Paul Rudd Reveals the Other “Clueless” Roles He Auditioned for, Says Movie’s Success Was a ‘Bit of a Slower Burn’

Meredith WilshereSat, May 30, 2026 at 9:29 PM UTC

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Paul Rudd in 'Clueless'
Credit: CBS via Getty -

Paul Rudd auditioned for multiple roles in Clueless before being cast as Josh, the film's leading man

Rudd said the movie's success grew over time, gaining popularity through cable and DVDs after its release

The cast hoped Clueless would resonate with a generation, similar to the John Hughes films they grew up watching

Paul Rudd was going to be in Clueless, one way or another.

On the May 28 episode of Therapuss, the Ant-Man actor spoke to host Jane Shane about how he got cast in the beloved romantic comedy at age 24.

Rudd shared that the 1995 cult classicwas only the “second movie that I ever did, but it was the first one that ever came out.”

When Shane, 26, asked what the audition process was like, Rudd said that he learned about the role shortly after graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

“I had gotten an agent and I'd read some scripts that were, you know, they'd send scripts. I'd try and get auditions here and there. And then this movie was getting cast," he remembered. "They were making this movie, and there were a lot of parts for young people, kids and stuff. So I read the script and I liked it. I thought it was smart, and I thought it was kind of interesting."

When he went in to audition for the movie, however, he didn't know he was auditioning for the role he ultimately would be cast in.

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Paul Rudd and Alicia Silverstone in Clueless
Credit: CBS via Getty

“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?' ”

Despite going up for just about every male character in the movie, Rudd was ultimately cast as the leading man, Josh. In addition to Rudd and Sisto, the comedy starred Alicia Silverstone, Brittany Murphy, Elisa Donovan, Stacey Dash, Donald Faison and Wallace Shawn.

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When Shane asked Rudd if he knew how big the movie was going to be, he admitted, “No, not at all.”

“The whole thing was so new to me. Auditioning was new. I hadn't ever really been in a movie," he explained. "I'd been in one, but I don't even know that I had done it by the time I had auditioned for Clueless. I mean, I might have done the first movie after auditioning for Clueless. I don't quite remember."

"But it was all new, and you can never predict how these things are going to turn out,” Rudd added.

Despite all this, he noted that “there was something kind of exciting” after the cast's first table read, as they all reflected on how they grew up on John Hughes movies and were excited about the prospect of making something similar for a new generation.

Paul Rudd
Credit: Theo Wargo/Getty

“ ‘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 and was important to them,'" he remembered them thinking. "But you never really think that will actually happen. And then it kind of happened.”

While the film has since become beloved around the world, Rudd said the movie's success “was a bit of a slower burn.”

“I think with cable and DVDs and all of that, it was successful when it came out, but it wasn't a smash. I think just over time, it just kind of hung on," he said.

Since his big break in the romantic comedy, Rudd has gone on to star in other hits like Anchorman (2004), The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Knocked Up (2007), Ant-Man (2015) and more.

His most recent project, Power Ballad, hit select theaters on May 29.

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