20Q: Steve Carell

Q1

[Q] Playboy: You're starring in an NBC show called The Office, based on the very successful British sitcom. A lot of critics thought it was foolish to re-create such a beloved cult comedy, but now that you're returning for a second season, do you feel vindicated?

[A] Carell: Frankly, I'm just happy to be employed. I don't think it's possible to improve on the BBC show, and that's not what we were trying to do. Fans of the original were understandably dubious about the American version at first, so expectations were incredibly low. In a way we had that going for us. Most people were shocked that it didn't suck. Luckily the network trusted us and left us pretty much alone. Not once did they try to turn it into a conventional sitcom; there was never talk of a laugh track or fast-paced banter. Much of what makes The Office different are the uncomfortable pauses and awkward moments between the characters. The only thing that NBC wanted to change was to make us all attractive Manhattan 30-somethings who fall in and out of love and meet at a coffeehouse called Central Perk, where we drink from salad-bowl-size mugs. We will try to fit that in this season.

Q2

[Q] Playboy: On The Office, you play an inept and egomaniacal boss named Michael Scott. Do you identify with him, or is he just a clueless ass?

[A] Carell: Well, I'm a clueless ass, so that was an easy transition for me. This is a man in absolute denial about how people perceive him. He may be an excellent salesman, but he's also completely incompetent. And he doesn't understand that or acknowledge it. To the contrary, he believes that he's an incredibly good boss--efficient, a great motivator, well liked and respected. He thinks of himself as a natural-born leader with exceptional people skills and a talent for bon mots. But of course he's none of those things. His lack of self-awareness is staggering. It's the person who thinks he's clever who's generally the biggest asshole.

Q3

[Q] Playboy: How were you able to nail so perfectly the existential dread of working in an office? Did you have any horrific day jobs from your past to draw on for inspiration?

[A] Carell: I worked the third shift at a convenience store for a few months. At four in the morning most people are looking for cigarettes, porn or one of those shriveled, angry-looking hot dogs from the rotating grill. One night, though, a woman came in during the wee hours. She looked a bit distraught as she paid at the counter. She paused for a moment, looked up at me and asked, "Do you think I'm pretty?" As it turned out, she had just walked in on her boyfriend with another woman. We proceeded to have a lengthy conversation about a person's self-worth, fidelity, trust and relationships. And then I treated her to a slushy blue frozen drink.

Q4

[Q] Playboy: You started performing at the age of six, in a grade school Thanksgiving play called The Roar of the Greasepaint, the Smell of the Turkey! What can you tell us about this groundbreaking production?

[A] Carell: I played a Native American in a canoe. It was the first time I'd tried acting of any sort, so it was a big deal for me. I can still remember my teacher, Mr. Blackman, commenting on the fact that I paddled on both sides of the fake canoe. He pointed it out to the rest of the class and said, "Notice how he did that so the canoe didn't go in a circle." It was one of the only times I was singled out for doing something well. That sounds sad, doesn't it? But it stuck with me. I knew at (continued on page 140)Steve Carell(continued from page 85) that very instant that I wanted to be a professional canoeist.

Q5

[Q] Playboy: You briefly contemplated a career as an attorney. What did your law studies teach you about comedy?

[A] Carell: Not a damn thing. Being a lawyer just sounded good to me. Kind of like how being a doctor or being an astrophysicist or a microbiologist sounds good. But it took a complete turn when I was filling out my law-school application. I couldn't answer the essay question, which was, Why do you want to be an attorney? I had absolutely no idea. Uh, to make a lot of money and sue people? To be hated based solely on my job tide? I couldn't come up with one good reason. That ended my law career rather quickly.

Q6

[Q] Playboy: You've appeared in a string of failed sitcoms over the years, from Over the Top to Watching Ellie. Does the cancellation of a bad show hurt as much as the cancellation of a good one?

[A] Carell: Losing the good ones hurts much more. There have been a few shows that I was thankful the country never got to see. I'd prefer to do good work, obviously, but sometimes you have to take what's offered to you. You just hope you get a few good ones along the way. What I think is funny and what millions of Americans think is funny isn't necessarily the same thing. Television is tough. Quality doesn't necessarily ensure success. Many great shows have been canceled because nobody watched them. Take Over the Top, for instance. It premiered during game three of the World Series, which was probably a mistake.

