Long before he was shrinking in Marvel movies or stealing scenes in blockbuster comedies, Paul Rudd was simply a young actor trying to get noticed – and apparently willing to audition for almost every male character in Clueless.
Speaking on the Therapuss podcast, Rudd shared the surprisingly chaotic story behind landing role of Josh in 1995 cult classic.
The actor revealed that after graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, he was eager for any opportunity that came his way. When he got his hands on the Cluelessscript, he immediately knew it was something special.
“I thought it was smart, and I thought it was kind of interesting,” Rudd recalled.
So special, in fact, that he did not limit himself to one audition.
“When I went in, I asked if I could audition for a bunch of the roles. I auditioned for Christian. I wanted to audition for Murray, but I didn’t realize that he was African-American,” Rudd shared.
“Elton, which was [Jeremy] Sisto’s part. And then they said, ‘Well, would you read for Josh?’ ”
The gamble paid off. Rudd landed Josh, the loveable stepbrother-turned-romantic lead opposite Alicia Silverstone.
As for whether he knew Cluelesswould become a pop-culture phenomenon? Not even close.
“No, not at all,” he admitted.
Still, there was a feeling among the cast that they might be creating something memorable.
“Wouldn’t it be cool to be in a movie that for a generation that this is a movie that they kind of will be able to quote later on,” Rudd remembered thinking.
Turns out, they were totally buggin – in the best way possible. Thirty years later, fans are still quoting it.
2026-05-31 09:32:00
