Paul Rudd could hardly contain his excitement after Miley Cyrus gave him a shoutout during a high-profile performance last month.
Cyrus performed her hit song “Flowers” during the “Homecoming Concert,” a special that celebrated the 50th anniversary of “Saturday Night Live” and aired on Valentine’s Day, which Rudd and his wife Julie attended as part of the live studio audience.
Mid-song, Cyrus spotted Rudd in the audience and shouted, “I love you, Paul Rudd!”
The moment left a lasting impact on Rudd, who told WSJ. Magazine in an interview published Tuesday that the surprising shoutout inspired him to channel his inner-teenager.
“When she said that, I did turn into a 15-year-old,” Rudd said.
He went on to describe his inner teenage monologue in that moment, saying, “There’s no way! It’s like, Oh, my God, she’s sick…. I can’t. OK, oh, my God. Miley Cyrus said my name!”
Rudd added that he spent “a good 10 minutes afterward” excited about the moment.
He even got to talk to Cyrus about it the very next day during rehearsals for the “SNL” anniversary special that aired later that weekend, where he told her, “I love you too.”
Cyrus, he said, responded by saying, “Thank you for being a good sport.”
The “Homecoming Concert” and “Anniversary Special” aired in February to commemorate 50 years of the long-running sketch show, currently in the midst of its 50th season.
In addition to Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Chris Martin, Bad Bunny, Post Malone, Jelly Roll, Jack White, Brittany Howard and others performed during the “Homecoming Concert,” which was hosted by “SNL” alum Jimmy Fallon and took place at Radio City Music Hall.
