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Actor and Comedian Paul Rust Returns to Iowa for Floodwater Comedy Festival

Jared Eberhardt
Paul Rust on the set of the short film "Oh Joy"

Writer, actor, and comedian Paul Rust is coming home to perform in the Floodwater Comedy Festival in Iowa City this weekend. 

After growing up in Le Mars and graduating from the University of Iowa in 2004, Rust headed to Los Angeles. He performed with the comedy troupe The Upright Citizens Brigade, was in Quentin Tarantino’s movie “Inglorious Bastards” and the 2009 comedy “I Love You, Beth Cooper.” He also wrote for the television show “Arrested Development,” but he’s best known for his work on the Netflix comedy “Love,” a show he co-created with his wife Lesley Arfin and Judd Apatow. He also stars in the series as a guy from the Midwest who’s trying to make it as a writer in Hollywood.

In this Talk of Iowa segment, Charity Nebbe talks with Rust about his work on "Love," his background in improv, and how people in Hollywood react to hearing he's from the Midwest.

“I’m happy to report, Iowa has a very good standing in the country and in the world," says Rust. "A lot of times when I go in for a job interview or I would meet somebody, being from Iowa would actually give me the edge because, whether it was true or not I won’t say, but there’s a perception that people who are from here are hard working and polite, and who doesn’t want that in their workplace?"

Rust will perform some old sketches from his work at The Upright Citizens Brigade on Saturday, March 2 at The Mill in Iowa City from 6:30pm-8.

Charity Nebbe is the host of IPR's Talk of Iowa