Paul Rudd has revealed that he has stopped bringing his mobile phone to work, describing phones as “horrible things” that have changed the way people interact with each other.
Speaking on the red carpet for his latest film A Statement, Rudd told Variety that he no longer takes his phone onto film sets.
“I haven’t done that for a while now. It’s important to put it down. Anytime. They’re horrible things,” he said.
Rudd admitted that he is just as dependent on his phone as everyone else, despite his decision to leave it behind while working.
“I’m addicted to it like everybody else. They’re facilitating our own destruction,” he added.
The actor said the experience of working without phones was particularly noticeable on A Statement, after director Tom McCarthy introduced a strict no-phones policy on set.
According to Rudd, the rule helped the cast spend more time together and created a stronger sense of connection between them.
“The world has changed since cell phones have existed. We don’t look at each other or talk to each other quite the same way,” he said.
Rudd explained that being unable to retreat into their phones meant the cast were encouraged to actually talk and spend time together between scenes.
“We were forced to really spend time with each other and talk,” he said.
The experience also fitted with the period setting of the film, which takes place in 1980.
Rudd said that being surrounded by the clothes and atmosphere of the era, while also being away from modern technology, gave the production a feeling of stepping back in time.
“Working on a movie set in 1980, we’re dressed a certain way and it felt like, ‘Oh, yeah. I remember this. This feels like it used to feel when people sat around and spoke to one another.’”
The actor's comments come as phones have become an increasingly constant part of everyday life, both at work and at home. While Rudd admitted he is still “addicted” to his own phone, his experience on A Statement appears to have reinforced the benefits of occasionally putting it down.
For Rudd, leaving the phone behind was not just about avoiding distractions on set. It gave the cast a chance to recreate some of the social atmosphere of the period they were portraying and, in the process, build stronger relationships with each other.
