Three Days of Rain

Background:

“I feel pretty fortunate that I've been able to make a jump to doing something like [Shakespeare] in a fairly short amount of time. I always hoped that it would happen.” Paul Rudd.

Blue-eyed, good looking Paul Rudd first caught moviegoers’ attention when he played Josh, the altruistic “ex-stepbrother” of Alicia Silverstone's Cher, in Amy Heckerling's hit comedy Clueless (1995). The 5' 9" tall continued to impress filmgoers with his turn in such films as William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet (1996), The Cider House Rules (1999), Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) and The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005). Previously had a recurring role as Kirby Philby (1992-1993), the husband of Reed Halsey (originated by Ashley Judd and then played by Noelle Parker), in the NBC series "Sisters," Rudd also played the recurring role of Mike Hannigan, who eventually married Lisa Kudrow's Phoebe Buffay), in the tenth season (2003-2004) of the hit series “Friends.”

Rudd is also a stage performer and recently could be seen in the Broadway production “Three Days of Rain,” costarring Julia Roberts, in her Broadway debut appearance. The half Polish, half French descent actor will star in the upcoming films I Could Never Be Your Woman, Diggers, Fast Track, Night at the Museum, Reno 911!: Miami, Knocked Up, The Ten, and How I Met My Boyfriend's Dead Fiancée.


Paul Stephen

Childhood and Family:

"I can, and do, walk the street. No one bothers me or anything, because most people wouldn't know who I am." Paul Rudd.

On April 6, 1969, Paul Stephen Rudd was born in Passaic, New Jersey, to Jewish immigrants from England, a tour guide father called Michael Rudd and a TV station manager mother. He has one sister, who is three years younger than him. Because of his father’s profession, Paul and his family traveled a lot before finally settling down in Lenexa, Kansas, where he attended Broadmoor Junior High and Shawnee Mission West High School in Overland Park. He graduated in 1987 and had been Student Body President. He then studied theater at the University of Kansas, where he was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity. After his graduation, he was accepted as a student at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts/West in Los Angeles on a Spencer Tracy Scholarship (one of his classmates was actor Matthew Lillard). He also spent a three-month intensive theater workshop at Oxford University's British Drama Academy, where he was trained by producer and editor Michael Kahn.

On February 23, 2003, Rudd married his long-time girlfriend, film publicist Julie Yaeger, in upstate New York. They now live in Manhattan with their one-year-old son named Jack.


Enrichment and Challenge

Career:

"Theater is the most enriching and thrilling thing to do as an actor. It trumps movies and all that other stuff. People say, ‘You must love the instant feedback,’ and we're all attention whores for sure - that's why we choose this profession. But it goes beyond that: There's something magical about a shared experience in a theater, with actors and an audience. I don't know if the audience members realize just how huge a part they play in a production. How they are determines how we are, and when it all works, it's magical." Paul Rudd.

During his theater workshop at the Oxford's British Drama Academy, Paul Rudd appeared as "Hamlet" in scenes directed by Ben Kingsley. He also co-produced the Globe Theatre's production of Howard Brenton's "Bloody Poetry," in which he starred as Percy Shelley.

In early 1990s, Rudd returned to the USA and began his career under the name Paul Stephen Rudd in a bid to avoid confusion with stage and TV actor Paul Rudd (born in 1940). Rudd, who was a DJ at Bar Mitzvahs before his career took off, got his first acting job in A Question of Ethics and Jamie's Secret (V; both in 1992). That same year, he made his TV acting debut in a recurring role as the husband of Reed Halsey (originated by Ashley Judd and then played by Noelle Parker), Kirby Philby (1992-1993), in the NBC series "Sisters." He was also seen in made-for-TV movies The Fire Next Time (1993; CBS), Moment of Truth: Stalking Back (1993), Runaway Daughters (1994) and the i short-lived Fox sitcom "Wild Oats" (1994).

Josh, the altruistic “ex-stepbrother” of Alicia Silverstone's Cher, was Rudd’s breakthrough screen role which he played in writer-director Amy Heckerling's huge box office success Clueless (1995). The hit teen film, also featuring Stacey Dash and Brittany Murphy, was loosely based on the novel Emma by Jane Austen. That same year, Rudd also appeared in the 1995 sequel to the popular horror film Halloween, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. In the Joe Chappelle-directed movie, Rudd teamed with Donald Pleasence (in his last film, reprising his role as Dr. Sam Loomis). Rudd initially believed that the movie was going to be high-caliber suspense film, but it turned out that its final result earned negative reactions.

In the next years, Rudd guest starred in an episode of the ABC’s sitcom "Clueless," playing a date of Cher (played by Rachel Blanchard), and portrayed slickly preppy Dave Paris in Baz Lurhmann's adaptation of William Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet (1996; starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes). He also made Broadway stage debut in Alfred Uhry's "The Last Night of Ballyhoo" before reunited with Ashley Judd in writer-director John Patrick Kelley's 1960s-set drama The Locusts (1997; with Kate Capshaw, Jessica Capshaw and Vince Vaughn).

