How Long Did It Take Steve Carell To Grow His Chest Hair Back After '40-Year-Old Virgin'?
The 2005 comedy might be among the very best from the 2000s. Looking back, viewers were spoiled as the cast featured an embarrassing amount of elite talent. Among them included Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen, Jane Lynch, Leslie Mann, Jonah Hill, Mindy Kaling and so many more.
The film generated $177 million at the box office though, in truth, it enhanced its legacy even after its release.
Perhaps the only person that didn't enjoy the film is Kelly Clarkson because of a certain scene... in truth, she is still reminded of that scene to this very.
It ranks among the more iconic scenes ever and as it turns out, it was quite the task to pull off.
We'll rewind back to the very scene and although it turned out just fine, there was a lot of stress behind the scenes given the timing of it all. In addition, we'll take a look at who came up with the idea and how long it took Steve's hair to grow back after the fact. Let's just say his wife wasn't too thrilled with the new look.
They Had To Get The Shot In One-Take
Not only was the scene entirely raw and organic, but as it turns out, they had to get everything in one shot. Of course, there was turning back after the take, given that Carell was going to get his chest hair ripped off. We can only imagine the daunting task of trying to keep things together during the scene.
Carell recalls the five different cameras that were rolling to ensure the scene was just right on the first try.
"That was 100% real. We set up five cameras because we knew there would be one take. There was no way of going back and trying to get it again. So we set a camera up on the guys, one over me, one specifically on my chest, one on the waxer...And it was not scripted. We just had an idea for where it would go. We hired a woman who was an actress/waxer, which in itself was a little daunting."
According to his interview with Radio Free, the idea for the scene to be real was actually his. No pressure!
It Was Carell's Idea For It To Be Real
In order for it to truly be funny, Carell felt as though it was his duty to perform the scene completely raw, with actual wax and everything in-between.
Those on-set encouraged him to shave a bit before the scene, so the process would hurt less. However, Carell declined and he regretted it shortly after.
"When I pitched it to Judd, I said it should be for real. It really should be legitimate waxing. Because I thought to see them laughing at me in pain would be probably the funniest part of the scene. Because there's this guy thing, this sadistic nature that men have, to see other men in non-life-threatening pain."
"And especially self-inflicted. You know, like a kick in the nuts. It's just funny. You can't help but laugh at it if you're a guy, because you know they're not going to die. So to kind of capture that on camera, I thought, would be really amusing."
It was one of the many great unscripted moments from the film. Along with the waxing, Steve uttered the "Kelly Clarkson" which was apparently one of the many words written on a board. Seth Rogen is the one said to be at fault for the iconic line.
"I’m gonna blame Seth Rogen because there’s a picture I think you have of a piece of paper with all the curses that we gave him to scream when he gets waxed."
It Took Seven-Weeks To Grow Back
Radio Free reveals that it took seven weeks for Steve's hair to finally grow back properly. We can only imagine what his chest looked like, with a patch basically missing.
"It did. Actually, it took about seven weeks, and my wife was very happy when it eventually did because I looked like a freak for a long time. [laughs]"
It was all more than worth it, as the scene is still remembered to this day. Had it not been real, we would not have got those types of reactions, which made the scene that much better.
Major props to Carell for pitching the idea and getting it perfectly on just one take.
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