Paul Rudd might have gained fame for his role as Ant-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but for Friends fans, he is known for playing the role of Mike Hannigan, Phoebe Buffay’s husband.
Paul Rudd played Mike Hannigan in Friends
Mike was introduced to Phoebe as a fake date, set up by Joey because he forgot to find a real one. The two fall for each other but end up breaking up because Mike never wants to get married. Later, they get back together in Barbados, when Mike stops David (Hank Azaria) from proposing to his love.
Mike and Phoebe get married on the street outside Central Perk after a snowstorm. His last appearance was in the episode “The Last One, Part 1”.
Does Paul Rudd receive royalties for his role in Friends?
Recently, Paul Rudd and his co-star Jonathan Majors took the WIRED Autocomplete Interview together. One of the questions that grabbed everyone’s attention was whether Paul Rudd gets royalties from Friends.
Rudd was surprised by the question but he responded by saying
“I don’t believe that I do.”
Majors immediately shot back saying
“Is that any of their business? That’s like financial personal information.”
Rudd stuck with his previous answer saying-
‘I don’t think I did.”
The I Love You, Man actor, then went on to tell a story about a bar in Los Angeles called “Residuals” where if you received a residual check that was under a dollar, they would take your check, pin it on the wall, and give you a beer.
Paul Rudd says he shouldn’t have been in the finale
Paul Rudd appeared in 16 episodes of the Friends series, including the finale which is something he still can’t believe.
During an appearance on the U.K. morning radio show Heart Breakfast, Paul said-
“I never knew that I was going to be in as many (episodes of the show) as I was. But it also felt strange. I mean, I was in that last episode and I just thought, ‘I shouldn’t be here … I’m getting, like, a front-row seat to things I’m not supposed to see.”
Paul Rudd says he 'shouldn't have been' in the #Friends final episode…😲 pic.twitter.com/Ve7An6rLHH
— Heart (@thisisheart) February 17, 2023
He added of the show’s tight-knit cast saying-
“They were all crying, it was all emotional, and I was just like, ‘Whoa.’ I mean, I felt very privileged. But I also was like, ‘I just want to sit back here and not get in the way.'”
Rudd continued-
“It was really fun, and they were great. The whole thing was a bit surreal, I must say, to be a part of that — because I came on really at the end,”
Rudd feels lucky to be on Friends
FRIENDS — “The One With Phoebe’s Wedding”]
In 2019, Rudd opened up to Sunday TODAY’s Willie Geist about how lucky he felt to have landed a recurring role on one of TV’s most popular sitcoms. He said –
“(It was) a little bit like this Marvel stuff where it’s like, what an incredible juggernaut of a thing to catch a ride on, to get a seat on this train.”
He continued –
“But I never, ever thought, ‘Oh, I’m really a part of this.’ I just didn’t want to get in the way.”
What is Paul Rudd’s net worth?
Rudd may not receive royalties from Friends, but he is doing just fine.
The actor, screenwriter, and producer has a reported net worth of $70 million according to Celebrity Net Worth.
His net worth has more than doubled by starring in the Avengers franchise. His net worth was an estimated $30 million before appearing in Avengers: Endgame.
Being a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe certainly pays off.
Source: WIRED
