Paul Rudd is a recognizable actor who has starred in many well-known movies, including popular Marvel movies. He’s certainly a famous face across America, but the star prefers to retain a level of privacy.
Paul Rudd does not have social media. He explained in an interview with Elle that he chooses not to have any presence on social media, seeing it as a distraction that he prefers to avoid.
Find out more about Paul Rudd’s life and career, as well as his approach to social media, by reading on.
Who is Paul Rudd?
Paul Rudd was born in New Jersey to British parents. During the early years of his life, his family relocated regularly due to his father’s work with Trans World Airlines.
When Rudd was ten years old, the family moved to Kansas, where they settled. The frequent moving created some difficulties for the young Rudd, though he now credits this as a contribution to his comedy.
“I was always new in schools and had British parents, which was not the norm,” he explains. He was also born Jewish, though he isn’t hugely religious as an adult, which added to him feeling different from his peers.
“I was born Jewish and I always felt like the outsider because I wasn’t Christian or Catholic.” Making those around him laugh, he explains, helped him to be accepted, especially using self-deprecating humor.
His desire to be an entertainer began at a young age, with him performing dance routines for his parents as early as four years old.
Outside of acting, Rudd married his partner Julie Yaeger in 2003 and the couple has two children. Their relationship remains relatively private, and he says that his public persona is a somewhat airbrushed version of his life.
“When I’m in public, I’m giving a very filtered, smooth version of [my life].”
Approach to Social Media
In a 2018 interview with Elle, Rudd revealed that he has “Very strong opinions politically”, though these are perhaps less known due to his lack of voice on social media platforms.
“I have no social media,” he explained. Asked why he continued “I don’t need things in my life to distract me from my life.”
It seems that privacy also plays a part in his decision not to engage in Instagram or Twitter. “As my world gets bigger, I try to keep it smaller. I don’t really want to talk to the people I know. Let alone people I don’t.”
Career
Rudd made his TV debut in the show ‘Sisters’, playing the character of Kirby.
His career only continued to excel, and he was cast in several shows throughout the nineties, including ‘Wild Oats’, however, it was his role in the movie ‘Clueless’ that brought much of his fame. “I’m just happy to be involved with something that struck a chord with as many people as it did,” he says of the movie.
In 1995, the year that ‘Clueless’ was released, it sold almost 13 million tickets.
A few years on, Rudd went on to join the cast of the now-iconic TV sitcom ‘Friends’. “It was certainly exciting,” he says of joining the show. “But it was a strange phenomenon to work with this very well established and highly regarded group of people known all over the world.”
In the early 2000s, he starred in the movies ‘Anchorman’ and ‘The 40 Year Old Virgin’, which he credits as having a major impact on his career.
In 2013, he joined Marvel in the role of superhero Ant-Man. He spoke to Marvel colleague Chris Evans of the expectations that come with joining the popular movie series.
“There’s pressure at every single movie you’re making in the Marvel world. You don’t want to be the weak link.” He has since appeared in a number of Marvel movies.
In recognition of his success, Rudd has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.