Despite breaking into the mainstream on Saturday Night Live and starring in a host of comedy roles, Steve Carell has been steadily increasing his impressive dramatic back catalogue with subtle and acclaimed performances.
His latest dramatic role in Beautiful Boy sees him playing the father of a young drug addict, whose love for his son, played brilliantly by Timothee Chalamet, is challenged after years of disappointments and relapses. To celebrate the release, we take a look at some of Steve Carell’s best performances.
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Steve Carell stars in Little Miss Sunshine as ‘Frank Ginsburg,’ who recently tried to commit suicide after falling in love with one of his graduate students. Because of his recent attempt, his sister Sheryl (Toni Collette) encourages him to come along on a family road trip from Albuquerque to California for his niece, Olive’s, ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ beauty pageant, however, the trip faces multiple disasters on the way. At the time of the film’s release, Carell was known for his comedy roles in The Office, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and Anchorman, so this break out into a more dramatic role impressed critics.
The Way, Way Back (2013)
Shy and unconfident teen Duncan goes on holiday with his mother (Toni Collette) and her overly-critical boyfriend Trent (Steve Carell). Finding it hard to fit in with Trent’s family friends, Duncan befriends the manager (Sam Rockwell) and other employees at the nearby Water Wizz water park. Over the next few weeks, Duncan comes out of his shell and learns to accept himself, eventually getting the strength to stand up to his soon to be step-father and even having a conversation with his crush, the girl-next-door. Steve Carell shot all his scenes in 10 days.
The Big Short (2015)
The star-studded cast of this Oscar-nominated film included Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale, and Brad Pitt as various investors who decide to bet against the US housing market during 2006 and 2007. Through their research into the mortgages being sold to the American public, they discover how corrupt the market is and by working together these investors make a fortune by swinging the imminent economic collapse to their advantage.
Battle Of The Sexes (2017)
Based on true events of the legendary tennis match between Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King in 1973, the film sees Steve Carell as the ex-men’s champion alongside Emma Stone portraying Billie Jean King the current women’s world champion. After Billie sparks discussion about how a female tournament’s prize was an eighth of the value of the men’s tournament, Bobby challenges her to a televised match to demonstrate that men are better tennis players. The match became the ultimate showdown between chauvinists and feminists and ended up being one of the most watched sports events in history.
Beautiful Boy (2018)
Beautiful Boy is based on a pair of best-selling memoirs by father and son David and Nic Sheff, which tell their real-life experience of addiction in their family. Nic (Timothee Chalamet) struggles to manage his drug dependency as his father David (Steve Carell) tries everything he can to help. This poignant and heart-breaking drama showcases the frustrations of addiction and the effects it can have on loved ones, as well as the power that love, support, and dedication can have.
BEAUTIFUL BOY IS IN CINEMAS 18 JANUARY.
