Paul Rudd reveals the surprising past career he drew from for his new musical drama Power Ballad

Whether you’ve been closely following the career of Paul Rudd or not, you’ll at least subconsciously know that the Hollywood icon and Marvel star has got a passion for music.

Whether it’s harmonising on My Boo with his tight-knit gang of guys in 2024’s Friendship or serenading his estranged lover on the back of a pick-up truck at the climax of 2008’s Role Models, Rudd certainly loves to flex his musical muscles.

Yet, his latest undertaking in the lead role of John Carney’s musical drama, Power Ballad, demonstrates the very first time Rudd has fully leaned into his on-screen melomania.

This certainly isn’t Carney’s first rodeo either, with the Irish director, screenwriter and musician having found plenty of success in the past with everything from his Oscar-winning breakthrough Once to 2013’s star-studded drama Begin Again.

“He was absolutely the reason I wanted to do it,” Rudd told Radio Times in an exclusive interview with the actor ahead of the film’s release on 29 May. “I love John Carney’s movies and was very excited to get the opportunity to work with him.”

In the film, Rudd plays Rick, a wedding singer who finds himself shoehorning original songs onto the tail-end of his set lists, with his hopes for artistic success all but faded.

That is until one wedding reception brings him face-to-face with international pop star Danny (Nick Jonas), with the two quickly forming a tight bond that precedes a booze-filled jam session where they share notes on each other’s songs.

Though initially wholesome, their brief encounter allowed Danny to steal some much-needed creative licence from Rick, leading to a globe-trotting mission for Rudd’s character to gain the recognition and respect he deserves.

This injustice leads Rick to take his eye off the ball, with his relationship with his wedding band (ingeniously named Bride and Groove) falling apart.

Clearly having a ball as the master of ceremonies during such scenes, Rudd was in surprisingly familiar territory, drawing from an unlikely former career as a wedding DJ.

“There was a moment in time when I was in school where I was a DJ for weddings, bar mitzvahs and birthday parties. I got to do it on the weekends and then go to school during the week,” he told Radio Times.

While he was never part of a wedding band like Bride and Groove, he certainly learned a thing or two while being in such celebratory scenarios. “There is this thing about keeping a party going that is crucial that the frontman of a band has to know how to read a room and keep everyone on the dance floor, in the same way that the DJ does too, and so I felt as if I knew that world really well even though I was just a DJ.”

However, Rudd made sure to caveat that he wasn’t the kind of DJ who you’d find in Ibiza or the like: “When I say DJ, it isn’t like a cool DJ, it’s a DJ that wonders how many kids are ready to do the limbo kind of DJ.”

Carney’s ninth feature film, Power Ballad also stars the likes of Nick Jonas, of Jonas Brothers fame, Marcella Plunkett (Sing Street), Peter McDonald (The Batman), Rory Keenan (The Guard) and Havana Rose Liu (Bottoms).

Power Ballad is released in cinemas on 29 May.

Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.