‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’: Paul Rudd Has a Tiered System for Getting in Shape for Shirtless Marvel Scenes
Marvel stars have to get into extraordinarily good shape to play their roles convincingly. While CGI and costume padding can enhance the superhero experience, actors still need to get in shape to convince viewers they’re watching a real superhero.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania star Paul Rudd went through a lot for the first film just to prepare for his shirtless scene. As it turns out, the actor has a tiered system for health that we all could benefit from.
Landing Ant-Man wasn’t part of Paul Rudd’s plan
Since his first major performance in the romantic comedy Clueless in 1995, Rudd has remained a fixture in the Hollywood industry. Fans praise the 53-year-old for his ageless good looks and his comedic timing in movies and TV shows like This Is 40, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, and Friends.
In 2015, in what shocked to many, Rudd joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe when he was cast as Scott Lang/Ant-Man. The actor played the part again in Avengers: Endgame, Captain America: Civil War, and Ant-Man and the Wasp.
Rudd admitted to Men’s Health that he never intended to become involved in a superhero franchise. Landing the role of Ant-Man was not part of his plan.
According to the Kansas City native, Rudd didn’t think he was the type of guy that would receive a superhero role. When the idea finally came to him, though, he was thrilled to be involved in something so unexpected.
Paul Rudd has a tiered system for getting in shape
Being Ant-Man meant Rudd would get to wear a superhero suit. However, the actor also had to look good in the scenes where he took that superhero suit off. Rudd had only done shirtless scenes for comedy. So he felt like he had no business doing a shirtless scene in a superhero movie.
Ultimately, after a year of sticking to a fitness routine, the actor got ripped enough to go shirtless in a superhero movie. To Rudd, though, the secret to a superhero body and eternal youth is sleep. In the interview for Men’s Health, the actor spoke at length about his fitness routine.
Above everything, Rudd encouraged readers to try and get eight hours of sleep whenever possible, saying, “The most important part of training is sleep. People will set their alarm and then sleep for four hours, and they’ll get up so that they can train. They’re doing themselves a disservice. If you can somehow get eight hours of sleep.”
Rudd ranks the following in descending order of importance: sleep, diet, weight training, and finally, cardio. The actor says that his mornings begin with coffee, cardio, and a hearty breakfast. He attempts to lift weights three times a week and bases his diet primarily on eggs, salmon, and simple protein smoothies.
Paul Rudd was named People’s Sexiest Man Alive in 2021
Rudd’s dedication to his fitness routine paid off. In 2021, the actor was crowned People’s Sexiest Man Alive, which left his wife of 18 years, Julie Yaeger, “stupefied.”
In a hilarious rehearsed sequence on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Colbert played the role of a “sexiness adjudicator,” revealing Rudd’s new role on the actor’s magazine cover.
Rudd’s win came a year after that of fellow Marvel actor Michael B. Jordan, who was recognized in 2020. People’s yearly honor was first given to Mel Gibson in 1985. Previous recipients also include David Beckham, Idris Elba, John Legend, Richard Gere, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Adam Levine, and Channing Tatum.
