Going to a Taylor Swift concert is already a pretty emotional experience, but imagine going to a Taylor Swift concert and meeting Paul Rudd?! (I think I would spontaneously combust. RIP me. What a way to go.)
But that’s exactly what happened to the very lucky Claud Mintz, a talented Jewish musician who recently released their second album. Claud spotted the ageless “Ant-Man” star at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour stop in New Jersey. It was pretty serendipitous — one of the tracks on Claud’s new album, “Supermodels,” is actually titled “Paul Rudd.”
In an admirable feat of bravery and chutzpah —though yes, they opened with a “I hope this isn’t weird,” because we’re all human — Claud not only approached Rudd, but actually told him about the album and the song. They even got one of the most adorable pictures with the actor I’ve ever seen (taken by Phoebe Bridgers herself — Claud was the first talent signed to Bridgers’ record label, “Saddest Factory Records”).
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Rudd, who got some friendship bracelets at the show, and was even captured in one photo with the number 13 on his hand, was mensch-y and attentive. He even gave Claud his e-mail: “he was like ‘send it to me, I’d like to hear your album,'” Claud later recounted in a TikTok about the meeting. (“I can’t believe you trusted me with your e-mail,” they added incredulously.)
Because one always has to listen to Paul Rudd, Claud later wrote their idol an e-mail, sharing the album and the song. They told him that the truly enchanting track “Paul Rudd” (seriously, this song is magic incarnate!) was about Claud “trying to envision myself as this cool confident charismatic and lovable character that you play, and also are in real life, and that I’m often not.”
Rudd, again with the menschiness, replied that he loved the album. That’s when Claud, a self-proclaimed “chaotic Jew,” shot their shot, as one would say (not confident?? I think not!) “We’re filming the video for the song ‘A Good Thing,'” the 24-year-old artist wrote back, “if you happened to be free on this day, would you ever consider stopping by?”
And yes, by now, you know where this is going — Paul Rudd, Golden Globe-nominated actor and mensch extraordinaire, didn’t just stop by — he spent five hours on set, dancing with Claud, and playing a bumbling, ridiculous mailman. Rudd as the mailman delivers a sweater to Claud, which then, Weezer-style, unravels throughout the video as Claud walks down the street.
The opening to the video shows a schvitzy Rudd trying to deliver the wrong mail to Claud, complaining about his ailing ferret, and finally offering a package wrapped in pink paper with a red bow.
“It’s from my girlfriend, she’s the best,” Claud exclaims.
“I wish I had a girlfriend, I just have a ferret,” Rudd, who in real life of course, is married with two kids, laments.
“You sure you don’t want these?” Rudd asks about a stack mail that’s addressed to other people. “I’m just going to throw them away.”
“It’s illegal, don’t do that,” Claud reminds him in the video. Later you can see them and Rudd dancing, with Rudd spinning his heavy mailbag and Claud throwing envelopes in the air.
“It was… the best day of my life,” Claud said in their now viral TikTok. We don’t doubt that for one second.
Mazel tov and thank you, Claud, Paul Rudd and matchmaker Taylor Swift for this truly delightful video — and possibly the album of the summer. We’ll be here listening to it on repeat all month.
