As I write these words, I am looking at the above photo of Paul Rudd, which sits comfortably in a frame on the corner of my desk, and smiling like a fool. Ok, that’s a lie. I don’t own a desk. There is something about the image of Paul Rudd’s face though that inexplicably, perplexingly, and certainly involuntarily stirs up such strong positive emotions in me, a surge of endorphins no doubt that leads me to speak in flowery hyperbole and listen to 1960s pop music.
Following the success of the release of Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, it was announced the Rudd would be the protagonist in the upcoming Edgar Wright adaptation of Ant-Man, and the masses rejoiced. I know that nothing is universal, and as tempting as it is to add the word “anymore” to the end of that clause, let’s not kid ourselves into thinking it was ever possible to get consensus around anything taste-oriented. That said, love and admiration for Paul Rudd comes perhaps as close to being a universally-held pop culture opinion, up there with Neil Patrick Harris being dapper and Louis CK being hilarious.
Then again, these may not be opinions (opinions are so boring anyway) as much as they are visceral responses, and the joy from seeing Paul Rudd being silly is as pure as joy gets for many of us. All attempts at ironic detachment, our endless desire for being cynical bastards, it all melts away for at least a moment when we hear his name. I hope it’s clear by now that I’m varying my use of pronouns to hide the fact that this whole thing should really be in the first person.
With that in mind, here are 6 reasons that you (meaning I) can’t get enough of the disarming charm of Paul Rudd.
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