Paul Rudd has confessed that he once exaggerated his acting credentials early in his career, admitting he falsely claimed to have appeared in a Shakespeare play on his CV.
The Ant-Man star has revealed that his résumé was embellished when he first signed with a manager, who was keen to make him appear more experienced than he was at the time.
Appearing on Friday’s episode of The Graham Norton Show, Rudd was asked whether he had ever performed in a Shakespeare production.
“When I first got a manager, I had no credits to put on my CV, but I’d once done an afternoon masterclass with Sir Ben Kingsley when I was in school,” he replied, referring to the Oscar-winning British actor and Royal Shakespeare Company veteran.
Rudd went on to explain that the brief experience was dramatically overstated.
“My manager put this down as, ‘Paul played Hamlet in a production directed by Sir Ben Kingsley,'” he said. “I lived in fear that he would one day see my CV!”
The This Is 40 star appeared on the sofa alongside Jack Black to promote their upcoming action-comedy Anaconda.
Black also spoke about his decision to sign onto the film, revealing that the script immediately stood out to him.
“It is really very funny and crazy,” he stated. “I had never read anything like it.”
However, Black admitted that working with Rudd was also a major factor in his decision.
“I was mainly excited to work with Paul because he makes me laugh so much,” the Holiday star gushed. “I made sure he was definitely attached to the film before I signed anything.”
He added, “When I read a script, I need at least three ‘worth the price of admission’ moments and this definitely has some powerful scenes.”
Anaconda will be released in cinemas on 26 December.
