NEED TO KNOW
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Paul Rudd auditioned for several roles in the film «Clueless, before landing the role of Josh, the film's protagonist.
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Rudd said the film's success grew over time, and after its release, it gained popularity on cable television and DVD.
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The actors hoped that the film "Clueless"« will resonate with a generation of viewers, just like the John Hughes films they watched as children.
Paul Rudd was supposed to be in the film anyway. «Clueless» .
In the podcast episode Therapuss from May 28, the actor who played Ant-Man , told host Jane Shane about how he landed the role in the beloved romantic comedy at the age of 24.
Rudd said the 1995 cult classic was only "the second movie I ever did, but the first one that was released.".
When 26-year-old Shane asked how the audition process went, Rudd replied that he learned about the role shortly after graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
«"I got an agent, and I was reading scripts that were sent to me. I was trying to get auditions here and there. And then, when they started shooting this film," he recalled, "there were a lot of roles for young people, children, and so on. I read the script, and I liked it. I thought it was smart and quite interesting.".
However, when he showed up to audition for the film, he didn't know that he was auditioning for the role that he would eventually get.
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Paul Rudd and Alicia Silverstone in Clueless. Source: CBS via Getty
«"When I showed up, I asked if I could audition for a few roles. I auditioned for Christian. I wanted to audition for Murray, but I didn't know he was African-American," Rudd shared. "I auditioned for Elton, which [Jeremy] Sisto played. And then they asked, 'Would you audition for Josh?'"»
Despite being considered for nearly every male role in the film, Rudd ultimately landed the lead role of Josh. In addition to Rudd and Sisto, the comedy also stars Alicia Silverstone, Brittany Murphy, Elisa Donovan, Stacey Dash, Donald Faison, and Wallace Shawn.
When Shane asked Rudd if he knew how big the film would be, he admitted, "No, I don't know at all.".
«"It was all new to me. Auditions were new too. I'd never acted in a movie before," he explained. "I'd acted in one movie, but I don't even remember doing that before auditioning for the role in «"Clueless". So, I may have starred in the first movie after auditioning for a role in «Clueless» . »I don’t remember exactly.”.
«"But this was all new, and you never know how it's going to end," Rudd added.
Despite all this, he noted that after the actors' first read-through of the script, "there was something exciting," as they all recalled growing up on John Hughes films and were excited by the prospect of creating something similar for a new generation.
Paul Rudd Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty
«"How wonderful it would be to be in a film that a whole generation would quote and that would be important to them," he recalled them thinking. "But you never think it will actually happen. And then, somehow, it did.".
While the film has since become a favorite with audiences worldwide, Rudd noted that the film's success "came a little slower.".
«"I think with cable and DVDs and all that, the movie was a success when it came out, but it wasn't a hit. I think it just kind of fizzled out over time," he said.
After his breakthrough in the romantic comedy, Rudd starred in other hits such as «Anchorman » (2004), «The 40-Year-Old Virgin» (2005), «Knocked Up» (2007), «Ant-Man» (2015) and many others.
His latest project, the film «"Power Ballad"» , was released in limited release on May 29.
Read the original article on People.