Seeing Paul Rudd in his Ant-Man suit when I visited the Atlanta set of the film was one of last year's weirder moments. I've known Rudd since “Anchorman,” and I think he's one of Hollywood's genuinely good guys. What you see is very much what you get with him, and it's one of the things that makes him the right fit as Scott Lang, the main character in this week's “Ant-Man.” And, boy, the film is fun.
I spoke to him the morning of the historic decision by the Supreme Court, and I may or may not have gotten swept up in the moment. We're registered at Meltdown Comics and Amoeba.
By far, my favorite thing about the press day was seeing how my kids reacted to Paul. They loved “Ant-Man,” and watching them with him the day after, they have accepted him wholly into the Marvel universe. He's just as cool now as Thor and Iron Man and Bruce Banner before him. The biggest gamble each time is whether or not the cast meshes, since so much of Marvel's game plan depends on the moments where these stories intersect.
Rudd's part of that world now, and I can't wait to see where he fits into the future. But he fits, and talking to him about the movie here, it's clear he's going to have to get used to long stretches without pizza and Guinness.
“Ant-Man” is in theaters on Friday.