Paul Rudd and Jack Black faced a monumental challenge while filming their latest film, Anaconda, in Australia: the arduous task of maintaining a distance from their respective families. Rudd, whose wife Julie Yaeger shares a 19-year-old son, Jack, and a 15-year-old daughter, Darby, shared with People magazine, "We were in Australia, away from our families for months on end, and it's a genuine treat to hang out and work with people you genuinely care about and have fun with." He added, "I think it does change a bit as we get older. We have families now, and that makes it a little more challenging than it used to be."
Black, whose wife Tanya Haden shares sons Samuel, 19, and Tommy, 17, with him, expressed his yearning to "freeze time" when he's with his family. "If I could freeze time, I would, so that I could be with my family without missing any moments. But when I embark on these adventures and movie projects, I remind myself, 'Hey, this is the job,'" said the Holiday star. "Many families deal with separation from their loved ones, and it's painful, but it's also a fantastic opportunity."
Yet, Black finds joy in bringing his children and wife along to the countries he films in. "It's fun to bring them out wherever I am and have a little adventure in Australia, a bit of New Zealand, a touch of Hawaii. It's awesome," he said. "But if they're in school, they have their own responsibilities to attend to." He added, "They won't be able to be with me all the time."
The comedy thriller sees Rudd and Black playing filmmakers alongside Steve Zahn and Thandiwe Newton. The group embarks on a journey to the Amazon jungle to revive the iconic 1997 creature feature and finds themselves embroiled in anaconda-related mishaps. Anaconda premieres in theaters on December 25.
