Paul Rudd crashes Bill Hader’s Conan interview for one last ‘Mac and Me’ prank

There are only two things you need to know about actor Paul Rudd. One, he never ages (drop the skincare line already!). Two, he will use any opportunity to prank Conan O’Brien with a clip from Mac and Me.

What’s Mac and Me, you say? You mean you haven’t heard of the classic, low-budget E.T. rip-off from 1988 that has become a favourite of Mr. Rudd’s? We say it’s his favourite because every time he sits down on Conan’s show, he shows the exact same Mac and Me clip (instead of whatever movie or TV show he’s promoting, much to Conan’s chagrin). He’s been doing it for almost 20 years, and since Conan’s show is coming to an end this week, he just had to weasel one last clip in there.

His appearance on CONAN wasn’t planned either; it was SNL-alum Bill Hader who was the special guest. Conan and Bill were reminiscing about their respective SNL days, when Bill mentioned a sketch with him and Paul Rudd that never made it to air. While Hader was blaming Rudd for the sketch bombing, who should walk out but Paul Rudd himself wearing a tux for no apparent reason.

“How dare you,” Paul quips at Bill’s mention that Paul’s lack of accent ruined their bit. Demanding vengeance, Paul claims he has video footage of the dress rehearsal, proving his performance didn’t ruin the sketch’s chances – it was bad from the start. 

And then, just as the prophets foretold, a boy in a broken wheelchair goes flying into a ravine, waking up a curious alien. Tale as old as time.

All three men then broke into a jig at yet another Mac & Me prank. All hail the Prank Lord Champion.

“Every time, for years, I was convinced that I would see the real clip,” Conan deadpans, “because you are a genuinely nice person. And you would say, ‘This movie is really important to me’ and ‘I put my own money into this, and I really care about this,’ and then you’d pull that s**t every time!”

And then... Rudd did it again moments later, with yet another unassuming setup. May this gag never die. 

Paul first pulled the prank on CONAN back in 2004 while promoting the series finale of Friends, insisting he had a clip of the show.

“There’s a lot of surprises in the last episode, it was pretty emotional. I mean as you could see Matthew Perry was in a wheelchair,” Paul joked, really selling it.

Sidekick Andy Richter had a fabulous idea for continuing the gag long after Conan’s show is over: “Whoever dies first, you have to do that at the other one’s funeral.”

Trick question. Paul Rudd doesn’t age, therefore Paul Rudd doesn’t die. The man is a vampire and we need that skin cream on our desk by 9am.

Watch the CONAN series finale Thursday 1:30aET on CTV.

BEFORE YOU GO: Chris Rock turned down multiple offers from ‘The Sopranos’

[video_embed id='2224166']BEFORE YOU GO: Chris Rock turned down multiple offers from ‘The Sopranos’[/video_embed]