Judd Apatow recently revealed what he asked Paul Rudd to do for his role in the film Anchorman, and the surprising reaction from the studio.
The 57-year-old American director and film producer appeared on his friend Ted Danson’s podcast, Where Everybody Knows Your Name, to share his thoughts on life and promote his upcoming book, Comedy Nerd: A Lifelong Obsession in Stories and Pictures.
During the interview, Apatow praised veteran comedy legends, including his mentor Garry Shandling, as well as Bob Newhart and Don Rickles.
Danson, forgetting a previous collaboration, asked if The 40-Year-Old Virgin was the first time Apatow worked with Rudd. Apatow reminded him that the Ant-Man actor had also appeared in Anchorman, a film he produced.
The director of Knocked Up recalled, “We did Anchorman together. Back then, he was probably doing more serious stuff than comedies, but he really wanted to do comedies.”
Rudd had indeed appeared in a variety of films, including dramas like The Shape of Things, The Cider House Rules, and P.S. However, he also had roles in comedies such as Strangers with Candy and Wet Hot American Summer.
Apatow said he remembered Rudd showing up to the Anchorman audition “fully dressed in the ’70s clothes [with the] mustache.” He added, “You know, he definitely was committed to, like, being a comedy star. And I would always say, ‘All I need is for you to gain weight. I just want you to gain weight. I like Chunky Paul. Let’s do Chunky Paul.'”
The creator of the sitcom Heavyweights recalled that not everyone was on board with his plan. “When we were shooting the movie, like, three days in, the studio got really mad. They’re like, ‘What happened to Paul?’ And they’re like, ‘Can he do anything about this?’ I’m like, ‘I can’t change his weight in the middle of the movie!’ But, you know, he was doing a De Niro for us.”
Apatow’s new book, Comedy Nerd: A Lifelong Obsession in Stories and Pictures, is scheduled to be released on October 28, 2025.
