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The Riggle, Rudd and Sudeikis Factor
435 South - The Magazine of South Johnson County
 Kansas City’s laugh track was going full-tilt the first weekend in June as three hometown guys with world-class funny bones flew in to raise big money for little hearts. The trio—Rob Riggle, Paul Rudd and Jason Sudeikis—became a hilarious quartet when their buddy, Will Ferrell, made a surprise appearance.
The occasion for Riggle, Rudd and Sudeikis to return to the stomping grounds of their youth was the Big Slick Celebrity Poker Tournament and Party, a fundraiser for Children’s Mercy Hospital and Clinics capital campaign. The much-anticipated June 5 event was a sellout, with 80 poker players attending the high-stakes festivities at Harrah’s Poker Room and 700 guests elbow-rubbing at a post-poker bash held in the VooDoo Lounge.
The gracious comics and actors held a news conference on June 4 sans Ferrell—whose presence hadn’t yet been revealed—and other celebrity friends who surfaced next day at the poker table. The television cameras captured Riggle, Rudd and Sudeikis joking, hugging and emotionally interacting with the reasons they were in town: the young patients at Children’s Mercy.
Later that day Riggle, Rudd and Sudeikis, all dyed-in-the-wool KC Royals fans, put on the team’s familiar blue uniforms and did batting practice with players at the K. Ferrell showed up and to the delight of the rubber-necking fans at that night’s game, sat in the dugout and cajoled with reporters.
“I always like to come to Kansas City in early June, you know, to chill out,” said Ferrell, whose pals Riggle, Rudd and Sudeikis were sitting mere feet away, cracking up.
The entire weekend’s festivities were a result of Riggle’s—who attended Shawnee Mission South and went on to the University of Kansas—deep compassion for one of the country’s top-rated children’s hospitals. Last year Riggle was asked to headline Children’s Mercy Hospital’s Hearts and Hands charity event; during his preparations for that gig he had a tour of the medical facility where he met the professionals who administer top-notch health care and empathy to sick kids, regardless of their family’s inability to pay.
“Especially if you’re a parent, a visit to a children’s hospital hits hard,” explains Riggle. “I told Children’s Mercy, ‘You’ve got me.’”
Riggle, a lieutenant colonel in the United States Marine Corps and is still in the reserves, started brainstorming possibilities following the Hearts and Hands event to help raise more funds for his hometown’s children’s hospital.
“I ran into Paul [Rudd] at a ‘Daily Show’ party,” recalls Riggle, referring to the top-rated Comedy Central late-night satirical news program that comedian Jon Stewart anchors; Riggle appeared as a correspondent for three years. “I pitched him the idea of doing a celebrity poker tournament.”
And in the spirit of any poker player worth his chips, Rudd said: “All in.”
Riggle called Sudeikis who was also enthusiastic to participate in a big, fat poker party for a good cause.
“He didn’t hesitate,” says Riggle. “I’m not sure I even finished the question.”
With a solid foundation of support, the trio started reaching out to other friends. Recruits included George Wendt, best known as Norm from “Cheers”; Willie Wilson, a former player for the KC Royals; and “Saturday Night Live” comedian Horatio Sanz.
Quick to credit Rudd’s Overland Park-based mother, Gloria, and a host of eager friends and family members and Children’s Mercy staff for the majority of the behind-the-scenes work, Riggle says the event grew legs. Kansas City Chiefs punter Dustin Colquitt and writer-director-comedian Adam McKay (“Anchorman” and “Talladega Nights”) were added to the burgeoning roster of charitable poker players. Actor Bobby Cannavale (“Third Watch”) rounded out a who’s-who list of celebs willing to make a trip to KC for the Big Slick blow-out.
Riggle is making good on a promise he made to himself years ago when he was living in a 300-square-foot apartment and bringing in meager pay.
“I told myself if I ever reached a position in life where I was able to help a lot of people, I would,” says Riggle, now the father of two children. “And the Big Slick event was a massive team effort to help out Children’s Mercy.”
Rudd echoes his colleague’s sentiment about the importance of the fundraiser for Children’s Mercy.
“It’s an amazing establishment and their success rate is high,” says Rudd, a Shawnee Mission West grad, fellow Jayhawk and father of a boy and girl. “They never turn anyone away.”
