'Anaconda' (2025) Interview: Jack Black and Paul Rudd

Moviefone speaks with Jack Black and Paul Rudd about 'Anaconda'. "It's commenting on a lot of stuff and doing it in a very meta and funny way," Rudd said.

(L to R) Jack Black and Paul Rudd star in 'Anaconda'.

Opening in theaters on December 25th is ‘Anaconda’, which is a meta-reboot of the beloved 1997 movie of the same name.

Directed by Tom Gormican (‘The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent ’), the film stars Jack Black (‘A Minecraft Movie’), Paul Rudd (‘Ant-Man’), Steve Zahn (‘Out of Sight’), Thandiwe Newton (‘Westworld’), and Daniela Melchior (‘The Suicide Squad’).

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Jack Black and Paul Rudd about their work on ‘Anaconda’, their first reaction to the screenplay and meta-approach to the reboot, finally working together on a film, and why fans need to see it in a theater.

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(L to R) Doug (Jack Black) and Griff (Paul Rudd) in Columbia Pictures' 'Anaconda'. Photo: Matt Grace. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Moviefone: To begin with, what would you both say to movie goers sitting down right now in a theater to prepare them for the theatrical experience they are about to have?

Jack Black: Now, I got to prepare you with a warning. If you are susceptible to jump scares, if you are terrified easily, if you have a heart condition, don't see this movie, because it is legit scary. If you have an aversion to laughter, if something makes you laugh too hard and you might pass out, do not go to this movie. It is huge laughs and huge scares. You have been warned.

MF: Paul, what was your first reaction to the screenplay and this meta-approach to rebooting the franchise?

Paul Rudd: So, my reaction was just giddiness. I loved it. I thought it was funny and original. It was such a fun read that I went back and just read it again and it was enjoyable. I also knew that it was made and written by the guys that did ‘The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent’, which was a movie that I loved and saw four times. So, one of the things that I loved about that movie was it was very clever and self-aware. Nicolas Cage is so funny playing himself and I loved how this thing starts to weirdly morph into a Nicolas Cage movie, like an action movie. I thought it was just a very clever approach. So that these guys were taking another similarly unique and funny way to deal with movie remakes, but it's not really a remake. It's commenting on a lot of that stuff and doing it in a very meta and funny way.

(L to R) Claire (Thandiwe Newton), Kenny (Steve Zahn), and Griff (Paul Rudd) in Columbia Pictures' 'Anaconda'. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

MF: Jack, what was your reaction to this unusual approach to rebooting ‘Anaconda’?

Jack Black: I was like, dude, if we can make a movie that's half as compelling and funny and interesting as ‘Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent’, then sign me up. Because I saw that movie and I was like, holy cannoli, I'm jealous.

MF: Jack, you have appeared in the same movies as Paul before, but never starred opposite him in a film. What was it like to get to finally work together on a big scale comedy like this?

Jack Black: I mean, that was a big draw for me because I've always felt like me and Paul would be great together. I've been a huge fan of his as he knows, I tell him.

(L to R) Jack Black and Paul Rudd on the set of Columbia Pictures’ 'Anaconda'. Photo: Bradley Patrick. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

MF: Finally, Paul, anything you want to add about having a chance to work with Jack after all these years.

Paul Rudd: It makes people uncomfortable how much Jack and I fawn over one another like broken records. You want me to fawn over Jack? Easy. Per square inch, there isn't a person out there that has more talent packed in to one gorgeous case. Jack is a talent tornado. He's a comedy tsunami. He's not just an actor. He's not just a comedian. He's not just a rock God. He's the kindest, most brilliant, beautiful human being and those are rare in this business. If you ask anybody who's met him, they'll say the same thing. He's a unicorn. So, anytime this comes around, I'm ready to jump on those coattails like that.

(L to R) Doug (Jack Black) and Griff (Paul Rudd) in Columbia Pictures’ 'Anaconda'. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Photo: Bradley Patrick.

What is the plot of ‘Anaconda’?

Doug (Jack Black) and Griff (Paul Rudd), seeking to recapture their youth, travel to the Amazon to film an amateur remake of the 1997 film 'Anaconda'. Their project unravels when a real giant anaconda emerges, turning the light-hearted shoot into a perilous fight to stay alive.