What's Inside?
- Tom Gormican jokes that Paul Rudd seems to defy ageing naturally, even during gruelling jungle shoots for 'Anaconda.'
- A red light therapy mask becomes a humorous talking point, though Gormican insists Rudd’s youth feels innate.
- Gormican explains how reversing Paul Rudd and Jack Black’s expected roles created fresh, surprising on-screen chemistry
Paul Rudd has a face that appears immune to time. While audiences continue to joke about his unchanging looks, those who work beside him witness it first-hand, often with disbelief. During the making of Anaconda, director Tom Gormican observed Paul’s secret to anti-aging.
Gormican recently offered a candid glimpse into that mystery. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, he shared behind-the-scenes moments.
Anaconda Director Tom Gormican Reveals Paul Rudd’s Anti-aging Secret
When asked whether Paul Rudd was reluctant to reveal how he looks so unchanged, Tom Gormican answered with laughter. Gormican shared with THR:
“The red light therapy mask. I felt like I aged four billion years while making this movie in the jungle. I was constantly talking to Paul’s makeup artist and people, going, ‘You’ve got to send me this [mask]. I won’t tell anyone, I promise.’”
Even as he shared the anecdote, Gormican seemed unconvinced that any device could fully explain it. “But, yeah, he just defies nature. That’s just who he is. I don’t even think he does anything. It’s just a very Paul thing.” Rudd’s agelessness, in Gormican’s telling, feels less like a routine and more like a personal trait.
Tom Gormican Reveals Paul Rudd and Jack Black’s Chemistry
The director also spoke at length about pairing Paul Rudd with Jack Black, a collaboration that surprised even those involved. “I think they were surprised. Their pairing just felt so natural. Even knowing that, I was like, ‘No, that’s not right. They must have starred together in something. It feels like they did.’”
Both actors initially believed they were cast as the same character. Gormican recalled how Jack Black read the script overnight and committed by morning. When Rudd heard the news, he reached out immediately. During that call, the misunderstanding surfaced. Black later joked, “I have to play the director. I can’t play an actor. Look at me! I don’t look anything like an actor.”
Gormican shared that Casting them in reversed expectations became part of the film’s heartbeat. Jack Black took on the emotional centre, while Rudd shifted into looser, more chaotic territory. The switch refreshed both performances and avoided familiarity.
“If you’re going to pair them together, we thought it’d be funny to have them in reverse roles. Jack is such a talented and sympathetic presence. He’s such an innocent on screen that I thought it would be really nice to have him be the emotional center [and straight man] of the story. Paul — who’s usually the straight man and emotional center — got to shift over and be a bit of loose cannon as the failed actor of the group. So we tried to make their pairing a little bit different.”
The conversation even brushed against their experience with major franchises. Asked whether either actor shared stories from past Sony projects, Gormican replied, “To their credit, no. I think they have more tact than to do that.” Still, acknowledging those industry conversations felt necessary. “If you’re not incorporating the conversation, you seem insane.”
Anaconda is now showing in theaters.
