Paul Rudd turned 55 on Saturday, April 6, and instead of opting for a more low-key celebration, ended up making a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live instead.
On the April 6 episode of the series, Palm Royale star and SNL alum Kristen Wiig returned to host the show for the fifth time, joining the exclusive “Five-Timers” club.
The occasion was celebrated on the show not only in her monologue, but also a skit involving the 50-year-old actress being welcomed into the inner circle by other members of the club.
Among them was Paul, who sported a rugged look that consisted of thick black facial hair with his nearly shoulder-length hair, adding to his handsome appeal as he smiled from the sidelines.
Other celebrities made cameos as well, although several of them joked that they hadn’t even hosted five times to merit being there, including Matt Damon, Martin Short, Fred Armisen, Jon Hamm, Will Forte, and finally Ryan Gosling (who is actually set to host next week).
They eventually concluded with a song in Kristen’s honor and presented them with the same dark blue jackets they wore, emblazoned with the number “5.” The monologue ended with Ryan receiving a jacket from SNL creator Lorne Michaels, and joking in response: “I haven’t even hosted three times yet. It seems unfair.”
Kristen then hosted a special after-party at Oyster Bar later that night, which Paul attended dressed handsomely in a deep red suit, and was also attended by the likes of Kaia Gerber, Gracie Abrams, and Martin Short.
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Paul most recently starred in the newest film in the beloved Ghostbusters franchise, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, which featured the return of original cast members Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, and Ernie Hudson.
© Getty ImagesAt the film’s New York City premiere, where Paul sported the same look with slightly less facial hair, he told The Hollywood Reporter: “It was so great getting to work with them on this!”
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“It’s so surreal honestly. I’ve been watching Ghostbusters my whole life and I’m such a fan of theirs and a fan of the film, to be part of it is a thrill, a total thrill.” The film also stars Finn Wolfhard and McKenna Grace.
© Getty ImagesWhat also came back was the Ecto-1, which has been present since the very first 1984 film, that’s been used by the crew to haul all their ghost-capturing equipment around NYC.
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Paul bragged to the outlet that he was able to drive one of the vehicles, which actually turned out to be one of the models from the original film. “They’re not easy to make so they keep them and I think they’d heard this might have been one from the first one that I got to drive.”
© Getty Images“It was unreal, to be able to drive that thing was unbelievable. I know I’m in a small group of people who can claim that, what an honor.” While admitting that a large majority of that driving did happen on a green screen or with a stunt person, “but some it wasn’t and I did get to actually drive it.”
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