Rudd began filming on a movie called Chicken Blood and Other Tales in 1998, but production was cancelled before it completed. He then snagged his first leading role in a feature, as a gay schoolteacher who befriends an unwed pregnant woman (Played by Jennifer Aniston) in The Object of My Affection. The 1998 movie, adapted from the book of the same title by Stephen McCauley, is helmed by Nicholas Hytner and based on a screenplay by Wendy Wasserstein. Meanwhile, Rudd returned to the Broadway stage as Orsino to Helen Hunt's Viola in "Twelfth Night," staged by Hytner. The play’s production aired on PBS' "Live From Lincoln Center" under the direction of Kirk Browning in August 1998.

Rudd became Courtney Love's best friend and a jilted guy depressed over his love life, in Risa Bramon Garcia's indie romantic comedy 200 Cigarettes (1999; also with Ben Affleck and Kate Hudson) and costarred as Charlize Theron's boyfriend and WWII pilot Wally Worthington in The Cider House Rules (1999; also starring Tobey Maguire and Michael Caine). The film, directed by Lasse Hallström's and based on the John Irving novel of the same name, received seven Academy Awards nominations and won two. Rudd himself was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Theatrical Motion Picture at Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Back on stage, Rudd delivered a chilling monologue as a Mormon college student who joined a brutal attack on a gay couple, in "Bash," alongside Calista Flockhart. He later reprised his role in Los Angeles. He also made London stage debut in 2000, as Jamie Tyrone in "Long Day's Journey into Night," starring Charles Dance and Jessica Lange. He followed it up with the London stage production of "The Shape of Things," penned and helmed by Neil LaBute.

Meanwhile, Rudd played Nick Carraway in the A&E adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby (2000; alongside Mira Sorvino) and starred opposite Andie MacDowell in writer-director Anne Heche’s short Reaching Normal (2001), which was screened at Sundance before airing on Showtime. In 2003, he portrayed quiet, unassuming Adam, Rachel Weisz's boyfriend, in the feature film adaptation of Neil LaBute's play, The Shape of Things, and starred opposite with Zooey Deschanel and Felicity Huffman in writer-director Amy Lippman's 18-minute comedy House Hunting. He also had a recurring role as Mike Hannigan, Lisa Kudrow's love interest-turned-husband, in the tenth season (2003-2004) of the hit sitcom "Friends."

2004 saw Rudd as lustful field reporter Brian Fantana in Adam McKay's comedy Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (starring Will Ferrell and Christina Applegate). The movie earned him Best Musical Performance and Best On-Screen Team at MTV Movie Awards. In March that year, he also did clothing ads for Perry Ellis' clothes. The following year, he was cast as the title role’s (played by Steve Carell) buddy in Judd Apatow's comedy The 40 Year-Old Virgin.

More recently, Rudd starred as Parker Posey's frustrated husband in Billy Kent's comedy The OH in Ohio, which was screened at several US film festivals from March to May 2006 and entered into limited released on July 14, 2006. He also played the recurring role of Guy Gerricault on the cop comedy series "Reno 911!."

Rudd just completed filming writer/director Amy Heckerling's romantic comedy I Could Never Be Your Woman, playing Michelle Pfeiffer's love interest, and will soon be seen in Katherine Dieckmann's comedy Diggers (starring Lauren Ambrose), Jesse Peretz's romantic comedy Fast Track (with Zach Braff and Amanda Peet), Shawn Levy's action comedy Night at the Museum (with Ernest Borgnine) and writer/director Judd Apatow's romantic comedy Knocked Up (alongside Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogen).

He is currently began filming the upcoming comedies, Ben Garant's film version of the Comedy Central series, Reno 911!: Miami (with Thomas Lennon), David Wain's The Ten (with Jessica Alba and Adam Brody) and writer-director Jeff Lowell's directorial debut How I Met My Boyfriend's Dead Fiancée, playing skeptic Henry, Eva Longoria’s ex-boyfriend and Lake Bell’s now-boyfriend. In April 2006, Rudd performed on Broadway doing the revival of Richard Greenberg's "Three Days of Rain" with Julia Roberts (in her Broadway debut performance) and Bradley Cooper.

"There's a feeling of enrichment and challenge when it comes to doing a play, and especially doing, you know, a classical play or a tragic play. In a way, it works a different set of muscles, I guess. But I do love it, and I love great writing, whatever it is, and there are so many great plays, and a lot of the writing in a lot of plays is just stellar, and no one is making movies like that, or if they are, I'm certainly not getting cast in them. But you know, working on a comedy with your friends. Like, I would say that with Anchorman and 40-Year-Old Virgin and Wet Hot American Summer, I was working with people who are completely inspiring. I love being around that company, and I try and step up to the level of their game." Paul Rudd.

Awards:
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