Steve Carell. You’ve seen him in TV's The Office, you may have caught him in Bruce Almighty in a supporting role, and in the surprise hit Little Miss Sunshine, plus many more. But it was The 40-Year-Old Virgin that made people want to see this man starring on the big screen. Well, you have a chance to see him again in Evan Almighty as another average joe forced to do the Lord’s work. There was no pretension about him, only a very nice and grounded guy. His work in The Office is really brilliant, as is most of his other work, so it’s really nice to see that he’s still a very down to earth guy with respect for those who are not lucky enough to be paid millions of bucks per picture. It’s a great quality and one that is especially nice to see in such a successful career.

Delaware County Magazine: You had faith in this sequel from the get-go? Why did you commit so quickly to it?

Steve Carell: Well, mostly because of Tom [Shadyac, Director]. The first movie I ever did was Bruce Almighty and Tom took very good care of me. And it was funny, when I went to the premiere of that, I had no idea I’d even be in the final cut. And it was at the Universal Amphitheater and I remember going and sitting there and there’s my scene intact. And I had so much fun doing it and it was sort of a dream. A couple of years before I got the part, I remember watching Liar, Liar. And I was watching the outtakes and Jim Carrey just making everybody laugh and how much fun they looked to be having.
And then two years later I was doing Bruce Almighty, and it was exactly that and then I was in the outtakes. And then the chance to work with Tom, again, sort of on a one-on-one basis, was like a dream come true. It was, how the last few years came about, was very surreal for me. He actually came and pitched it to me and I thought that he was going to pitch the idea of a sequel, starring Jim, and then maybe featuring me, as you know, another thorn-in- his-side kind of character. But then when he said, ‘We’d like you to play the title role,’ I was totally there.

Carell: So do you view this film as a biblical comedy?

DCM: I don’t see it that way. I don’t see it as a biblical comedy. I see it as a fable. I see it as a comedy that is based upon a story of the Old Testament, but you know, I don’t see it as a religious comedy in any way, shape or form. I think it’s a fable; it’s a tale about a guy who has to make a huge leap of faith. In terms of my own personal beliefs or convictions…? I think that’s such a personal thing that I don’t want that to infuse my promotion of this movie, because I also think that it narrows it. I think the movie is really for everybody. It’s for any faith or non-faith. I think the message behind it is if people could just be a little kinder and take care of each other and the world we live in. And I think that’s a universal theme as opposed to a religious ideology.

DCM: In this movie you are very funny, will you trying to move into more romantic leading man roles after this?

Carell: You know what? I’m frankly willing to take almost any job offered me at this point. I don’t really have a path set. Like, ‘I need to do this kind of movie and then that. And then I need to switch it up and play a psychopathic killer and then I need to…’ I don’t look at it that way. In terms of working with Tom, that was, again, just a delight. Get Smart was just something I loved growing up with as a kid and getting the chance to bring that to a movie screen. We’re almost done shooting it and I think that it’s going to be fantastic.

DCM: You said you see Evan Almighty as a sort of fable. Do you see this as a kid’s movie? What do you think the message of it is?

Carell: I wouldn’t say it’s a kid’s movie. Whenever I hear some- one describe something as a ‘kids movie’ or a ‘family movie,’ it immediately has a negative connotation in my mind because I think, ‘Well, as an adult, I wouldn’t go see it by myself because it’s simplistic and it’s kind of easy.’ I don’t see the movie as that. I see it as, I hope, as having a fairly broad appeal. I think it’s funny. I think it would be very funny for kids, but I think likewise for adults. Message-wise? I was hoping that the movie had a strong but subtle message, about our environment, about taking care of it and taking care of each other and acts of kindness to one another.

DCM: How much more time do you see yourself doing The Office? Are you signed for a while on the show?

Carell: I love it. It’s a great show. I think just in terms of writing and I think the value, nothing beats that. I think it is such a smart group of people and people are really devoted to the show and actors who I think are fantastic – every one of them. We’re very lucky. That sort of group of people doesn’t come together very often on television or in movies, especially the writing team. It’s really remarkable. So, I’m extremely happy and still very proud to be a part of it. I wish it could find a bigger audience though. It’s still struggling to find it’s audience even with the criticial praise.

DCM: Do you like people comparing you to Jim Carrey at all?

Carell: I love it. No, I take that as a huge compliment. To even be mentioned in the same sentence with him, yeah, that’s a huge compliment to me. I think he’s great. I’ve watched him and I’ve enjoyed all of his movies. And I was telling somebody when I was living in Chicago, I was there maybe a day after the original Ace Ventura opened. So yeah, to have been in Bruce Almighty and to have been in scenes with him was a real thrill and honor for me. Even if I am unfavorably compared to Jim Carrey, I take that as a compliment.