Before They Were Stars: Paul Rudd in a Super Nintendo Commercial

After my Halloween-themed week of “Before They Were Stars” concluded, I kicked myself when I realized I never showcased Paul Rudd in one of his earliest roles in the notoriously bad Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. Thankfully, Gill just sent me this clip of Paul Rudd obscurity that’s ten times cooler. As far as I can tell, this is his first acting job ever as he appeared in a commercial for the heavily-hyped Super Nintendo Entertainment System back in the days when Nintendo’s conversion to a *gasp* 16-bit console was a pretty big deal. As is the case with many of the commercials I find featuring future celebrities, I have vivid memories of seeing this ad many times when it originally aired, so it’s always a revelation to discover it was the beginning of a successful career. Of course, now it just seems weird to see Paul Rudd at a gaming console without him saying “You know how I know you’re gay?”.