How Paul Rudd Got That Marvel Money
Paul Rudd, who recently joined Meryl Streep as special guest stars on Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building, has been a regular on screens since the mid-1990s. While he’s cemented himself in the comedy genre, his versatility in playing dramatic roles (Ben in The Fundamentals of Caring, for one) or even superhuman roles (hello, Ant-Man) have turned him into the kind of actor that can play pretty much anyone. It's also turned him into the kind of actor who makes bank.
Read on for a closer look at Paul Rudd's net worth, how he got his start and more.
How did Paul Rudd get his start?
Technically, Rudd’s career kicked off with a 1991 Super Nintendo commercial (watch here: 30 seconds of glorious ‘90s editing), and after that he landed a role in the family drama Sisters. But it was his part in 1995’s teen comedy Clueless that launched him into stardom.
“It was a blast, the whole thing,” he said in a Clueless reunion panel in 2019.
Rudd initially wanted to play Murray (the role immortalized by Donald Faison), but his portrayal of nerdy yet endearing college freshman Josh is what he landed—and it resonated with audiences.
From there, he starred opposite Jennifer Aniston in 1998's The Object of My Affection and made his mark on iconic movies like Wet Hot American Summer, Anchorman, The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up. Oh, and he also played Phoebe Buffay's final love interest on a little show called Friends.
Related: See the Cast of 'Friends' Then and Now
What is Paul Rudd’s net worth?
As of 2023, Paul Rudd has an estimated net worth of $70 million. He makes his money primarily from acting in movies, TV and theater.
What does Paul Rudd make per year?
Like most actors, Rudd’s salary jumps around depending on the projects he takes on in a given year. In 2019, for instance, Rudd was featured at No. 9 on Forbes’ list of highest-paid actors with an income of $41 million. But that income included his payday for Avengers: Endgame, for which he negotiated an upfront salary plus a cut on the backend—and the movie grossed $2.796 billion at the box office. Compare that to the 2010s, when he was making mid-budget comedies, and his salary would likely be an eighth of that. Nothing like a Marvel role to pad your wallet!
How much did Paul Rudd make per episode of Friends?
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In the early aughts, Rudd landed a recurring role as Phoebe Buffay’s boyfriend and eventual husband, Mike Hannigan, on the popular sitcom Friends. He was originally supposed to be on one or two episodes, but ended up sticking around for more like two seasons.
While it’s unknown how much he was paid per episode of the show, Rudd has revealed that he doesn’t make any money from Friends royalties. “I don’t believe that I do,” he said on WIRED Autocomplete Interview. Which is a shame, because, well, Friends residuals are good money. The core cast of Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer each receive 2% of syndication income or $20 million each per year since the show still rakes in $1 billion annually for Warner Brothers.
“It was really fun, and they were great,” Rudd recalled on the radio show Heart Breakfast. “The whole thing was a bit surreal, I must say, to be a part of that—because I came on really at the end.”
How much did Paul Rudd make for Clueless?
Paul Rudd’s Clueless salary is also hard to track down (didn’t anybody digitize these pay stubs?). It’s been reported that actress Alicia Silverstone, who played main character Cher Horowitz, earned $250,000 from the movie. Rudd, as a lesser character and little-known actor at the time, probably earned a good deal less.
Related: 60 Best 'Clueless' Quotes
How much did Paul Rudd make from Ant-Man?
According to various sources, Rudd was only paid $300,000 for the first Ant-Man movie in 2015. But it appears he was playing the long game, as royalties brought that total up to a reported $1.5 million.
Aside from the relatively low upfront pay, doing the movie was a bit of a gamble for his career, too.
“My agent set up a meeting with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige. Marvel was pretty new. They weren’t even part of Disney. It would’ve been like somebody saying, 'How would you feel about doing Dancing with the Stars?' A superhero franchise was never on my radar,” Rudd told Men’s Health. “But when this idea came around, I was excited about doing something that was so out of left field, and I knew that if it was announced that I was going to be joining a superhero franchise, most people would say, What the f--k?”
Plus, he added, “I got to wear a superhero suit.”
How much did Paul Rudd get paid for Avengers: Endgame?
Rudd made about $8 million upfront for his work on Avengers: Endgame, according to Forbes, plus a cut of the backend. His earnings are especially impressive when you consider he wasn’t billed as a main character. His 13 minutes of screen-time were about half that of Chris Evans (Captain America) and Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man).
Related: How to Watch the Marvel Movies in Order
How much did Paul Rudd get paid for Knocked Up?
Mum’s the word on Rudd’s paycheck for the 2007 comedy Knocked Up. Fellow castmates Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl reportedly earned $500,000 and $300,000, respectively (although those numbers have not been confirmed by particularly reputable sources). Still, since Rudd played a smaller role, he was almost certainly paid less.
How much is Paul Rudd getting paid for Only Murders in the Building?
Rudd made his Only Murders in the Building debut in the Season 2 finale, playing vapid Broadway star Ben Glenroy. In it, his character dies on stage—spoiler alert—only to be brought back to life for the Season 3 premiere. Unfortunately, he dies for real later in that episode.
Related: Who Is the Killer in 'Only Murders in the Building' Season 3?
While his pay rate hasn’t been released, Rudd describes the experience as “thrilling” to Entertainment Weekly. “For a comedy fan like myself, Martin Short and Steve Martin, that's Mount Rushmore. I mean, truly hero worship. To get to work with them, I still kind of can't believe it,” he said. “Selena [Gomez], I adore. I've worked with her a couple of times and she's the greatest. And then when I heard Meryl Streep was on board, it just didn't seem real. It still doesn't seem real.”
Related: What Meryl Streep Commands for an Episode of Television
Does Paul Rudd have any Oscars?
Paul Rudd doesn’t have any Academy Awards under his belt—yet. He has, however, been nominated for a Golden Globe (2020’s Living with Yourself).
Next, Who Is Paul Rudd's Wife? All About the Woman Who Stole Ant-Man's Heart