Paul Rudd’s Anchorman Regret: The Iconic Prop He Wishes He Kept

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Paul Rudd’s career really took off with the Anchorman movies, and looking back after over two decades, he says there’s one thing he’d do differently. He played Brian Fantana, a key member of the ensemble cast alongside Will Ferrell as Ron Burgundy, David Koechner as Champ Kind, Steve Carell as Brick Tamland, and Christina Applegate as Veronica Corningstone, in the series created by Ferrell and Adam McKay.

I was reading an interview with Paul Rudd over at ScreenRant, and they were talking about the new Anaconda movie he’s doing. The conversation somehow turned to souvenirs from his old films, and he said he doesn’t actually have any props he kept. But he confessed his biggest regret is not grabbing the Sex Panther cologne from the original Anchorman! He said it didn’t even occur to him to try and get it until after they finished filming, and he was kicking himself wondering why he hadn’t even asked!

About halfway through the movie Anchorman, Brian introduces Sex Panther, a cologne he hopes will win over Veronica after Champ’s attempt fails. He famously claims, “60

The Anchorman movies are full of hilarious moments that fans still love to repeat. Whether it’s Ron Burgundy’s famously crude message to San Diego, Champ’s signature “Whammy!”, or Brick’s sweet obsession with “lamp” during serious talks, Paul Rudd’s pitch for the Sex Panther cologne remains one of the most memorable scenes from the first film.

It’s not surprising Paul Rudd would want to keep more souvenirs from his time filming the Anchorman movies. The first film marked a turning point in his career, being his first major box office success after the critically acclaimed Cider House Rules. More importantly, it launched his successful working relationship with writer and director Judd Apatow, who produced the 2004 movie and went on to collaborate with Rudd on films like The 40-Year-Old Virgin and the Knocked Up spin-off, This Is 40.

It’s become a surprisingly common habit for actors to keep souvenirs from their movies, and Paul Rudd admits he wishes he‘d kept the Sex Panther cologne prop from Anchorman. Fans of the 2004 film will definitely understand why! The prop was especially unique because the box it came in had a built-in speaker that made a panther roar when the cologne was revealed, making it a potentially valuable collectible. If a third Anchorman movie ever happens, Rudd might insist on bringing Sex Panther back just to make up for missing out on owning the original prop.

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2025-12-26 18:28