Rudd says he knew the project was very personal for Riggle; he was thrilled that they, along with Sudeikis, another Shawnee Mission West grad, could clear their calendars and make the trek back to KC.
HOME TURF
What does Riggle do when he comes back home to visit?
“I’m a crazy Royals fan,” says Riggle, who remembers countless trips to the ballpark as a kid. “In fact, Paul, Jason and I determined in June that we were all at unforgettable Game Six of the 1985 World Series. We pointed out where each of us sat a couple decades ago.”
Riggle says he doesn’t have any rituals when in KC.
“It’s really about seeing family and friends,” admits Riggle. “But I will throw back a couple of Boulevard Wheats, with a lemon slice of course.”
Children’s Mercy Hospital is just one element of what keeps a fondness for their hometown burning bright; both Riggle and Rudd have special memories of growing up here.
“I loved going to the Lenexa pool in the summer,” says Rudd.
Riggle remembers many a Philly cheese steak at the Chartroose Caboose and makes a beeline for Gates when he’s back in town. Rudd goes to Jasper’s for Chicken Parmigianino and if the Chiefs are playing, you might find him at Arrowhead; sometimes he heads up to Lawrence for a quick spin around town.
“I’ve never seen sports fanaticism like Sundays at Arrowhead,” says Rudd, who is also a New York Jets fan. “The fans are passionate. And I like that you can go to a game in Kansas City and wear the opposing team’s jersey without getting beat up, like you would chance in New York, where I live.”
One of Rudd’s career thrills was when he landed an opportunity in 2007 to narrate an installment of HBO’s reality documentary sports series, “Hard Knocks.”
“Liev Schreiber was the regular voiceover and couldn’t do an episode,” says Rudd. “By sheer coincidence that season’s series was about the Chiefs.”
COMING SOON TO A THEATRE NEAR YOU
Riggle was voted most humorous in his senior class; watch his performances with the cast of “Saturday Night Live,” as a correspondent on the “Daily Show” and in movies and it’s easy to see why he’s rising to star status in his profession.
“I can’t think of anything I’d rather do,” says Riggle. “I’d like to come back as a comedian.”
Riggle spent time in some of the world’s hot spots as a Marine; he says he learned volumes about the way the world works and human nature through experiences in places such as Liberia, Kosovo and Afghanistan.
“Not all of it was good,” says Riggle, who often referred to his wartime experiences when acting as a military analyst on “The Daily Show.” “But I discovered things about myself and human nature.”
This summer Riggle appears as Henry in the action comedy “Killers” with Ashton Kutcher, Katherine Heigl and Tom Selleck. He also has a role in “The Other Guys,” another action-comedy film scheduled for release on Aug. 6. It stars Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg and was directed and co-written by Adam McKay.
Sudeikis and Riggle appear in an August release titled “Going the Distance,” a romantic comedy starring Drew Barrymore and Justin Long.
Rudd is working on a pilot at CBS and stars with “40-Year-Old-Virgin” pal Steve Carell in “Dinner for Schmucks” slated for a late-July release. He’ll also appear in “Larry Crowne,” a comedy starring Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks that will hit theatres in 2011.
Sudeikis, George Wendt’s nephew, just finished his sixth season as an SNL cast member. A long-time Jayhawk fan, Sudeikis has worked KU themes and well-known Lawrence locations into several SNL sketches. Currently Sudeikis is a recurring voice actor on Seth MacFarlane’s newest animated comedy series “The Cleveland Show” on FOX.
Sudeikis is slated to begin filming Seth Gordon’s dark comedy “Horrible Bosses,” which costars Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell, Charlie Day and Jason Bateman.
POST-GAME ANALYSIS
Riggle, Rudd, Sudeikis and Ferrell were joined at the Big Slick poker table by their celebrity friends—a star-studded list of comedians, directors, professional athletes and actors. There was a lot of poker slang and good-natured bullying going on, all in the name of charitable fun.
Riggle says the Big Slick Celebrity Poker Tournament and Party exceeded his, Rudd’s and Sudeikis’ expectations.
“It was fantastic,” says Riggle. “We raised money and everyone was in great spirits. Kansas City embraced it.”
Will the inaugural Big Slick become an annual event in Kansas City? While Riggle won’t commit, he says to stay tuned.
There’s just no telling what these guys have up their sleeves.
words: Kimberly Winter Stern
photos: Paul Versluis
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