Sorry to my therapist, but I would trade you in for Paul Rudd in a heartbeat. But maybe not this Paul Rudd. In The Shrink Next Door, the actor plays a charming therapist con man, taking a break from his Nice Guy persona to play a truly sinister villain. But what's more shocking than him playing against type is that in The Shrink Next Door trailer, Paul Rudd is doing the impossible: aging.
It's long been established that Rudd is what I like to call a Hollywood Vampire, or an Immortal. He's one of those celebrities, like Gabrielle Union, John Cho, and Bianca Lawson, who have barely aged a day in the past two decades. I used to think he was just incapable. And Twitter has suggested he's been blessed because he's, thus far, consistently been an unproblematic fave. But now, the truth is revealed. It turns out Rudd can age, he just chooses not to.
The Shrink Next Door is based on a true story about a NYC therapist, Dr. Isaac "Ike" Herschkopf (Rudd), who wormed his way into the personal life and finances of his patients, including one Marty Markowitz (Will Ferrell). And while that is off-putting enough, it's truly just bizarre to see Rudd actually look... his age?
To be fair to the eternally young actor, it looks like the show will take place in the '80s, when the real Markowitz began seeing Herschkopf, so it's not really like he's getting any extra help from hair and wardrobe. (Sorry to '80s fashion, but you made everyone look older than they actually were.) And, to be clear, it's not like he looks like Dumbledore, OK? It's just that he looks less like Josh from Clueless and more like a middle-aged man and it's FREAKING ME OUT.
Exhibit A
The receding hairline here is really emphasized by this haircut, that makes it look like his hair is doing some major thinning up top. Pair that with the furrowed brow, the huge glasses (which I assume are more fashion than function), and his unkempt facial hair, and you've got a man who actually looks like he's in his 40s. (Rudd himself is 52. I said he finally aged, not that he aged up completely!)
Exhibit B
I truly can't understand if this image is from a kind of daydream or nightmare or just 10 years later, but with that greying hair and facial hair, Rudd looks exactly like Alex Trebek. And Alex Trebek has always just felt at least 60 in my heart and mind.
The Shrink Next Door proves that Paul Rudd definitely has the capacity to look older/his age. He just doesn't. Because why would he?
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Image: Apple TV+