Before he was the Sexiest Man Alive and a Marvel superhero, Paul Rudd was stealing hearts as Mike Hannigan during the final two seasons of hit sitcom Friends. Rudd's character eventually became Phoebe’s love interest and a soon became a fan-favorite. However, it sounds like at least one person is humorously unimpressed with his work. The actor recently revealed that he watches the show with his daughter and, as it turns out, she drops a great burn at his expense whenever they tune in.
Phoebe’s boyfriend (and eventual husband) Mike had some great moments throughout Seasons 9 and 10. So it's not hard to understand why Paul Rudd still gets so much love for the role. The Shrink Next Door star recently talked with People, the outlet that gave him his new title, and explained how he views his past roles. And apparently, while watching Friends, his daughter has been specifically giving him a hard time for not measuring up to one other beloved character:
I hadn't really revisited many of those episodes. But now that she's watching it, it's like, 'Oh, I remember this,' and I tell her some story about it. …. I'm far enough away from some things now that I can allow myself to be a little nostalgic about it. But then she'll just be like, 'Well, you're not Joey.’
It's true that the actor isn't Joey, seeing as how that character was and can only be played by Matt LeBlanc. All in all, his daughter's barb is pretty great. Nevertheless, it's likely she really does have an appreciation for her famous dad's work. Also, you also can't help but love the way these two bond.
The Ant-Man star has been a mainstay of both TV and film for a while now, but his role on the NBC sitcom is honestly hard to forget. The buzz that surrounded the recent Friends: The Reunion, which aired on HBO Max, exemplified the love for Mike. Plenty of fan-favorite stars from the series' history showed up for the special, though Paul Rudd was absent. With this, many fans took to the Internet to make it known that they were not very happy. Amid the disappointment, though, some Marvel fans took to social media to joke that the star appeared but was simply channeling the powers of his Marvel character.
It's a shame the current Sexiest Man Alive didn't make an appearance during the special. Yet his absence doesn't diminish his overall importance to the show's legacy at all. Still, it might have earned him a few brownie points with his kid. Perhaps she'll warm up to his performance, or he could just introduce her to Matt LeBlanc himself and earn some serious street cred with her.
Those who would love to see Paul Rudd in the role of Mike Hannigan can do so by streaming Friends on HBO Max now!
