Even $40M Paycheck Couldn’t Make Paul Rudd Like His “Horrible” Ant-Man Diet: “My reward was sparkling water”
Paul Rudd made his acting debut in 1991 when he appeared in a Super Nintendo commercial. He went on to star in several TV dramas and films including the popular NBC sitcom FRIENDS in which he starred as Mike Hannigan who dated and then married the lead character Phoebe Buffay, portrayed by Lisa Kudrow.
Paul Rudd, named the Sexiest Man Alive by People magazine in 2021, gained worldwide recognition for his portrayal of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) superhero Ant-Man in the eponymous movie, released in 2015. He went on to reprise the role in several other MCU movies. While the role brought him unparalleled fame, it did come with its own challenges; his diet happened to be one of those.
Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man Diet Was Rather Harsh
The superhero genre is undeniably one of the most beloved genres in Hollywood. While the actors of these shows and movies of this genre rake in millions most times, the roles they play are quite challenging as they not only have to take care of their physical fitness but also do dangerous stunts that are often quite risky.
Recently, Paul Rudd made some revelations regarding his diet for Ant-Man and it turns out that it has not been a bed of roses for him. During his appearance on the Off Menu podcast, in which hosts Ed Gamble and James Acaster ask guests about their ‘dream menu’, The Fundamentals of Caring star was asked what kind of water he preferred.
The question led Rudd to reveal about his hash diet as he said:
“When I was having to train for the Ant-Man movie, and I was on a very restrictive diet, my reward was sparkling water. [laughs] That’s how horrible that diet was. I was like, ‘Alright, I’m gonna have some sparkling water now, I’ve earned it.’”
By the looks of it, Paul Rudd’s $41 million salary (via Men’s Health) for appearing as Ant-Man in Ant-Man and the Wasp and Avengers: Endgame did nothing to compensate for the dreadful diet that he had to maintain his fitness.
Paul Rudd Thinks He Worked Out Harder Than Any Other Marvel Stars
Over the years, numerous Marvel stars such as Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans have been praised for their physical fitness. It has always been a topic of discussion within the MCU fandom which of them has a better body. However, not many of them have openly discussed their diet to attain that kind of fitness.
During his appearance on the podcast, Paul Rudd was asked if other Marvel stars would compare their training while working on ensemble films such as Avengers: Endgame and Avengers: Infinity War. He said:
“I mean, I think people kind of are. But I also think I worked out harder than anyone, I would eat better than everyone, and I looked worse than all of them. I had to work out all the time, eat perfectly, just to look kind of bad. Not even like great.”
Rudd went on to say that despite all that hard training, he could not get a body like Chris Hemsworth so there was really no point in all the work out he did.
