We’re sure you’ve seen Paul Rust around, because it’s pretty much impossible to avoid him. The man hosts or performs at the UCB almost every night of the week, plays in two awesome bands (Don’t Stop or We’ll Die and The Glass Beef), and stars in countless internet videos. He’s featured in “Semi Pro”, which opens today, and before he rushes off to take on his first starring role, he took the time to answer our questions via email:
Let’s start with some background information…where did you go to school and what did you study?
I went to the University of Iowa where I majored in Cinema - with minors in Theatre and Communications.
When did you first start performing?
In first grade, I did a lip-sync performance of Weird Al Yankovic’s “Living with a Hernia” for the class. It wasn’t for “Show or Tell” or anything. I just brought in my tape player, then asked the teacher if I could do it and she let me. Which, in retrospect, was a really cool, supportive thing of her to do. Yay, Mrs. Wick!
What non-comedy jobs have you had?
In high school, I worked at Hy-Vee (a Midwestern grocery store) for a couple years - stocking shelves and sacking groceries. I also worked at my town’s movie theatre/video store (no one ever rented “Crossing Delancey” - I checked the records) and DJ’d at the local AM radio station (I found a 45 of “Who Shot JR?” and played it until my boss told me to stop).
In college, I was a housekeeper at a hotel and an RA during my junior and senior years. After college, I worked in the paint department at Wal-Mart the summer before I moved to LA. And then for the first couple years in LA, I logged footage and transcribed interviews for reality-TV shows like “The Real Gilligan’s Island” and Ted Nugent’s wilderness survival show. My favorite one to do was “R U The Girl” featuring T-Boz and Chili.
And so when did you move to LA?
August 2004.
You’ve made a lot of shorts for the internet, do you shoot and edit yourself?
I shoot and edit my own shorts, yes. Stuff I learned in film school. Now that you know I went to film school, the videos probably seem really sucky now.