Originally appeared on E! Online
Steve Carell wasn’t always crazy about Crazy, Stupid, Love—as a movie title, that is.
The 40-Year-Old Virgin star admitted he initially wasn’t fond of the title given to the 2011 romantic comedy—in which he starred alongside Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore and Emma Stone—revealing that coming up with a name for the project was an unexpectedly daunting task.
“I never liked that title,” he told Entertainment Tonight in an interview published March 4. “I do now, but when Dan Fogelman wrote it, he didn’t title it. He didn’t call it anything. It was Untitled Dan Fogelman Project.”
While Steve, 63, recalled that “everybody had an idea as to what the title should be,” none of the suggestions seemed to capture the theme of the film, resulting in the studio stepping in to lock in a name before its theatrical release.
“Finally, Warner Bros. just said, ‘We’re calling it Crazy, Stupid, Love,’” he continued, noting that his response was an underwhelmed, “Alright.”
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Fortunately, the movie went on to be a critical and commercial hit, which proved to Steve that its title wasn’t necessarily the key to its success.
“I’m convinced that if it’s good and people like it, people will like the title,” he shared. “Doesn’t even matter what you call it.”
Of course, Steve has taken on plenty of fan favorite roles over the years, perhaps none more celebrated than his portrayal of Michael Scott on The Office. In fact, the actor still finds himself stunned by the NBC comedy’s wide-ranging fan base, especially its younger viewers.
“I think it’s funny how young people are when they first start watching The Office,” he told NBC Insider in June 2024, “which was always a surprise to me because I never thought it would be appealing to a younger audience.”
However, Steve eventually realized that the show’s quirky characters didn’t just mirror viewers’ experiences in the workplace.
“I think part of it is that each of the characters is an archetype that can be translated to people that they know in school,” he explained. “They’re all people that you can identify with—whether you’ve ever worked in an office or whether you’ve just associated with these people in school.”
To see what the rest of The Office’s cast has been up to since the series wrapped in 2013, keep reading…
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