Paul Rudd doesn’t think he’s as nice as his public persona suggests.
The 49-year-old actor – who plays the role of Ant-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – is widely perceived to be one of the most likeable people working in the movie business, but Paul doesn’t he’s as likeable as the public believes.
He recalled: "In ‘This Is 40’, I was doing a scene with Leslie Mann. It was a lot of improvisation. And I said, ‘Everybody thinks I’m so nice, but I’m really such a d**k.’
"I said that knowing my wife would find particular pleasure in it. Everybody is complex. I’m not a very public person. I think people should be generally nice to each other. But I’m probably not as nice as everybody might think."
Paul was raised in America’s Midwest by British parents, and he’s admitted to feeling a bit "strange" as a child.
He told Elle magazine: "I think all kids are strange in their own way. And I embraced eccentricity at an early
age.
"I didn’t feel cool. I had really rough skin; I dressed like the height of 80s fashion – but the bad version of it.
"When ‘Pretty in Pink’ came out, so many kids in high school saw it and said, ‘You remind me so much of this guy Duckie.’ I was so psyched about that."
But Paul took a huge amount of inspiration from his mother, who told him that he could achieve all of his life goals, provided he was willing to work hard.
He said: "My mother always told me, from a very young age, that I could be anything I wanted to be.
"She is an optimistic person; she’ll do anything for anybody. She also is a don’t-f**k-with-me kind of person."
Paul Rudd: I’m not as nice as people think
