Paul Rudd reflects on 'surreal' experience of being in Friends finale: 'I shouldn't be here'

Paul Rudd is a leading man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but he was once a supporting player in another major pop culture franchise. In the final seasons of Friends, a then-33-year-old Rudd played Mike Hannigan, the boyfriend of Lisa Kudrow's Phoebe Buffay. Since Mike would go on to marry Phoebe, Rudd even had a part to play in Friends' series finale.

In a new interview with The Heart breakfast show, the star of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania reflected on that experience.

"It was really fun, and they were great! The whole thing was a bit surreal, I must say, to be a part of that — because I came on really at the end," Rudd said.

NBCU Photo Bank Paul Rudd and Lisa Kudrow on 'Friends.'

Rudd continued, "I never knew that I was going to be in as many [episodes] as I was. But it also felt strange. I was in that last episode, and I just thought, 'I shouldn't be here. I'm getting a front-row seat to things I'm not supposed to see.' They were all crying, it was all emotional, and I was just like, 'woah!'"

Rudd also appeared briefly in the 2021 Friends reunion special, but that time he mostly left the spotlight to the main cast (Kudrow, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer).

Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.

Related content:

• Paul Rudd pranked by Olivia Colman on BBC Radio: 'I'm actually sweating'

• Paul Rudd says his son thought he worked in a movie theater for years: 'I never corrected him'

• Paul Rudd calls working on Only Murders In the Building season 3 the 'Mount Rushmore' of comedy