The 40-Year-Old Virgin is well known for launching Steve Carell’s Hollywood career, as well as being Judd Apatow’s feature directorial debut. The movie also helped change the course of Paul Rudd’s life, as it was part of a run of movies that turned into staples of the 2000s and 2010s raunchy comedy genre. Turns out, the Trainwreck director had one major request regarding Rudd's weight before they filmed the 2000s classic, and it didn't go over well.
Romantic comedy fans will know that The 40-Year-Old Virgin wasn’t Paul Rudd’s first movie feature. The Death Of A Unicorn actor became a household name after playing Cher’s older step-brother and eventual love interest in the hit 2000s teen comedy Clueless. Audiences fell in love with Rudd’s yearning eyes and general good looks, but that wasn’t going to work for his character in 40-Year-Old Virgin. Apatow told The Hollywood Reporter he had Rudd put on some weight to play David, but that didn’t go over well with the studio execs:
I told him, ‘If you’re gorgeous, I don’t think it works as well,’ but then a week [into filming,] the studio had a bunch of notes and one of them was, ‘Why is Paul Rudd so overweight?’
I’m sure the studio was shocked to get the daily shots, wondering where Josh from Clueless had gone. Part of Paul Rudd’s appeal following the Alicia Silverstone cult classic was his newly minted heartthrob status.
Of course, the “all-American clean-cut” look, which the I Love You, Man actor said his agent pushed hard for after he graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, did not fit the script for 40-Year-Old Virgin.
Rudd’s character, David, is in the throes of a years-long heartbreak, all the while giving Andy (Carell) terrible dating advice and his extensive porn collection. His appearance had to reflect a certain neglect of self-care and immaturity that comes with a break up, and I think putting on a bit of weight and growing his hair out a bit was the right call:
Honestly, it doesn’t even look like he gained that much weight. Some actors have had to drastically change their size and figure for a role, like Dwayne Johnson for The Smashing Machine or Mark Wahlberg for Father Stu. The This Is 40 actor just looks like a pretty typical 30-something dude, which was the goal.
After nearly a decade of Apatow films (the Knocked Up director says he prefers “Chunky Paul”), getting into Marvel shape for Ant-Man seemingly aged him backwards. I’ll admit, he looks good with those abs, but there’s honestly no world where Paul Rudd isn’t a cutie.
That being said, I can totally understand why he might be tired of being typecast as the boyishly handsome guy in comedies. However, his latest film, Power Ballad, in which he stars opposite Nick Jonas and plays a wedding band singer-songwriter whose life didn’t turn out how he imagined, is a step in the right direction. You can catch the 2026 movie schedule entry in theaters now. And if you're looking to go back and see Rudd in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, you can buy or rent the film.
