Paul Rudd is the latest Hollywood star to praise filming in Ireland after shooting his new film Power Ballad in Dublin.
Other recent US actors to work in Ireland include Adam Scott, who filmed the horror movie Hokum in West Cork, and Ethan Hawke, who shot Blue Moon in Dublin, a performance that earned him a Best Actor Oscar nomination.
Rudd, 57, is best known for comedic roles in films such as Knocked Up and This Is 40.
In Power Ballad, the latest musical comedy from John Carney, writer and director of Once, Rudd plays Rick Power, a past-his-prime wedding singer.
In the film, Rick meets fading boyband star Danny Wilson, played by Nick Jonas, during a gig, and the two bond over music and a late-night jam session.
But when Danny turns one of Rick’s songs into the hit that reignites his career, Rick sets out to reclaim the recognition he believes he deserves, even if it means risking everything he cares about.
“It wasn’t the first time I worked here (in Ireland), but it was the longest,” Rudd told the Press Association.
“I’ve come over and I’ve been able to work here a couple of times in little bursts, so it was really terrific, and the crew was lovely.
“I’ve been pretty vocal about my love of Ireland, so getting the chance to really spend time here with the people who live here and with Irish actors was terrific across the board.”
In the film Rudd is the lead singer of The Bride And Groove, a popular wedding band.
Speaking about singing in the film, Rudd said: “It was a challenge, I was nervous about it.
“It’s not really something I do, and in the other movies where I’ve sung, it’s usually been in a silly context, which gives you a lot more wiggle room. I knew this wasn’t that.
“But I was excited to do it because, after so many years, it’s still fun to feel nervous about trying something new. That was appealing to me. I just closed my eyes, crossed my fingers, and hoped for the best.”
Carney, 53, who is also the co-creator of the Irish TV drama series Bachelors Walk, said he loves re-collaborating with actors and musicians.
“I love working with the same people again and seeing how they’re doing two years later, what they’ve been up to, and things like that. I really like that,” he explained.
“And I loved mixing it up with Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas, and then asking actors who’d been in Bachelor’s Walk or other TV shows and projects I’d done to come along and join in the fun.
“It’s always nice to do that, and it’s also nice to put people a little out of their comfort zone, in the way Paul just mentioned. If you give an actor something new to do, it revitalises why we started doing these things in the first place.”
Power Ballad is in UK and Irish cinemas on Friday, May 29.
