Paul Ruddwas thanking his lucky stars when he joined the cast ofOnly Murders in the Building.In this week’s issue of PEOPLE, the 53-year-old actor — who stars in the next Marvel installmentAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania— says he was excited to sign onto the hit Hulu series “specifically because of the three people”:Steve Martin,Martin Shortandnew cast memberMeryl Streep.“I came in there, and there’s Meryl Streep, who is arguably the greatest of all time,” he recalls. “And Martin Short, who is one of the funniest people on the planet, and somebody that just, I love, I really love.“Rudd, who plays big-time actor Ben Glenroy on the series, continued: “And yet to be there with Steve Martin, when I think back on people who probably had more of an impact on my life and my wanting to do this, or my understanding that performing or anything was even a career somebody would have, it was him.“Paul Rudd.Michael SchwartzGiven his acting career, Rudd says Martin’s impact on his life has been “more consequential than any other person in history,” adding, “I mean, he’s it, he’s the guy.““And so to, one, keep it kind of cool, and just not acknowledge it so that I can get through the day is one thing,” he shares. “But to also stop, acknowledge it and say, ‘Wow, how lucky am I? Now I’m in this with him.'““That kind of thing doesn’t really happen in life,” he adds. “And it’s happened in my life.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Only Murders in the Building cast.Steve Martin/instagramRudd is beyond grateful to be part ofthe third seasonofOnly Murders in the Buildingbeside the trio andSelena Gomez, sharing, “It’s a special place, I could just tell, I could feel it, it’s such a great group of people and it’s also just a really fun place to be.“Watch the full episode of People Cover Story: Paul Rudd belowIn fact, Rudd took one keepsake from the set to remind him of his experience onthe mystery series.“I was working onOnly Murders in the Building, and I had my dialog, my sheets that I had printed out and highlighted and worked on with my notes and all that stuff and, you know, oftentimes I just throw that away,” he says. “But I was leaving for the day and they were still in the room and I thought I’m just going to take these back and just keep these as a memento of my time on this show because I’m such a massive fan of everyone on that show, as is everybody, that I want to kind of remember.“For more on Paul Rudd’s role in Only Murders in the Building and his new film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, pick up the latest issue ofPEOPLE, on newsstands Friday,or subscribehere.

Paul Ruddwas thanking his lucky stars when he joined the cast ofOnly Murders in the Building.

In this week’s issue of PEOPLE, the 53-year-old actor — who stars in the next Marvel installmentAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania— says he was excited to sign onto the hit Hulu series “specifically because of the three people”:Steve Martin,Martin Shortandnew cast memberMeryl Streep.

“I came in there, and there’s Meryl Streep, who is arguably the greatest of all time,” he recalls. “And Martin Short, who is one of the funniest people on the planet, and somebody that just, I love, I really love.”

Rudd, who plays big-time actor Ben Glenroy on the series, continued: “And yet to be there with Steve Martin, when I think back on people who probably had more of an impact on my life and my wanting to do this, or my understanding that performing or anything was even a career somebody would have, it was him.”

Paul Rudd.Michael Schwartz

Paul Rudd rollout

Given his acting career, Rudd says Martin’s impact on his life has been “more consequential than any other person in history,” adding, “I mean, he’s it, he’s the guy.”

“And so to, one, keep it kind of cool, and just not acknowledge it so that I can get through the day is one thing,” he shares. “But to also stop, acknowledge it and say, ‘Wow, how lucky am I? Now I’m in this with him.'”

“That kind of thing doesn’t really happen in life,” he adds. “And it’s happened in my life.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Only Murders in the Building cast.Steve Martin/instagram

Surprise! Meryl Streep Joins Only Murders in the Building Season 3 as Steve Martin Reveals Filming Has Begun

Rudd is beyond grateful to be part ofthe third seasonofOnly Murders in the Buildingbeside the trio andSelena Gomez, sharing, “It’s a special place, I could just tell, I could feel it, it’s such a great group of people and it’s also just a really fun place to be.”

Watch the full episode of People Cover Story: Paul Rudd below

In fact, Rudd took one keepsake from the set to remind him of his experience onthe mystery series.

“I was working onOnly Murders in the Building, and I had my dialog, my sheets that I had printed out and highlighted and worked on with my notes and all that stuff and, you know, oftentimes I just throw that away,” he says. “But I was leaving for the day and they were still in the room and I thought I’m just going to take these back and just keep these as a memento of my time on this show because I’m such a massive fan of everyone on that show, as is everybody, that I want to kind of remember.”

For more on Paul Rudd’s role in Only Murders in the Building and his new film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, pick up the latest issue ofPEOPLE, on newsstands Friday,or subscribehere.

source: people.com