PAUL RUDD RAKES FOR CLAMS

Paul Rudd stars in Diggers as a second generation clam digger taking up the family business when his father dies.

The story was written by Ken Marino who met Paul Rudd while filming Wet Hot American Summer. He based it on his dad’s family business growing up on the south shore of Long Island in the seventies.

“We went out, it was about eight in the morning or something like that. We drove out to Long Island about eight in the morning and cracked open a beer on the way out as you do I guess when you’re digging clams. Smoked some cigarettes. We were totally getting into the roles. He showed us what to do with the rakes and how to do it. It was pretty fun. I think Ron was the best of all of us. You bring up some crazy things if you’re raking the bay bottom if you know what I’m saying.”

The 40 Year-Old Virgin star who was a virgin himself to clam digging says raking clams out of the bay wasn’t as easy as it looked.

“I think didn’t Ron or somebody cut their hand on one of the rakes. Yeah the rakes are a little dangerous. The guys who actually do it, a lot of times they’ll cut their hands up on the pole with all the sharp edges there but nobody got really hurt. But they’re really good they’re used to it and their hands are all calloused, but not us actors. We have soft, wrinkle free hands. We’ve never seen real labor. We tried to callous them up but that’s over many many years of working so we didn’t get to callous them up that much.”

Diggers opens Friday in theaters.