How do you go to the bathroom as Ant-Man? “Quantumania” star Paul Rudd in an interview

Paul Rudd has now played Scott Lang, aka Ant-Man, in five different films. So when we caught up with him for an interview about Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania, we wanted to know what he thought about his character’s development over the eight years since Ant-Man hit theaters. However, it does not stop with such serious topics, because we are also on the trail of a big secret: how do you actually go to the toilet with the Ant-Man costume?

Paul Rudd: I think he has grown quite a bit and has been through a lot. In the first movie he got out of jail and although he’s not a criminal, he never thought he’d be a superhero, he just didn’t want to be a bad dad. In the past eight or nine years, he’s been to the quantum realm a few times, saved the world, fought Thanos, become an Avenger, and lost many years with his daughter.

A lot has happened, so he now knows that time, especially time with his daughter, is the most important thing. So at the start of Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania, he’s actually content and happy because he thinks his superhero life is behind him. That doesn’t last long though…

“Nobody wants to have to undo buttons.” – Paul Rudd on superheroes going to the bathroom.

Paul Rudd: [lacht] The suit is always evolving. It took about twenty minutes for the first pack because it was lit up and had all sorts of other stuff we didn’t need. You can also add the lights on the computer. So with each film it went faster and faster. It will now take about ten minutes. The suit has several pieces and I still need help putting it on. But I can’t tie my own shoelaces either, so maybe that’s not saying much.

And as for going to the toilet: it’s not that difficult anymore, because there’s a fly that works with magnets. So I don’t have to take off the suit, I can just undo the closure. But because you are still very limited, you have to position yourself in a certain way. You know what I mean. But you get used to it. The magnets are a plus, they used to be buttons. Nobody wants to have to open buttons.

Paul Rudd: For example, a parallel is that I am also a father in real life, I have a 13-year-old daughter. So, like Scott, I know what it means to want to be a good dad. Scott kind of has a love-hate relationship with his life as Ant-Man, really just wanting to be a responsible and present father. It’s the same for me. I’ve been playing this role for nine years, but I also wonder: is this good for my kids? I want to be home and I want to take responsibility.

And there are also certain overlaps when it comes to humor. I was also involved as a writer in the first two movies and when I write dialogue I might make up a joke that I would tell in my private life. And there are moments like that in this film as well. But of course Scott is a character I play and there are some major differences. When I play Scott, I don’t feel like I’m playing myself.

Paul Rudd: These movies are about family and the relationship between a father and his daughter, these are serious subjects. But I think it’s important to achieve a certain seriousness without falling into sweet sentimentality. So I always try to undermine it in some way, so it stays sincere but also tasty and fun. So you are trying to convey a subject seriously and at the same time make fun of it. I try to find that balance.

Paul Rudd: I don’t know if it was really talked about. But as the writer of the first two Ant-Man movies, I tried really hard to build my own relationship with my daughter. There’s a scene in the second movie where Scott doesn’t know what to do. And then his daughter helps him find the right path.

I think that is very justified and important: we often underestimate how smart and clever children can be. We treat them down or ignore their thoughts and feelings. I always try to remind myself that my kids might know more about a situation than I do, even as a screenwriter.

Paul Rudd: It was great working with the other Avengers, I’ll never get used to that. You’re with the cool kids at the party. Shooting with the other Avengers was very exciting, there were a lot of wow moments. I still talk to them a lot, we are friends after all. But working with new people is always fun.

Paul Rudd: I never really think in those terms. But the movie definitely felt different from the first two, bigger in just about every way. And I don’t know if it’s the end either. These conversations at Marvel headquarters are continuing without me. I always only deal with the relevant script, the story and try to tell it as best as possible.

“Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania” is in German cinemas since February 15, 2023.