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4d ago

Judd Apatow Credits Steve Carell’s Heart for ‘40-Year-Old Virgin’ Endurance as Film Returns to Theaters

On a new podcast appearance, Apatow says the comedy endured because Andy’s story was written with emotional seriousness.

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Malco played Andy’s womanizing coworker Jay. He later starred in Think Like a Man (2012), The Duff (2015) and his own directorial effort Tijuana Jackson: Purpose Over Prison (2020). He had a recurring role in ABC’s family drama A Million Little Things from 2018 to 2023. Malco was married to ex-wife Taryn Dakha between 2008 and 2016 and welcomed his first child, a son named Brave, in 2021. (He chose to keep Brave’s mother’s identity private.)

Overview

  • The 20th anniversary is being marked with a one-week theatrical re-release beginning Aug. 22.
  • Apatow told Ted Danson’s Where Everybody Knows Your Name that Steve Carell’s “big heart” anchored the film’s appeal.
  • He said the creative choice was to confront Andy’s shame and insecurity with sincerity rather than rely only on broad comedy.
  • Apatow recounted that the concept originated from a sketch character Carell pitched before they developed the feature.
  • Released in 2005 as Apatow’s directorial debut and Carell’s first lead, the film grossed over $177 million and includes a real chest-waxing scene.