Paul Rudd opens up on 'very restrictive' diet while preparing for 'Ant-Man'

LOS ANGELES: Actor Paul Rudd had to undergo a very strict, regulated and restrictive diet in order to build his physique for playing Scott Lang in ‘Ant-Man’ films.

During a recent appearance on the ‘Off Menu’ podcast, where guests talk about their ‘dream menu’, the show’s hosts Ed Gamble and James Acaster asked the actor what type of water he preferred to which he gave an amusing reply.

Rudd said: “When I was having to train for the ‘Ant-Man’ movie, and I was on a very restrictive diet, my reward was sparkling water. That’s how horrible that diet was. I was like, ‘Alright, I’m gonna have some sparkling water now, I’ve earned it'.”

The actor said that during his rigorous training to get him all ripped up, and in proper shape, as a reward he would have a lot of ‘sparkling water’, reports Hollywood Reporter.

Acaster proceeded to ask him if it actually felt like a treat, to which Rudd responded: “Yeah, it was great. It wasn’t flavoured, I wasn’t gonna go crazy.”

The former ‘Friends’ actor added that he mostly stuck to the same diet and training regimen for all his Marvel movies.

He said, “Once you’re in it, it’s actually not too hard,” adding that he didn’t mind having “really boring food, every time, over and over again", especially since he would wake up with “tons of energy".

Asked whether the other MCU actors would ‘take notes’ from each other while training for working on their ensemble films, such as ‘Captain America: Civil War’, and ‘Avengers: Endgame’, Rudd said, “I mean, I think people kind of are. But I also think I worked out harder than anyone, I would eat better than everyone, and I looked worse than all of them. I had to work out all the time, eat perfectly, just to look kind of bad. Not even great.”

‘The 40-year old virgin’ star added: “I remember on ‘Endgame’, Chris Hemsworth would always have these Tupperware containers and he’s eating this gruel of just a mash of stuff.

“He’s working out, and then you stand next to a guy like that, and I just think, ‘Well, what’s the point of any of this?’ Why am I killing myself when that can exist, and then I look at myself and this exists. I can never achieve that. … That was the good thing that it was Ant-Man, it wasn't Thor. But I tried to work out, and it didn’t work.”