Q7

[Q] Playboy: Speaking of television failures, in 1996 you were a cast member on The Dana Carvey Show, a sketch-comedy program ABC yanked off the air after only seven episodes because it was deemed too offensive. Did you know at the time that you were creating comedy that was literally too dangerous for prime-time TV?

[A] Carell: We didn't think it was dangerous at all. We just thought it was funny. The very first sketch, if you recall, was Dana doing President Clinton. He pulled his shirt open, and he had eight or 10 nipples that lactated. They brought out several golden retriever puppies that suckled on his teats, and he declared himself the nurturing president. The network was charting the viewership, and at that exact moment our ratings plummeted. Clinton was still fairly revered at the time, and people did not want to see him mocked like that. ABC decided that the show was not a perfect companion for Home Improvement, even though Richard Karn was always lactating on that show.

Q8

[Q] Playboy: You joined The Daily Show as a correspondent in 1999. Two years later the show won a Peabody Award for broadcast excellence. Was that a compliment or an indication that not everybody was getting the joke?

[A] Carell: Any sort of acclaim was surprising. When I was a regular on the show, it felt as if we were doing it in a bubble. I never got the sense that anyone was watching, outside of the studio audience. So when we started winning awards and getting nominated for Emmys, it was astounding. I guess it was only a matter of time before people started to notice The Daily Show. The writing is as insightful as anything on TV. The only fear is that once a show becomes a critical darling, a certain backlash is inevitable. How can something remain cool when everybody likes it? I personally have never had that problem.

Q9

[Q] Playboy: Is it true that you're a longtime amateur hockey player?

[A] Carell: Yeah. A few years back I joined a men's league in Burbank. We're the Sharks. We're very bad, but we have a good time with it. What I lack in physical ability I make up for in poor coordination. Surprisingly, for an amateur hockey league, people get hurt all the time. It's a combination of the pure lack of skill and all those sharp skates and sticks. It's a bunch of middle-aged guys of varying degrees of being out of shape trying to recapture their youth. It's a recipe for disaster. I've chipped my two front teeth and dislocated and broken and strained and pulled all sorts of things. And that's playing just once a week. You can pack a lot of pain into a one-hour hockey game.

Q10

[Q] Playboy: You were one of the first Daily Show correspondents to interview an actual politician. How did you convince John McCain to talk to you?

[A] Carell: We promised him New York and Rhode Island. Actually we just asked and he said yes. McCain was a good sport about it. He knew we were a comedy show, and I think he let his guard down. He was expecting softball questions and silliness and frivolity. At the end of the interview, I asked him a tougher question about his dealings with the Senate Finance Committee. For a moment he just froze. He didn't know how to respond. He was like a deer caught in headlights. The rest of it was funny, but I knew we had something good when we got McCain to blanch on camera. In my heart I know that I am single-handedly responsible for costing John McCain the presidency.

Q11

[Q] Playboy: What was your most difficult interview?

[A] Carell: It was probably the guy in Colorado who thought Donny Osmond was an alien. It was hard for me mostly because he was so sincere and earnest. I felt dirty for making fun of him. He was clearly not in his right mind. There's that fine line between people who are quirky and deserve to have the piss taken out of them and people who are full-on crazy. It was one of those moments when I thought, I shouldn't be here. This guy doesn't know what he's saying; this is awful. It was a defining moment for me. After that I didn't want to do anything mean-spirited anymore. I wanted to put the onus on me to be the idiot as opposed to making other people look like idiots. I think it's always the better choice. I'd rather ask a lot of ridiculous questions and let the comedy come from people's reactions, which are genuine and real.

Q12

[Q] Playboy: You've played a lot of newscasters, first on The Daily Show, then in Bruce Almighty and again in last summer's Anchorman. Do you feel Hollywood might be typecasting you as the reporter guy?

[A] Carell: I hope so, because I want to play only reporters for the rest of my career. I've been an anchor, a roving reporter and a weatherman. I'm hoping I'll be able to land a movie in which I get to play a sportscaster. That would really show off my range as a performer.

