Steve Carell hopes new film will ‘incite conversation’ on drug addiction
The actor stars as the father of an addict in Beautiful Boy.
Steve Carell has said he thinks his latest movie, Beautiful Boy, will “incite” a conversation around the “misunderstood” topic of drug addiction.
The American actor, who plays New York Times writer David Sheff in the biographical drama, described the movie as a “cautionary tale”.
He told the Press Association: “I think there are all sorts of misconceptions about people who are addicted to various substances and there are cliches and there’s a certain level of disdain and misunderstanding about the addiction and the disease.
“So it’s nice, I think a movie like this portrays these people in a very human way and a very affectionate way and it’s great that that can incite some sort of conversation.”
The 56-year-old appears alongside Call Me By Your Name star Timothee Chalamet, who plays his son Nic, a struggling addict using cocaine, Ecstasy and crystal meth.
Carell, best known for playing gaffe-prone boss Michael Scott in the American version of The Office, said the story of the Sheff family showed drug addiction affects people of all backgrounds.
He added: “That’s what drew me to the project in the first place, because I have kids and it’s really scary to think of something like this happening with them, happening within our family.
“The fact that it’s a true story and these are people… you could say that they’re from a place of privilege, but it’s a family that’s full of love and it seems extremely functional. And the fact that it happened to them, I think, is a cautionary tale.”
Beautiful Boy is due for release on January 18.
