Steve Carell’s two biggest comedy influences: “You never sensed his awareness”
If you were to make a Mt Rushmore of the greats of modern comedy, then Steve Carell has to be on there. His résumé is an embarrassment of riches, a string of hits across film, TV, video games, tapestries, smoke signals, you name it.
He has also proved that he can handle the serious stuff with films like Little Miss Sunshine and Beautiful Boy, but it’s his funny work that has made him a bona fide living legend.
As is the case with anyone who makes an impact, people want to know who inspired Carell to get into comedy in the first place. Many great names have had an influence over the star of The 40-Year-Old Virgin, but in his own words, there are two that stand head and shoulders above the rest.
He mentioned the first one in an interview with Cinema.com in 2007, noting, “Peter Sellers was [the] master. His Clouseau character was incredibly broad and silly, but you never got the impression that Peter Sellers or the character thought it was funny. He was in these situations that were incredibly absurd and of a heightened reality, but they somehow rang true because he was completely committed to it. And you never sensed his awareness.”
Carell has never shied away from his love of the English comedy icon, with two of his favourite movies being Dr Strangelove and Being There, both of which star Sellers. Interestingly, he gives wildly different performances not just in each movie, but sometimes within the confines of the same story. His famous triple turn in Strangelove is nothing short of legendary, employing three characters, three voices, three entirely different personalities.
Being There is entirely different, as are his other out-and-out comedic roles, like the aforementioned Inspector Clouseau from the Pink Panther series. It’s no surprise that Carell has gone out of his way to diversify his own career, given how varied his heroes were.
In a separate interview with Time Out many years later, the former Office frontman praised another performer known for his range: Robin Williams. “He could do The Fisher King and Awakenings, then go and do Flubber,” he opined, adding, “I only met him once, but when he passed away I felt such a loss”.
Williams also idolised Sellers and, as is the case with Carell, you can see that in his work. Though he’s best known for his outlandish, almost cartoonish comedy performances, the late Oscar winner also knew when to turn it down. The likes of Dead Poets Society and Good Will Hunting prove that he was just as capable a dramatic actor as he was a comedian, and then there’s One Hour Photo, which casts him as a sinister slasher villain.
Many actors set out to emulate their heroes when they first start, but very few actually manage it. If you look at what Carell has managed to achieve in his career and see it closely mirroring the achievements of Peter Sellers and Robin Williams, then you have to say he nailed it.
