Paul Rudd knows audiences often see him as one of Hollywood’s easiestgoing stars. He says that version of him leaves something out.
The 57-year-old actor spoke about the gap between his public image and private life while promoting his new movie Power Ballad. People reported that Rudd told The Hollywood Reporter he is “not just a happy-go-lucky dude,” despite the cheerful screen presence that has followed him through decades of comedy roles.
Rudd connected the comment to his Power Ballad character, Rick, a wedding singer whose music career never became what he once imagined.
Rudd Said He Can Get Pretty Depressed
Rudd did not turn the comment into a polished celebrity confession. He used it to explain why Rick felt familiar to him.
“I can get pretty depressed,” he said, according to People.
He added that people are more complicated than the image the public sees, and that he has nights when his mind races and life feels heavy. Rudd also said he usually does not talk about that part of himself in interviews.
Power Ballad Gave Him a Character With Old Dreams
Power Ballad stars Rudd as Rick Power, a past-his-prime wedding singer who meets Danny Wilson, a fading pop star played by Nick Jonas.
After the two bond during a late-night jam session, Danny turns one of Rick’s songs into a hit, forcing Rick to chase the recognition he believes he deserves.
The movie was written and directed by John Carney, whose earlier music-driven films include Once and Sing Street. Lionsgate lists Power Ballad for a June 5 theatrical release.
Rudd Once Wanted a More Serious Career
Rudd also told The Hollywood Reporter that comedy was not the career he first imagined for himself.
People reported that he once pictured himself as a more serious, brooding actor and admired Daniel Day-Lewis while studying at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. An early agent told him he was more of an all-American type and would likely be seen that way.
Rudd later became one of the defining comedy faces of the 2000s through movies including Wet Hot American Summer, Anchorman, and Knocked Up.
That history gives his Power Ballad comments a sharper edge. He is promoting a movie about an artist living with the gap between the career he wanted and the life he got, while admitting that his own easygoing image has never been the whole story.