s sublime.”
Released in 1985, After Hours is one of Scorsese’s most unique productions. Dunne plays Paul Hackett, a man trapped in a boring job. As he tries to leave one night to go home, he is beset by a number of unforeseen events. His money is blown away by the wind, he floods a stranger’s apartment, he gets assaulted by punks who try to cut his hair against his will. It is a completely nuts film, one that Scorsese himself described as a dark form of therapy.
Given that Rudd’s career has spanned many different genres, it should come as no surprise that he was drawn to something as formless as this. On the surface, After Hours is a funny film, but it goes so much deeper than that. It takes in some pretty serious themes like suicide and social unrest, and doesn’t always treat them with great care. It’s a fascinating watch, and it’s no surprise that a young Rudd wanted to find out more about it.
Scorsese gets a lot of credit for inspiring countless big names to join the film industry, but Rudd’s origin story feels very different to all those other ones. After Hours rarely comes up in discussions of the director’s best work, but without it, we wouldn’t have such a cherished fixture of modern Hollywood.
