Paul Rudd Reveals the Surprising Reason He Nearly Wasn’t Cast in ‘Clueless’

Ugh! As if! anyone else could play Paul Rudd’s character in Clueless.

On Tuesday, May 6, the 56-year-old beloved actor was a guest on the Good Hang with Amy Poehler podcast where he recalled how he made a major change in his appearance — a big no-no in Hollywood — after auditioning for the hit ’90s romcom that launched his career.

The Marvel star explained he had long locks that went past his shoulders when he first auditioned for the film and impulsively cut his hair short afterward.

“A couple of weeks later, I wasn’t even thinking about it — I was walking past a barber shop, and I just went in and said, ‘Just buzz my head,'” he recounted. “I was just like, ‘I just want to cut it all off.'”

A week later, the two-time Emmy Award-winning actor ran into the movie’s writer/director, Amy Heckerling, at a restaurant, and it’s safe to say she was shocked — and displeased — by his sudden hair transformation.

“She looked at me, she froze, and she goes, ‘What did you do? What did you do to your hair?’ She goes, ‘You auditioned for this part… you were maybe gonna get this part, but you can’t cut your hair,'” Rudd recounted. “I’m like, ‘well if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be,’ I was so stupidly kind of cavalier about it.”

Despite the unauthorized haircut, The 40-Year-Old Virgin actor shared that he was brought back for a screen test but had to wear a wig. However, the wig was short-lived, as his hair grew back long enough in time for filming.

Clueless was loosely based on Jane Austen’s novel Emma. Rudd played Josh, the ex-stepbrother and ultimate love interest of the main character, Cher Horowitz, portrayed by Alicia Silverstone. A TV adaptation ran for three seasons from 1996 to 1999.

Last month, Variety revealed that a sequel series is in development at Peacock, with Silverstone, 48, set to reprise her iconic role. Heckerling, 71, will serve as an executive producer, but there is no word yet on whether Rudd will be part of the show.