Paul Rudd opens up about his former job as DJ
The Hollywood star has opened up about his little-known past working as a wedding DJ while discussing his rise to fame, his pre-Internet acting struggles and his admiration for Power Ballad co-star Nick Jonas.
Paul Rudd once worked weekends as a wedding DJ before becoming one of Hollywood’s most recognisable comedy stars. The 57-year-old actor spoke about his early jobs during an appearance at 92NY in New York City while promoting his new film Power Ballad alongside singer and actor Nick Jonas.
Paul, whose career spans cult comedy Clueless, Marvel’s Ant-Man franchise, Anchorman and Friends, made the comments while reflecting on life before stardom and how slowly fame arrived in the pre-social media era.
He said: “I was in school. I could work (as a DJ) on the weekends – Bat mitzvahs and weddings and birthdays. I did that for about a year.”
Referencing his use of the MC Hammer hit in his sets, he added: “If I wanted the kids to get out there, I knew that Can’t Touch This was a big one.”
“But if I wanted the grandparents to dance – Glenn Miller. Swear to God.”
The actor has spoken openly in recent months about the struggles of establishing himself as a working performer during the early years of his career in the 1990s.
Speaking to People in April, Paul recalled appearing in a Nintendo commercial in 1991 did little to immediately change his life or financial situation.
He said: “I didn’t really feel so famous. I was a working actor and I still had a regular job when I was doing (the) commercial.”
“And then as it slowly started to – as I started getting more work – occasionally someone would say, ‘Hey, Clueless!,’ or whatever.”
Paul played Josh in the 1995 teen comedy Clueless opposite Alicia Silverstone, with the film remaining one of the defining pop culture comedies of the decade and continuing to attract new audiences through streaming platforms and anniversary retrospectives.
Paul added: “But it wasn’t – nothing felt so different, really.”
“And, you know, I think just the very nature of the time when there was no social media, there was no Internet – everything just went by just a little bit slower.”
During the New York screening event, Paul also praised Nick Jonas, who stars opposite him in Power Ballad.
The new film centres on a feud between a wedding singer and a major music star after a song idea is allegedly stolen and transformed into a hit single.
Paul said of Nick: “He’s such a great actor (and) great musician, but boy, he made me feel comfortable right away, and we clicked day one. We really got on.”
Nick, who first rose to fame alongside brothers Joe Jonas and Kevin Jonas in the Jonas Brothers before expanding into acting and Broadway work, has increasingly focused on film projects in recent years while balancing music releases and touring commitments.
Paul continued praising his co-star while speaking to People at the film’s New York premiere.
He said: “I can’t say that I was surprised because I’ve seen him act, but he did things that were kind of so subtle and really deft, the stuff that was going on behind his eyes.
“He’d be going through these dilemmas, and he’s not saying anything, but you can read his mind.
“It’s such good acting, and I was just amazed at some of the stuff he was doing.
“When I saw the movie, it was like, ‘Oh my God’. There were scenes that I wasn’t there to film, and yeah, he knocked me out.
“So, not much of a surprise, but I kept thinking, ‘Oh, I need to remember this’. And he’s just cool. Like he just plays everything cool because he is cool.”
According to the film’s synopsis, Power Ballad is “a feel-good story about music, self-respect, friendship, and the price of ambition”.
