Is Paul Rudd in ‘Band of Brothers?’ His doppelganger, explained

Band of Brothers just recently arrived on Netflix, presenting the streaming service’s many subscribers with an opportunity to watch one of the greatest shows of all time.

Look, I’m biased — I love Band of Brothers, and have for years — but I’m far from alone in my high regard for the World War II epic. The series is considered by many to be one of the best, and most accurate, depictions of WWII of all time (at least from an American perspective), and it contains a detailed and truly impactful look at the men that helped carry the Allied forces to victory.

Those men are translated to the small screen perfectly, thanks to a number of stellar directorial decisions. Each episode is introduced by several real world members of Easy Company, who share snippets of their experiences in the war, before the show transitions to the actors tapped to bring each of these real life heroes to life. It allows audiences to remain grounded in the reality of the series while still enjoying the moments beefed up for entertainment purposes, and recall the true cost behind those eye-catching bombardments.

Several members of Easy Company take the lead in Band of Brothers, played to perfection by a lineup of dedicated stars. Some of them, like Michael Fassbender and David Schwimmer, need no introduction, but many of the others are purposefully obscure, in hopes of blurring that line between reality and dressed-up retelling. This leads to occasional confusion — yes, Lipton is played by a Wahlberg — as viewers mistakenly identify members of the cast as other stars, like Paul Rudd.

Is Paul Rudd in Band of Brothers?

Quite a few big names are listed among Band of Brothers‘ cast, but Paul Rudd is not among them. The cinematic darling easily could have enjoyed a cameo in the early 2000s series, but he didn’t join Jimmy Fallon, James McAvoy, or Tom Hardy in the historical hit. Rudd was busy starring in Wet Hot American Summer and Friends while Band of Brothers was airing, which likely left him little time to spend on a grimy, war-torn set.

Paul Rudd’s Band of Brothers doppelganger

A surprising number of Band of Brother viewers might be surprised by the above, due to a longstanding case of mistaken identity. While Rudd never made an appearance in Band of Brothers, a star with similar features did, and many fans took him for the 54-year-old Avenger on sight. As such, they’ve believed — in some cases for years — that Rudd enjoyed a cameo in the 2001 series as Private First Class David Kenyon Webster.

Webster takes on a prominent role in the latter half of Band of Brothers, and a combination of his friendly, attractive face, dark hair, and just the right Rudd qualities led many to inaccurately assume the star’s identity. The character is, in fact, played by Eion Bailey, a man who shares some undeniable physical properties with Rudd. Just look at that smile — its no wonder people are confused.