Sunday, January 8, 2012

Who Doesn't Love Paul Rudd?



 Yesterday I spent the first part of my day at Ulysses Salon, where the owner and talented stylist, Andrew Valtal, freshened up the color on my locks. Before I sat down, I stopped by the table full of magazines and picked up a few. One of them was Nylon for Guysand on the cover, was the adorable and lovable Paul Rudd. 

Looking at the cover made me smile as I remembered my first time at the Sundance Film Festival last year as a full-time writer. One of the films being shown at the festival was "Our Idiot Brother," starring Paul Rudd with Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer, Elizabeth Banks and Rashida Jones.

I had been assigned to ask questions on the red carpet for this film and out of all the stars scheduled to grace us reporters with their presence, I was most excited to speak with Paul Rudd.

I have loved Paul Rudd since the days of "Clueless" and "Friends" and have never seen him in a role that I didn't like.

The night before the red carpet interview was to take place, I was sitting at table in the middle of a restaurant/bar in Park City called Flanagans. My editor was sitting across from me and I happened to look over towards the door right as Paul Rudd walked in. My stomach hit the floor and I started to freak out on the inside. I got my editor's attention and told her that Paul Rudd was here and I couldn't help but sneak stares at him. He looked exactly how he does on the big screen. I wanted so badly to jump up and ask him for a picture. I watched longingly as the server sat him at a table directly behind us and became insanely jealous when the people next to him seemed to recognize him and began talking to him. He didn't seem annoyed, rather, he began conversing with his restaurant neighbors and I grew green with envy as the other patrons laughed along with Paul Rudd and even got a picture with him.

I couldn't take it anymore and with my editor's permission, I got up to ask him for a picture. I hated myself as soon as I started talking to him because I was embarrassed. Here he was, trying to have a nice dinner in Park City and I was being a stupid fan. I also made the huge mistake of telling him I was a reporter, so, when I asked for a photo, he hesitated and was about to give in when the woman next to him butted in, told me very sternly that no, he was not doing photos and that I would see him on the red carpet tomorrow. Feeling embarrassed and dejected, I sulked back to my table and told my editor what had happened. I was so mad at that woman, especially when I looked over and saw other patrons getting their picture with him.

The next day on the red carpet, I was not as starstruck as the day before. I hoped that I would get a chance to talk to him but being that he is Paul Rudd and the star of the film, I didn't expect much. My position on the red carpet was such that most of the publicists were pushing their clients through into the theater. I.e., I was at the end. As I watched Paul Rudd make his way through the reporters, I noticed that the woman who was with him at the restaurant was his publicist. And it all of a sudden made perfect sense why she denied my picture: I was press. I don't get to be a fan when I am press and we both know that rule. I just let the fan-side get the best of me.

I noticed that Rudd's publicist was shutting down interviews and trying to get him in the theater. My heart sunk again as I realized that I may not get to talk to him until his publicist looked at me and recognized me. "I promised her an interview," she said to Rudd, and the next thing I knew, there he was, standing in all his comedic glory in front of me.

The few moments that I had to interview him went by in a flash and I don't remember what all I asked but I did ask him about the buzzed about beard that he had grown for "Our Idiot Brother." I asked him if there was a woodland creature living in it, what would it be. Without missing a beat, he said an elk and continued talking about the creatures that would live in his beard.

It was a fast interview but I will forever remember it. When I read the story in Nylon magazine, I was jealous of the writer who got to spend an entire afternoon with Rudd, but I thoroughly enjoyed the read. Paul Rudd is exactly how you would imagine him: Like everyone else. He is good looking but not in an intimidating way. Super intelligent and articulate, and very funny. He could be your best friend or your neighbor and the article in Nylon does an excellent job of letting that side of Rudd show through. I can't seem to find a link to the article online, but when I do, I will post it here.


In the meantime, I get to list Paul Rudd as a celebrity that I interviewed and while I hated his publicist that night at Flanagans, I love her now. And one day, I too will get my afternoon with Rudd and a fantastic article will come out of it.

So, for now, I say, until next time, Mr. Rudd.

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