Q13

[Q] Playboy: You've also played some spectacular morons. What's your technique for creating a stupid character? Does it require more acting or less?

[A] Carell: My technique is as follows: I sit on a wooden chair in my underpants and stare at a bare lightbulb for three to five hours. I then turn on the QVC shopping channel and purchase any items made of a poly-cotton blend. I complete the transformation by eating out of aluminum pans. It all sounds very complicated, but believe me, it works. Some say that it takes a high level of intelligence to play such dumb characters. I've found just the opposite to be true. I am truly an idiot in most matters. I just go to my highest level of functioning and work from there. I don't think it's much of a stretch for me to play an idiot, frankly. It's maybe a notch or two beneath where I function normally.

Q14

[Q] Playboy: This August you had your first starring role with The 40-Year-Old Virgin. And next you'll be playing Maxwell Smart in the Get Smart remake. How has your life changed since being promoted to leading man?

[A] Carell: My life hasn't changed at all. I keep expecting people to carry me about on a jewel-encrusted throne or to draw me a bath with exotic oils and rose petals, but so far, no go. Though recently I did purchase a new vacuum cleaner. It is superpowerful and lightweight, so I am living the good life.

Q15

[Q] Playboy: How did you prepare for your role in The 40-Year-Old Virgin? Did you abstain from sex before the shoot?

[A] Carell: I had 17 years of preparation to play a virgin. I didn't feel I needed any more than that.

Q16

[Q] Playboy: So how did you lose your virginity? Was it as personally embarrassing as it was for your character in the movie?

[A] Carell: It's funny; when I first started working on the movie, it dawned on me that I would eventually be asked that question. My wife's advice was simple: "Don't tell them." Let it suffice to say that my first time was a tremendous, earth-shattering experience. Two souls became one in a torrent of passion. I was an artistic lover, full of a powerful grace. She was shy yet willing and grew increasingly bold to my touch. And I am a liar.

Q17

[Q] Playboy: The original Maxwell Smart had a phone hidden in his shoe. For the Get Smart movie, will you get your own shoe phone? Is such a clunky spy gadget necessary in this age of cell phones?

[A] Carell: Probably not, but I'm going to insist on it anyway. There's just something about talking into your shoe that appeals to me. I've been doing it for years. I did that even before I knew I was going to get the part. I just love the smell of my own feet. Believe me, the gunk that collects in my shoes is like the nectar of the gods.

Q18

[Q] Playboy: You've worked with Will Ferrell quite a bit recently, first in Anchorman, then in Melinda and Melinda and most recently in Bewitched. What's the story here? Does he owe you money or something?

[A] Carell: The reason I continue to work with Will is because I'm a very good kisser. He's compared me to Nicole Kidman and Zooey Deschanel--favorably, I might add. When I have to do a love scene now, I imagine Will's face on my co-star's head. I use emotional recall and go to that special place again. It helps make the scene more passionate, more real.

Q19

[Q] Playboy: You perform announcing duties for two wildly popular video games, Outlaw Golf and Outlaw Volleyball. Are you considering a side career in video games?

[A] Carell: I'd love to. Who wouldn't want to get paid for spending a couple of hours in a sound booth? I went in thinking, Yeah, free money! But it was so much harder than I thought it'd be. There are thousands of possible scenarios in a video game, and you have to do lines for all of them. It was pretty taxing. Then again, it's not like I was chopping down trees or anything. That sounds pretty whiny, doesn't it? "I had to say so many words. It was haaaard! Waaaah!"

Q20

[Q] Playboy: To paraphrase the rhetorical question posed in the closing song of your Comedy Central special, Steve Carell Salutes Steve Carell, how do you do it? How do you do those things you do to us? What are the processes by which you accomplish these things of which we are speaking just now?

[A] Carell: Those lyrics still make me cry. That is a question for the ages, and I don't think it can ever truly be answered. There is no response because, frankly, there is no question. It's very philosophical. It's so philosophical, in fact, that some people could interpret it as inane. It's the celebration of myself and everything I represent. I call it Sten, which is the Zen of Steve. Or perhaps Caren. I haven't decided yet, but I will.