Late Night: Paul Rudd hitchhikes to the airport

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The next time you see a hitchhiker on the side of the highway, you may want to slow down for a closer look -- because that person you’re sure is a serial killer might actually be Paul Rudd.

On Thursday’s episode of “The Late Show,” the star of “Our Idiot Brother” shared an amusing story about a recent business trip gone awry. En route to JFK, the town car in which Rudd was traveling broke down. Stranded along the Van Wyck Expressway in the middle of dense traffic, Rudd was unable to hail a cab. Desperate to catch his flight, Rudd did what any other self-respecting, moderately famous movie star would do: He decided to thumb it.

Believe it or not, someone was crazy enough to pick up a hitchhiker in New York City -- or maybe just eagle-eyed enough to recognize the handsome actor on the side of the road -- and he made it to the airport on time.

Rudd wanted to do something nice to show his appreciation for Allie Brown, the young woman in question. “I would love it if I could offer her something really cool and interesting like a walk-on part to a movie I was working on. But I realize I don’t have that kind of juice,” Rudd joked.

So he settled for the next best thing: a walk-on to his “Late Show” interview. After a brief intro, Ms. Brown came out on stage and gave a sweet, bashful wave to the audience.

Host David Letterman wasn’t too impressed by Rudd’s gesture of thanks. “You can make the rest up in cash,” he suggested.

Rudd seemed to agree. “I probably should have gotten her like a gift certificate or something.”

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-- Meredith Blake