Paul Rudd, who plays Scott Lang/Ant-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has been through some incredibly restrictive dieting to get in shape for the role.
In a podcast cited by THR, via DiscussingFilm on X (formerly Twitter), Rudd shared a few details on the exercise and eating routine that he endured to become the size-shifting superhero. “When I was having to train for the Ant-Man movie, and I was on a very restrictive diet, my reward was sparkling water,” he explained. “That’s how horrible that diet was. I was like, ‘Alright, I’m gonna have some sparkling water now, I’ve earned it.'”
Rudd recalled the strict diet without resentment, noting that, “Once you’re in it, it’s actually not too hard.” He claimed that he wasn’t especially bothered by eating “really boring food,” and that he appreciated waking up with high energy while he was on the diet.
Ant-Man’s physique vs. Thor’s physique in the MCU
However, he felt that it was impossible to measure up to some of his Marvel Studios co-stars, many of whom are known for their muscular bodies. “I think … I worked out harder than anyone, I would eat better than everyone, and I looked worse than all of them,” he said. “I had to work out all the time, eat perfectly, just to look kind of bad. Not even like great.”
Rudd appeared in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame with Thor actor Chris Hemsworth, and he recounted the experience saying, “[Hemsworth is] 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?’ … I can never achieve that.” He also acknowledged that their respective roles called for different body types: “That was the good thing that it was Ant-Man, it isn’t Thor. But I tried to work out, and it didn’t work.”
Rudd debuted as Scott Lang in 2015’s Ant-Man, and has since reprised the role in multiple sequels and crossovers, most recently Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which opened in theaters earlier this year to kick off Phase Five of the MCU.
