Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson has a cool story about Paul Rudd and Tilda Swinton's first meeting. Rudd and Swinton belong to the Marvel Cinematic Universe thanks to their roles as Scott Lang/Ant-Man and The Ancient One, respectively. After being launched into the MCU in 2015 with Ant-Man, Rudd reprised his role in the 2018 sequel Ant-Man and the Wasp. He also appeared in Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Endgame. The actor is set to play the size-changing superhero in its third installment, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which is scheduled to be released in 2023 as part of the MCU's Phase 4. 

Before that, the long-awaited Doctor Strange 2, titled Doctor Stranger in the Multiverse of Madness, is slated to hit theaters in 2022. Swinton, who acted alongside Benedict Cumberbatch in the first Doctor Strange movie, is unlikely to return, as The Ancient One died to pass on the Sorcerer Supreme title to Cumberbatch's character. While Rudd and Swinton did not share the screen together, they both featured in Avengers: Endgame separately as the film gathered all of Marvel's key players.

Related: The MCU’s Ant-Man Joke Is The Perfect Paul Rudd Gag

Despite not being able to act together in their respective Marvel outings, Rudd and Swinton did meet and interact outside the MCU. In a recent tweet, Doctor Strange director Derrickson shared a fun story about how the two actors met each other. Derrickson shared that their first meeting was actually in 2016 in a Berlin hotel lobby. According to the filmmaker, he was there with the veteran actress Swinton when Rudd, fresh from his Ant-Man success, "unexpectedly walked in." Without hesitation, Swinton reached out to the actor who reciprocated her warm welcome. Read his account below:

Click here to view the original post

Derrickson shared the story as a response to an article promoting Swinton's new movie The French Dispatch, directed by Wes Anderson. The article showed a photo of the 61-year-old actress wearing a chic pink-and-orange outfit paired with sparkly gloves. Derrickson, who worked with Swinton in Doctor Strange, noted that she was also dressed in her signature "glam-rock outfit" during her encounter with Rudd. Aside from her avant-garde fashion sense, the award-winning actress is also known for her immersive acting skills. While Swinton sparked whitewashing criticisms for her role as The Ancient One, she undoubtedly gave an astounding performance as the enigmatic mystic.

The story of Rudd and Swinton's first meeting is indicative of how Marvel inspires its actors to share a strong bond beyond the movies. Other stars such as Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, and Mark Ruffalo have shared behind-the-scenes photos of the cast having a blast while filming. While their friendship is heartwarming, it also adds to fans' excitement as they wait for the next Marvel offering. Rudd and Swinton obviously made a connection, and it's interesting to imagine what it would be like for Ant-Man to meet The Ancient One. While there is no news of Swinton returning to Doctor Strange or the MCU fold again soon, nothing is impossible in the world of fantasy and superheroes.

Next: All 12 Marvel Movies Releasing After Eternals (& When)

Source: Scott Derrickson/Twitter