‘Power Ballad’ – Paul Rudd: Music & heart

In the film Power Ballad, music is both a dream and a battleground. Directed by John Carney, the film follows Rick Power, a struggling American musician living in Dublin whose life is upended when a song he helped create becomes a global hit for someone else. What begins as a story about artistic ownership evolves into a sharp, funny and unexpectedly moving exploration of ambition, friendship, success, and the price of being left behind.

Paul Rudd plays Rick, a wedding-band singer who’s spent decades scraping together a living through music while quietly nurturing bigger creative aspirations. We spoke to Rudd about music, performing, collaboration and the emotional journey at the heart of the film.

On Rick Power

In this film, I play Rick Power, a musician who has been living in Dublin for several decades. Having grown up playing in bands, I already had some experience of that world. I love music and I’m a capable musician, which definitely helped me connect with the role.

Rick is a singer who stayed in Dublin after falling in love with an Irish woman during a visit many years ago. They had a daughter together, and he built a life there. By the time the film begins, he’s performing in a wedding band made up mostly of Irish musicians.

Rick’s wife and daughter are Irish, and he’s making a modest living doing what he loves. He’s not a star. He’s getting by, playing music, and surviving on a much smaller scale than he’d once imagined.

On Rick’s journey

As the story unfolds, Rick begins to unravel. He sees himself not just as a performer, but as a songwriter. One night, while playing a wedding, he meets Danny Wilson, played by Nick Jonas — a successful boy-band star who’s trying to launch a solo career.

The two spend the evening drinking together, swapping ideas and working on snippets of a song. Later, when Danny releases a massive hit that incorporates those ideas, Rick finds himself completely shut out of the process.

He has no clear legal recourse and struggles to understand how someone he thought was decent could leave him behind. Eventually, he travels to Los Angeles to confront Danny and get answers.

Rick keeps asking himself, ‘Danny seemed like a good guy. Why would he do this?’ That question drives much of his journey. He feels compelled to make things right, although the film ultimately takes him somewhere quite unexpected.

On the importance of music

I’ve always envied musicians.

Whether you’re making music, acting or painting, you’re tapping into something deeply human and emotional. But musicians have a unique advantage: they can create and perform entirely on their own. They don’t need a crew. They don’t have to transform their appearance or fit into someone else’s vision. They can simply pick up an instrument and create.

I’ve always been jealous of that freedom.

Music also has an extraordinary ability to transcend language. It bypasses logic and goes straight to your gut. I’ve been obsessed with music for as long as I can remember.

On performing live

Music has a power unlike anything else.

I’ve been lucky enough to attend some incredible concerts over the years, particularly in smaller venues and bars where you feel completely connected to the performers. I’ve often wondered what it must feel like to stand on stage and hear an audience singing your song back to you.

As a fan, those moments are unforgettable. Being part of a crowd singing along to music you love creates a sense of community that’s hard to replicate anywhere else.

Before I had children and stopped going out as much, my favourite thing in the world was seeing live bands.

I’m old enough to say things like, ‘I saw Radiohead in a bar in Minnesota’. Those experiences were extraordinary. Whether it was a tiny club or a packed stadium, the memory of those performances has stayed with me.

On working with director John Carney

While recording music for the film with the talented musicians involved, we spent a lot of time simply talking about music.

At one point, we started discussing Glen Campbell. John picked up a guitar and we played Wichita Lineman. I showed everyone a clip from The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour featuring Campbell and Stevie Wonder performing Blowin’ in the Wind.

Those conversations became a huge part of the creative process. We often joked that, while we were technically making a movie, it felt more like a group of musicians sitting around talking about the artists and songs they loved.

John directs in much the same way that he writes music. There’s a real openness to discovery. He guides the project, but he also allows the process to evolve organically.

He’d often say, ‘Let’s explore that. What is that riff?’ and suddenly we’d be jamming, collaborating and discovering something new together.

Thank goodness we had Nick Jonas on board to bring authenticity to the musical side of things. That certainly wasn’t coming from me. I just hoped some of his musicianship rubbed off on me during the scenes where we played together.

It was a pleasure being immersed in that world.

On playing in a wedding band

The wedding band in the film is actually pretty good.

The musicians are all incredibly talented, and they’re all Irish. I’m the only American in the group.

Within the story, we’re a successful wedding band that earns a decent living playing the songs people know and love. Binzer, the drummer, is effectively the leader of the group. Sandy, the guitarist, is the dreamer — the one who sees potential in everyone and genuinely believes in the transformative power of music.

Each member of the band represents a different personality type, but at the heart of it we’re friends. That’s what makes the band work, both in the film and, in many ways, behind the scenes as well.