Celebrity Celebrity Relationships Celebrity Friendships Watch Paul Rudd Answer Prank Call from Longtime Friend Olivia Colman on Radio Show Olivia Colman said she emailed the radio show "and said, 'Would it be alright to do a prank on Paul?' " By Rebecca Aizin Rebecca Aizin Rebecca Aizin is an Associate Editor at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2023. Her work has previously appeared on Elle, HGTV and Backstage. People Editorial Guidelines Published on February 17, 2023 01:43PM EST Photo: Karwai Tang/WireImage; David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images Paul Rudd got an unexpected phone call from pal Olivia Colman. The Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania actor, 53, received a prank call from longtime friend Colman, 49, while he was on the BBC Radio 1 Breakfast show with host Greg James. The actress — disguised as a caller with a different accent — called to ask Rudd a jokingly passive aggressive question. "Hiya Paul, I'm a huge fan," she started. "I just wanted to pick your brains. So what would you do if you had a really good mate, like, for over 20 years, and this friend, he doesn't live in England but he's come to England and hasn't told you about it." While Rudd was listening intently at first, ready to give his advice, he started to get worried when Colman drew on the specifics of his own visit. She continued, "And then not only has he not told you about it, he's come onto a radio show. What would you do?" Rudd sucked in a nervous deep breath and started answering with "oh my God," followed by "oh no," as he realized the caller was likely talking about him. Colman went on to ask if he would be offended. "Personally, if it's me? Absolutely not," Rudd joked. "I tend to give everybody the benefit of the doubt." James asked Colman to reveal her true identity, to which Rudd was pleasantly surprised and in awe of how Colman "really can do every accent." Paul Rudd on the YouTube Clips He Watches to Cheer Up: 'I'll Go Down Rabbit Holes Like Everybody' Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories. The two reflected on their decades-long friendship, including the sweet story of how they met during their humble beginnings. "We were doing a play together and Paul used to come and stay on the floor of our rubbish flat in South London and come for Sunday lunch and things," Colman recalled. "Paul was properly in the play and I had about two lines I think." When Colman heard that Rudd was visiting her favorite morning radio show, she knew she had to do something to pull her old friend's leg. "I emailed Greg and said, 'Would it be alright to do a prank on Paul?' " the Oscar winner said. "And he said 'Hell yeah.' " Marvel Studios Rudd appeared on the show to promote Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the first of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase 5 and the third installment in the Ant-Man series. "In very generalized terms, as you see in Quantumania, it's about setting up the big overarching thread that will go through the next phases," Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige recently told Entertainment Weekly. "Not every film in the Infinity Saga focused on the Infinity Stones or Thanos, and it'll be the same across five and six. But we're gearing up," he continued. "People will get a taste of this in a big way in Quantumania as we lead to Avengers: Secret Wars, which I'm extremely excited for." Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is in theaters now. Close