Steve Carell talks ‘Despicable Me 2,’ Gru changing his ways and trying to be ‘a cool Dad’
Steve Carell has suggested that the Despicable Me franchise is successful because the films don’t speak down to children.
The former Office star – who reprises his role as Gru in Despicable Me 2 – explained to Reuters that he appreciates how his animated movies present big ideas to young viewers.
“One of the things I liked about the first one is that it’s not condescending towards children,” Carell said. “It really is a sophisticated kind of humor that I think kids really enjoy.”
Carell went on to suggest that Despicable Me 2 is particularly interesting because its storyline centers on Gru’s determination to change his villainous ways in order to best raise his daughters.
“There’s a side of him that still wants to be in the villain game,” he said. “[Gru] wants the excitement and is fulfilled by that, if you will, so he’s having growing pains as a father.”
“His oldest daughter (Margo, voiced by Miranda Cosgrove) is becoming interested in boys, which is a complication he doesn’t really know how to deal with,” Carell said. “His kids want him to date and that’s an area he has no interest in at all.”
Carell told Today he’s bracing for when those emotions well up in his real-life 12-year-old daughter.
“There’s that anticipation of ‘Am I going to be an overprotective dad?'” he wondered. “I will roll with it. I hope I’m a cool dad.”
“Despicable Me 2” opens in theaters on July 3.
