The 40 Year Old Virgin was almost ditched because Steve Carell “looked like a serial killer”

Yes, sweet, innocent Steve Carell trying to find his way in a world filled with sex, sex and more sex, did not impress studio bosses.

“After the first week Universal pulled the plug,” the actor told US chat show host Conan O’Brian.

Director Judd Apatow told Carell that after just five days of filming, the studio wanted to speak to them to express some 'concerns' about his performance...

“We’ve been watching footage – you look like a serial killer.”

“We hadn’t shot any dialogue,” Carell laughed. “It was me riding my bike with a weird helmet, it was me riding down the street and seeing suggestive posters… They went, ‘No no no no… this is not a comedy!’”

Carell admitted he was “bummed out” by the whole thing. “That was the big shot and it wasn’t going to work out,” he admitted. But thankfully, filming resumed just a couple of days later. We like to think it was that waxing scene that changed their minds...

Carell is currently doing the promo rounds for The Big Short, which earned him a Best Performance by an Actor in a musical or comedy nomination at the Golden Globes.

See the interview here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKk0_RBQLkk