Steve Carell Admits He’s “Way Too Introverted” to Be Like Will Ferrell
Amy Poehler sits down with comedy legend Steve Carell for an intimate conversation spanning Second City, The Office, Anchorman, and his new HBO series Rooster.
Early Days at Second City
The episode opens with Stephen Colbert, Carell’s longtime friend and former roommate, sharing stories from their Chicago improv days. Colbert recalls arriving at Second City broke and sleeping on a friend’s floor before landing a box office job that gave him access to free classes.
I think I should do this for the rest of my life because I was kind of fighting whether I was going to do drama or comedy… but we’d laugh so hard when we or someone else on stage would fail but the other person on stage who was failing would also laugh and I went if this can be this joyful in failure and there’s also another joy in success then I’d be dumb not to pursue this for the rest of my life. — Stephen Colbert
Colbert describes watching Carell from backstage at Second City’s Northwest location in 1988, marveling at his musical talents and work ethic. The two would go on to room together for nearly a decade and collaborate on The Dana Carvey Show.
He’s so gifted musically. You know how gifted musically he is, right? If it’s made of brass he can play it… He can pick up a tin whistle, a recorder. He plays the baritone horn. — Stephen Colbert
The Dana Carvey Show and Anchorman
Carell credits The Dana Carvey Show as his breakthrough after his agent warned him that “if something doesn’t happen for you soon, it’s not going to happen.” The conversation touches on the infamous first episode that featured Dana Carvey as President Clinton with a prosthetic lactating breast plate—a sketch that Carell says tanked the ratings immediately after Home Improvement.
I was at a point in Chicago, my agent had told me, ‘If something doesn’t happen for you soon, it’s not going to happen.’… I moved to New York and was able to the next thing I got was Dana Carvey. And it that really changed everything. — Steve Carell
On Anchorman, Carell recalls his Brick Tamland audition as “chef’s kiss” and describes the set as pure joy, with the cast watching dailies over hot fudge sundaes every day.
That might have been the most fun I’ve ever had professionally like with those guys… We’d have lunch and then the four of us and other cast members too and the producers would go into this trailer and we’d all get hot fudge sundaes at catering before we came in. So eating hot fudge sundaes and watching the dailies. Oh my god. Acting is so hard. As a little kid, this is what you would dream that acting would be. — Steve Carell
He also reveals there was an hour’s worth of deleted material featuring Maya Rudolph and Chuck D as a weather underground-style rebel group.
The Office and Michael Scott
Carell reveals he never watched the UK version of The Office, fearing it would influence his performance too much.
I watched like a minute of one of the show of him and he was so good. Yeah. And so specific and so funny. I thought if I watch a second more I’m just going to go on an audition with that. I won’t be able to even imagine it a different way. — Steve Carell
On Michael Scott’s core motivation:
Early on this was like a dream come true for him to be in a documentary. And be able to not only be in charge of all of these people, but to have the ability to perform and be watched and be loved, right? I think so much of who he who he is was about being loved. — Steve Carell
Carell also shares his pitch for Michael’s exit: he leaves the day before the farewell party because he doesn’t need the celebration anymore. He wants to say goodbye on his own terms.
Parks and Recreation’s Rough Launch
Carell and Poehler bond over their shows’ difficult beginnings:
Parks and Recreation had the worst launch ever. Everyone was like, ‘This is not The Office. We don’t like this.’ Our pilot was the lowest testing pilot in the history, I think, of NBC. People people really hated it. Like, not just just kind of they actively hated it. — Amy Poehler
Meeting Nancy Walls
Carell shares the story of meeting his wife Nancy when she was a student in his improv class at Second City. He thought she hated him because she sat with “dead eyes, no affect” during class.
I thought she hated my guts because I’d be teaching and talking and I’d look over at her dead nothing. Like dead eyes, no affect her face at all. And I was like, ‘Boy, she is not buying any of this. She hates me. Hates this class. Knows I’m a phony.’ And it turns out she was just nervous. That’s what she told me later. And when she gets nervous, she gets like stonefaced. — Steve Carell
Their first date invitation was painfully awkward:
I finally said you know if I were going to ask somebody on a date be somebody like you like you’d be like that template of somebody that I’d love to go out with. And she’s like you know somebody like you asked me out that would I would love it. It would be fantastic. And there was a pause and I said, ‘Do you want to go in?’ So, it was so super uncool. — Steve Carell
On Being Introverted
Despite his public persona, Carell reveals he’s actually quite shy and introverted. He admires Will Ferrell’s confidence, recalling how Ferrell showed up to a Kings game in his Elf costume, smoking a cigarette and drinking a beer.
You know who I really envy admire is uh Will Ferrell. Like he just owns it… He came as his character from Elf year before last and was just smoking a cigarette and drinking a beer. But he just he just kind of owns it. And people love it. And I’m I’m way too introverted to do that. — Steve Carell
Carell once tried waving at a tour bus in Beverly Hills and immediately regretted it, shrinking into “a little ball” wondering why he even did it.
Rooster and What’s Next
Carell discusses his new HBO series Rooster, where he plays a writer who becomes a writer-in-residence at his daughter’s university, changing their dynamic. He describes the set as having “that sense of freedom” where “anything can happen at any time” and praises the cast’s improvisational skills.
It had that sense of freedom. And that sense of anything can happen at any time. We can try stuff. Everybody’s a great improviser. People, you know, talking before about improvising in character on point. Everybody’s so good at that. So great. — Steve Carell
When asked what’s making him laugh these days, Carell mentions The Righteous Gemstones and singles out Edie Patterson as a standout.
The Poehler Parents’ Surprise
In a heartwarming moment, Poehler FaceTimes her parents Bill and Eileen, who originally spotted Carell at Gibbet Hill Grill in Groton, Massachusetts and encouraged him to appear on the show.
Bill’s reaction after Carell left the restaurant:
You’d be interested to know what I said after you left. I said his wife is beautiful. — Bill Poehler
What’s Making Steve Laugh
Nancy and I just started We’re late to it, but just started watching The Righteous Gemstones. And that first season was such a joy. Loved it. Danny [McBride], incredible. But can we talk about Edie Patterson on that show? I’d never seen her before. Oh my god, she’s so funny. — Steve Carell
Final Thoughts
The episode closes with Poehler reflecting on their shared Boston roots and the special bond they share with collaborators who knew them from the beginning.
You and Steve have a little bit of what Tina and I have which is we’re just like people put us together all the time and I couldn’t be happier about it. — Amy Poehler
Carell on his friendship with Stephen Colbert:
I’m in awe of him. He’s so smart. He’s so funny. He is someone who can literally do anything. He’s a great writer. One of the funniest people I know and a wonderful father and husband. Like just like one of these straight arrow I would trust him with my life kind of guys. — Steve Carell
This recap is based on Steve Carell’s appearance on the Good Hang with Amy Poehler podcast. For the full episode, click on the YouTube link at the top or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
