It’s hard to believe now there was a time when Steve Carell was not a veteran in this industry. He really kicked things off with The Daily Show during Jon Stewart’s run and was on a long list of big names who came through The Daily Show in its heyday on Comedy Central. This includes some heavy hitters like John Oliver, Samantha Bee, Hasan Minhaj, Ed Helms, and more. It was Carell though who spoke out about his time on The Daily Show and how some Star Trek fans and Stephen Colbert helped him find his footing on TV.
Apparently, whilst working together it was Colbert who gave Steve Carell some prime (and frankly fascinating) advice. It was in the late nineties that both Hollywood personalities joined Jon Stewart on The Daily Show, but Colbert had a couple of years on Carell when he signed on – though Carell previously said on The Late Show it was also Colbert who got him hired by Comedy Central.
From what the actor told Amy Poehler, he was having a little trouble figuring out how to make the gig work when Colbert gave him the key to opening up the world of news satire.
I know Colbert, Stephen, gave me great advice, which was, ‘Come up with a character, and that will make it that much more palatable.’ My character was someone who didn’t quite understand, didn’t quite get it, but was super serious about everything he was asking.
If you ever saw The Colbert Report, you should know this is the approach Stephen Colbert himself took, but I didn’t realize it was advice he was cultivating in a little petri dish and then decimating out into the Comedy Central world when newbies needed it.
A Bunch Of Star Trek Fans Were Really The Key To Getting This Right
This is where Star Trek comes in. As someone who works with quite a few Trek fans, I’m aware of how passionate and positive they can be, and how much they like to fill up convention Halls at places like San Diego Comic-Con. Apparently, Carell at the time was not. The actor told Amy Poehler on her “Good Hang” podcast that he realized how helpful being able to turn the joke on himself could be during none other than a Star Trek fan convention.
It was while talking to people at a Klingon speakers convention and realizing making fun of these people who were so passionate about the franchise they boldly went where few other fans had gone and learned the language, was not the way to move forward. Carell likened the hobby to “woodworking” or “photography” and when he got to the convention he realized The Daily Show shouldn’t be mocking these fans.
I remember doing one field piece which were, it was a Klingon speakers convention. You know, you go and obviously the idea is ‘Let’s make fun of people who meet and learn how to speak Klingon.’ And they were the nicest, gentlest, I really liked these people a lot. … And I thought, ‘No, it has to be about what an idiot I am.’
Steve Carell would later leave The Daily Show to take the lead in The Office. He’s had both a movie and TV career in the decades that followed, and he's among the more recognizable names in Hollywood these days. Regardless, it’s easy to see another path that could have been taken: one where he took the easy route and mocked the Star Trek fans, one where he didn’t create “a character” that later resonated with audiences. One that may never have led the man to bigger and better things. I don’t know if Carell’s ever thanked Stephen Colbert for that little nugget of wisdom, but it was certainly helpful advice.
