Steve Carell Is Almost Unrecognizable As A Murderer In Bennett Miller’s Foxcatcher

When you consider actors who are known for playing particular kinds of roles, Steve Carell rests pretty firmly within the comedy niche. He’s made a career playing sweet-natured nice guys like Michael Scott (NBC’s The Office), Brick Tamland (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy), and Barry Speck (Dinner for Schmucks). He’s certainly not the type of actor most would consider when casting a killer.

But that’s what made him perfect for the part of John DuPont, the multimillionaire convicted of murdering Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler Dave Schultz in 1996, says Foxcatcher director Bennett Miller.

Foxcatcher, based on the autobiography of Schultz’s brother Mark, also an Olympic gold medalist, needed someone “unexpected” to play DuPont, says Miller.

“John DuPont was a character who nobody thought was capable of doing something as horrible as he did. And I did not want to cast somebody who would feel dangerous in that way. “Comedians are dark,” says Miller, “but I think we tend to think of them along the lines of what they project. I just think there’s a hell of a lot more to Steve than he tends to show.”

To play the part of DuPont, Carell donned a prosthetic nose, which can be seen in the picture above, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly.

“We just had our first test [screening], and not everybody recognized Steve,” says Miller. “He is aged [for the film], and his face is changed, and his physicality changed.”

Carell is playing way against type with the role of DuPont, and with the Oscar-friendly release date of December 20th, Foxcatcher appears to be angling for some acting nominations. Miller is certainly a name the Academy knows and respects as the director’s last effort was 2011’s Moneyball.

Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo will star in Foxcatcher as Mark and Dave Schultz, respectively. Tatum told Variety last year that Foxcatcher has been “the hardest acting challenge I’ve had to date.” Also starring in the film are Sienna Miller, Vanessa Redgrave and Anthony Michael Hall.

Foxcatcher opens December 20th.

Did you recognize Steve Carell at first? Do you think you’ll be able to buy him as a killer, or will you be expecting him to start yelling “I love lamp” at any moment? Sound off in the comments.