As audiences gear up to see Paul Rudd become Marvel’s smallest superhero in Ant-Man, the actor candidly reminisced about the legacy he was leaving as he received a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame on Wednesday.
Rudd, 46, best known for films such as This is 40 and Anchorman, deployed his usual sense of humour as he unveiled the 2,554th star on the landmark mile-long strip of plaques on Hollywood Boulevard.
“I remember being a kid and walking this boulevard and reading the names and thinking about what so many other millions of people thought about, which is, you know, who’s that?” the actor said.
“The fact that millions of people are going to be able to now see me and ask that same question, for time immemorial, is humbling beyond belief.”
In Ant-Man, Rudd stars as a petty thief named Scott Lang, who acquires a special suit that gives him the ability to shrink in size yet gain superhuman strength, allowing him to use his talents to save the world.
He was like the kid in the candy shop, I’ve never seen anybody have so much fun in my life
The film is based off a character written by Stan Lee, which first appeared in Marvel Comic books in the early 1960s.
Rudd’s co-star Michael Douglas, who plays scientist Hank Pym, said that he was amused at how much fun Rudd had donning the superhero costume for the film.
“He was like the kid in the candy shop, I’ve never seen anybody have so much fun in my life,” said Douglas.
Since the release of Clueless in 1995, Rudd has become a film comedy mainstay, with appearances in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up and I Love You, Man. He has also appeared on the television sitcoms Friends and Parks and Recreation, and was joined by Parks co-star Adam Scott at his star unveiling.
The Hollywood Walk of Fame has honoured influential figures in entertainment since 1960.
Recipients of the star-shaped plaques, which are cemented into the sidewalk, are approved by Hollywood’s Chamber of Commerce. Sponsors of the recipients purchase the star for $30,000, with funds going to the Hollywood Historic Trust.