Paul Rudd Reveals He Wanted to Play a Different Part in ‘Clueless’
Paul Rudd has been a beloved actor for nearly three decades, with his breakthrough role coming in the 90s teen classic Clueless. His performance as Josh Lucas in the movie set him on course to appear in several comedy classics. However, if Rudd had his own way, he would’ve starred in the film as a different character. He was initially more interested in one of the other attendees of Bronson Alcott High School, but Rudd was talked out of auditioning for that role for reasons he couldn’t really argue with at the time.
Paul Rudd played a sensitive heartthrob in ‘Clueless’
At the beginning of Clueless, Josh and Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone) have next to nothing in common. He’s a slightly pretentious college student. She’s a class-obsessed popular girl who can talk her way out of nearly any high school problem she faces. They were also former step-siblings, as Cher’s dad and Josh’s mom are recently divorced at the beginning of the movie.
Through their constant bickering, the two of them learn to be less judgemental of each other and eventually realize they’re in love. Given the setup for Josh and Cher’s romance and the age difference between the two characters, Clueless could’ve easily become one of those problematic relics from the past that looks goofy to modern audiences.
But Rudd’s endearing charisma is so obvious even then that he is able to convince everyone that he and Cher should be together.
He wanted to audition for another part instead of Josh
Rudd talked about his Clueless experience while talking about his most iconic characters in a video for GQ.
The actor agreed to audition for the movie after being impressed by the personalities of the characters in Amy Heckerling’s script. He was asked to try out for Josh, but Rudd preferred to read for another role he thought was more comedic.
“I said “well, Murray’s really funny. And then they said ‘well actually, that’s an African American part'”, Rudd recalled. “I said, ‘Okay, well then I won’t read for that one.'”
Murray Duvall, the off-and-on boyfriend of Dionne Davenport (Stacey Dash), ended up being the breakout role for Donald Faison and Rudd happily portrayed Josh.
Rudd brought plenty of himself into the character and not just as background for his performance. Much of his wardrobe in Clueless was taken straight from Rudd’s actual closet. Josh’s facial hair was also a holdover from his time at Kansas University.
From ‘Clueless’ to ‘Ant-Man’
Even after his big break, Rudd had to wait until the 21st century to establish himself as a notable actor. He returned to prominence thanks to his recurring role in Friends as Mike Hannigan.
Rudd’s film career took off as he became a regular in Judd Apatow films. It didn’t matter if he was in a supporting role (Anchorman, Knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) or one of the stars (Role Models, This is 40), he consistently made all of those movies better with his presence.
In addition to being a great comedic actor, Rudd is also well-known for being a beloved celebrity. Fans love him because he’s so nice and seemingly egoless. Being conventionally handsome doesn’t hurt either. Such a universally high approval rating made it easier for Marvel to cast Rudd as Ant-Man, allowing the actor to bring his down-to-earth personality to the increasingly cosmic MCU.
