Paul Rudd's Employee Reveals Truth Behind Working For The 'Ant-Man' Actor
By Kelly Coffey-Behrens on March 21, 2024 at 11:45 AM EDT
John Traver, an employee of Paul Rudd, is speaking out, revealing what it's truly like to work for the 'Ant-Man' actor.
Paul Rudd co-owns a candy shop, Samuel's Sweet Shop, in Rhinebeck, New York — bet you didn't know that -- and Traver is a manager at the location. The store offers a wide variety of sweets ranging from old-school candies, like Pop Rocks and astronaut ice cream, which are some of Rudd’s favorites, to baked treats.
The New York candy shop is co-owned by Paul Rudd, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Hilarie Burton, and Andy Ostroy.
Inside Paul Rudd's Candy Shop
In 2014, after the owner of Samuel’s Sweet Shop unexpectedly passed away, Rudd and his wife, Morgan, Burton, and producer Andy Ostroy came together to purchase the store and keep its legacy alive.
“These families all had young kids – they all had houses in the area. They learned of Ira's passing, and saw the outpouring of support and also the grieving in the community, and they got together and decided that they wanted to help,” John Traver told PEOPLE last year.
Now, ten years later, Traver is once again speaking to the media, this time revealing how it is to have Paul Rudd as his boss.
How Is Paul As A Boss?
He may be a Marvel superhero on screen, but he is also a superhero off-screen as Traver speaks highly of Rudd.
“He’s always nice and friendly,” the manager of Samuel’s Sweet Shop told Us Weekly. “He takes time to speak to the staff and learn their names and ask them questions about their lives. And then he’ll share things about his life or show us, you know, pictures from the Super Bowl or talk about what’s going on with their house or their dog or whatever.”
Not only is Rudd “extremely passionate” about the store, but he is also highly involved with the town of Rhinebeck.
“I think that he does consider this home in many ways,” he said of the 'Friends' actor. “He loves the store and the sense of community and grounding that it brings him. He’s very supportive of our efforts here and he gives us a lot of freedom and autonomy to run and create a successful and happy experience for our customers in the community.”
Paul Rudd 'Doesn't Pull Star Status'
The community is extremely close, something that the 2021 Sexiest Man Alive actor is very passionate about. Mary, the owner of Willow Wood Boutique, the business next door to Samuel’s, opened up about what it's like to have her boutique next to the Marvel star's shop.
“There is no star status and he doesn’t pull that at all,” Mary told US Weekly. “He’s humbled and more shy than the movie star that he’s known to be. I feel like he’s one of us.”
Paul Rudd On Co-Owning Samuel's Sweet Shop
In 2019, Rudd spoke out about what it means to co-own the New York candy store with his wife, 'The Walking Dead' actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Hilarie Burton, and Andy Ostroy.
“It is impossible to walk into a candy store and stay in a bad mood," Rudd told The Poughkeepsie Journal, "This is what I say. Unless you maybe stub your toe on the gumball machine."
Adding, "One of the most important things any human can experience is to be a part of a community and feel connected to where you live and to other people who live there, especially in a job like mine.”
Jeffrey Dean Morgan Talks Co-Owning A Candy Shop With Paul Rudd
A few years ago, when Morgan appeared on Stephen Colbert's talk show, he confirmed he co-owns the New York candy store with Paul Rudd among others.
“The first guy I met in this town called Rhinebeck was Ira, and he owned this candy store. He passed away a couple years ago, and Paul [Rudd] and I had been friends for a while and [Paul and I] just didn’t want it to turn into a smoothie stand or something,” Morgan told the late-night host. “It had been there since the early ’90s, so we were like, ‘Yeah, let’s pool our money together and get a candy store.’ So now we’re the proud owners of Samuel’s Sweet Shop!”
Does anybody else now want a brownie? Samuel's Sweet Shop is located at 43 East Market Street in Rhinebeck, New York.