THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO

What is it about this guy? He's 53 going on 17, six-foot on a tall day. He's hilarious, sure, but at his best when he's playing grumps, losers, and frauds-Ant-Man is kind of all three! After talking with him ahead of the release of his latest movie, ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA, we think we found the answer: PAUL RUDD's most important gift to the world isn't his humor.

- ROSS MC CAMMON

Avocado toast with a side of Fleet Foxes. It's a 2017 joke, but, still, it's funny.

He would deliver like two other jokes over the next couple hours. Okay, maybe three. Ten max.

Rudd may be singularly hilarious in I Love You, Man; Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy; This Is 40; and even Marvel's Ant-Man, or in a million absurdist Conan appearances, and don't get me wrong, the next two hours would involve laughter, good cheer, and so much grinning my cheeks hurt, but he's not comedic in person. Not zany. Not even remotely off the wall. Wearing a beanie, glasses, and maybe a day and a half's worth of stubble, he squinted at me for about five seconds outside the restaurant before I realized it was him. He politely asked if it was okay if we grabbed a table in the restaurant instead of in the coffee-shop area. And when we got to the table, I asked him if he'd rather sit facing the wall because, you know, he's Ant-Man and people might sneak a few iPhone shots, and he said, "Well, I do usually...." The overarching vibe is chill, gentle, low-key, generous.

And thank God. You can watch Paul Rudd chewing up scenery in his movies or during any of his five SNL hosting gigs, or just clear your schedule for an hour and YouTube "Paul Rudd." He is genuinely very, very funny in literally every single thing he's been in. But as with so many funny people, it's complicated. Fueling that humor is a hopeful weariness we can all relate to-especially now. His funniest roles are marked by equal parts indignation and empathy. It's as if Rudd has played a confused middle-aged dad his entire career, even as Josh in Clueless, when he was 26. Now that he's actually a middle-aged dad, well, his portrayal of a fool suffering fools is highly compelling. Paul Rudd's gift is something more interesting than being funny. And, to me, more powerful.