AceShowbiz - Paul Rudd's dad inspired his approach to life. The "Ant-Man" actor has revealed that his life philosophy was heavily influenced by a heartfelt conversation that he once had with his dad Michael, who died of cancer in 2008.

The 53-year-old star shared, "My dad and I would talk about this idea. If you are kind and nice to other people and treat them the way you would want to be treated, everything will be better."

Paul recalled having the heart-to-heart conversation with his dad before he passed away, and Michael's words have stuck with him ever since. The Hollywood star told PEOPLE, "We were having a kind of a tough time just as far as victims of the economy and everything else, and we started talking about religion and spirituality, because we were not a really religious family. He goes, 'I do believe that you should treat people the way you'd want to be treated. And if I do that, if there's anything else [after this life], I hope that covers it for me, that all bases are kind of covered.

"You're only here for a short while anyway, so try and do something that adds to the pot, that makes life a little bit easier for somebody else, and you're contributing to the world while you're here and not just taking what you can from it," he continued.

Michael's words struck a chord with his son, and since then, Paul has made a concerted effort to follow his advice. He said, "I believe that wholeheartedly, I probably believed it before that. But I think about it now, you know? It was a major moment to have with my dad."