Paul Rudd talks getting in shape for ‘Quantumania’: ‘I was irritable and self-conscious’

Paul Rudd at had a hard time working out for his upcoming movie Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

Ahead of the movie’s February 17th, 2023, release, Rudd told Men’s Health in a March 2023 cover story that the workout regimen for his role as Scott Lang, aka Ant-Man, was more exhausting than he remembered the process being for his 2018 sequel, Ant-Man and the Wasp, via The Hollywood Reporter.

“I worked really hard to get back into shape for Quantumania, and I realised, ‘Oh, my God, this is so much harder than it was [for Ant-Man and the Wasp]’,” Rudd said. “I had fallen off more than I had in the past. All of a sudden, my clothes fit tight. And I thought, ‘God, this sucks. I can’t even wear these pants.'”

He continued, “So I’d say to myself, ‘Well, I might as well just eat some of these cookies.’ I was irritable and self-conscious. I just wasn’t in a good mood. I really beat myself up.”

Although, Rudd credited his determination and work ethic as essential keys to achieving his fitness goal.

“I can be a hyper-focused person if I have a goal,” Rudd said. “If I’m doing one of these movies, and I know that in four months, I have to do a shirtless scene, I’m pretty dialled in. I also try and find the happy medium. I could work out hard and eat perfectly, and I’ll still look worse than most of the other Avengers.”

Although he originally started getting in shape for his latest role, Rudd says he’s realised that his current workout routine is important to maintain, no matter the reason.

“The fitness that I do now has less to do with the fact that I might have to do another Marvel movie or a magazine shoot and more because I finally understand if you make fitness a part of your lifestyle, you’ll just feel good.”