Paul Rudd jokes about film he was 'awful' in: 'Oh, my God, I suck'
Paul Rudd jokes about film he was 'awful' in: 'Oh, my God, I suck'
Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY Fri, June 5, 2026 at 12:33 PM UTC
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NEW YORK – Paul Rudd's sitdown interview with Seth Meyers has him thinking back on his run-in with another Myers who wasn't quite as friendly.
During a conversation about Rudd's career conducted by Meyers at Tribeca Festival in New York on Thursday, June 4, the "Ant-Man" star roasted himself over his performance in one of his first movies: the reviled horror sequel "Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers."
"It's just … terrible," Rudd said. "I'm awful. I have a real affection for it. But I was like, 'Oh, my God. I suck. I suck. This just doesn't work."
In the sixth "Halloween" movie from 1995, Rudd played Tommy Doyle, the older version of the boy Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) babysat in the original horror classic. The film had a messy production history that resulted in two different cuts, one of which ends strangely with Rudd's character stopping the slasher villain Michael Myers with rune stones.
Paul Rudd, left, and Seth Meyers speak onstage at Tribeca Festival on June 4, 2026, in New York City.
Among horror fans, "The Curse of Michael Myers" is generally considered the franchise's low point, and the next "Halloween" movie rebooted the continuity to pretend it never happened.
Meyers playfully asked Rudd at Tribeca what he feels he "brought to Tommy Doyle," to which the "Anaconda" actor deadpanned, "I guess kind of a burning intensity?" He also remembered how he put way more effort than was necessary into preparing for a movie of such low quality.
Paul Rudd's beloved Conan O'Brien 'Mac and Me' prank returns
"I was pretty much right out of acting school, and I read the script, and I was like, 'I don't know if I quite understand this. I know there's something to do with rune stones and druid something or other? It was bizarre. I was like, 'Oh, I should probably watch all of the other 'Halloween' films so I know where I'm at in the lineage, which, I didn't need to do that, it turns out."
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He continued, "I remember going to a store in LA at the time, I think it was called the Bodhi Tree, and buying a set of rune stones to really do the work and live in Tommy Doyle's skin."
But while Rudd was unhappy with his performance, he lucked out in that the second movie he booked was the classic comedy "Clueless," which ended up being released two months before "Halloween" and allowed him to start his film career on a better note.
"I remember telling the producer, 'Yeah, the first movie I did, 'Halloween 6,' is coming out right after 'Clueless,' and I just remember he said, 'Ah, yes. The actor's nightmare.'"
Meyers and Rudd stepped out for the hourlong chat at Tribeca immediately after taping an interview on Meyers' show. "So if you watch tonight, you'll see me wearing the exact same outfit," joked Rudd, who's making the rounds to promote his new musical movie "Power Ballad."
Paul Rudd attends the Tribeca Festival on June 4, 2026, in New York City.Paul Rudd on Conan O'Brien running joke
Other topics covered during the wide-ranging chat included Rudd's famous running joke where the actor shows a clip from the movie "Mac and Me" instead of the project he's promoting during interviews with Conan O'Brien. Rudd explained the bit, which has lasted over 20 years, came about because he was "bummed" to learn there was a "whole machine" behind talk shows and felt strange about promoting his own work.
"I was always amazed that Conan is like, 'Sure, let's show that,' and never, I don't think, cleared it legally or anything," Rudd said. "I think he just showed it. And then, when I did it again, I never imagined it would just keep going."
The pair also reminisced about the time Rudd joined Meyers on "Late Night" for one of the host's segments where he goes day drinking with guests. Meyers has also gone day drinking with Sabrina Carpenter, Rihanna and more celebrities. But the comedian revealed there's one big star he still wants to have on for a day-drinking segment: Beyoncé.
In fact, Meyers said he has reached out to Beyoncé about it. Her response, according to Meyers? "A polite, 'I'm going to think about it.' I cannot stress how polite it was. But I want to throw it out in the universe," Meyers said before joking, "I think it'll be great for both of our careers. I think it'll be an equal boost for both of us."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Paul Rudd jokes with Seth Meyers at Tribeca about 'Halloween 6'
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
