Paul Rudd and the Art of the 'Bromance'

March 17, 2009 -- Paul Rudd has quietly co-starred in a string of top-grossing comedies over the last 10 years, from "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" to "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" to "Knocked Up." He has played a womanizing TV reporter (Brian Fantana in "Anchorman"), a preachy ex-stepbrother (Josh in "Clueless") and a stoner-surfer (Koonoo in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall").

But in the new movie "I Love You, Man," Rudd finally takes the lead. The movie tackles the topic of male friendship with a strong dose of the humor that has made Rudd's films so successful, though he says that as his acting career took off, he's found it increasingly difficult to stay in touch with his own friends.

"Guys do that, we don't keep up. ... I do it less and less," he said. "It's bad. As a kid I know that most of my parents' friends were because my mom made friends with them and my Dad went along. I know a lot of dads who do that. I think it just starts to happen with guys. In the case of my father," Rudd jokes, "He was probably just too busy reading books about Titanic."

"I Love You, Man," which hits theaters this Friday, is being hailed as one of the first of a whole new subgenre: the "bromantic" comedy.

"Bromance," a recent entry into the modern lexicon, means a particularly tight friendship between two men. Think Matt and Ben, or George and Brad. MTV even has a reality TV show about it.

"I couldn't believe that this movie, this movie in particular hadn't been made," says Rudd of "I Love You, Man," in which he plays Peter Klaven, a groom-to-be who realizes he doesn't have a best man and embarks on a series of "man dates" to find one.

To the horror of his fiancee, Peter's plan works all too well: Soon after meeting Sydney Fife (Jason Segel), he strikes up an avid bromance involving bars, junk food and hours of making rock 'n' roll. Which relationship -- romance or bromance -- will survive?

"Like, 'Oh, my god, of course,'" Rudd says of the concept. "You know, in a way this romantic comedy between two guys -- I just thought it was really fresh."

Rudd, who started his career in theater, reflected on the path that took him from early stage turns to his appearance on the cover of the current issue of Vanity Fair magazine.

"It's only a natural, I think, progression to go from the cover of In Theatre [magazine] to Vanity Fair," he joked.

Rudd's reference to In Theatre magazine is a nod toward his roots in classical acting, and though that is his foundation, it's not how he ended up making a big splash.