- - Paul Rudd and Jack Black’s Biggest “Anaconda” Challenge Wasn’t the Jungle, but Being ‘Away from Our Families’ (Exclusive)

Kayla Grant, Jack SmartDecember 24, 2025 at 11:34 PM

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Paul Rudd and Jack Black -

Paul Rudd and Jack Black faced one major challenge while filming Anaconda in Australia

During an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, the Marvel star and the Dear Santa actor revealed that being far away from their families was the hardest part of filming

Rudd shares his two children with his wife Julie Yaeger, while Black welcomed his two sons with wife Tanya Haden

Paul Rudd and Jack Black faced one big challenge while filming their new movie in Australia — and it wasn't being "covered in pig goo."

During an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, the Anaconda stars reveal that filming their new movie away from their families was challenging. Rudd, who shares son Jack, 19, and daughter Darby, 15, with wife Julie Yaeger, tells PEOPLE that the people around him made it easier to be away from home.

"We were in Australia, we were away from our families for months on end, and what a treat it is to get to hang and work with the people that you really care about and have fun with," he says. "It does change a little bit, I think, as I've gotten older, we've gotten older. We have families now, and then it makes it a little harder than it used to be."

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Paul Rudd and his family

Black, who's a father to sons Samuel, 19, and Tommy, 17, whom he shares with wife Tanya Haden, echoed Rudd's sentiments saying that he would "freeze time" if he could to spend more time with his family.

"If I could freeze time, I would, so that I could have and not miss any of my family time. But what I tell myself when I go off on some of these adventures and movie things, it's like, 'Hey, this is the job,' " Black says. "Lots of families deal with separation from their families over there and it sucks, but it's also a great opportunity."

The A Minecraft Movie star shares that it's also fun to bring his children to his latest out-of-the-country adventure.

"It's fun to bring them out to wherever I am and have a little Australian adventure, little New Zealand, little Hawaii. This is awesome," says Black. "But if they're in school, they got jobs to do."

"They're not going to be able to be with me the whole time," he adds.

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Jack Black and his family

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Anaconda stars the duo alongside Steve Zahn and Thandiwe Newton as a group of amateur filmmakers traveling to the Amazon jungle to reboot the titular 1997 creature feature.

“In a way, we are playing ourselves,” Black tells PEOPLE.

“It was very close to home,” he adds. “It's these friends that are going out to make their dreams come true. And that's how I feel every time I go out to make a movie.”

The Tom Gormican-directed Anaconda features a giant snake not unlike the original film’s, which starred Ice Cube and Jennifer Lopez. But befitting its leading duo, the new movie puts a comedic spin on the man-eating monster.

“I love horror films, and I love comedies,” Black says. “To find a way into both of those genres in a nice, perfect, yummy, yummy, mix-mix — get peanut butter and jelly, get those two flavors that taste great together — that's a special thing. I was really thrilled to get the opportunity to do something original like that.”

Anaconda is in theaters Dec. 25.

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”