Steve Carell and
Anne Hathaway were guests on
Rove last Sunday (22/06/08), to promote their new film, having attended the premier of the
Get Smart movie on the Gold Coast earlier in the day.
Steve Carell is a funny guy, but you'd expect that from a man who has already made his mark in the genre. And he seems to have successfully straddled that curious divide they have in the US, where you're allowed to be a leading man on TV or in movies, but not both.
He appears to be down to earth, no attitude to speak of showing, and knows how to go with the flow: a good thing when you're being interviewed by a bunch of Australian stand-up pros, all trying to impress the Hollywood man that they're funny too.
The "dry heave" improvs between Steve and Rove were entertaining, and a close thing, given Steve was probably jet lagged and tired from the whirlwind of the publicity tour, so I'm not being parochial here, but I think Rove won that contest. Could be a different story if Carell was in top form.
Anne Hathaway on the other hand, even when she's obviously feeling the effects of the schedule, is seriously funny, and seriously smart. Not that you'd have picked up on it, from the impession I got, with the host and leading man talking over her, trying to one-up each other in the dash to the funny.
When she did manage to get a few impeccably timed words in ("that's what she said"), it was easy to see why she got the part of "99". From the brief glimpse I saw, she has comic timing and delivery up there with the best (
Madeline Kahn immediately sprang to mind).
I especially liked her modest put down about her appearance being due to the work of the "pretty committee" rather than any natural traits. And after a kangaroo hop across the big pond, premier launch, and a round of promos, she looked totally glamorous. I'd need a salvage job from the crew at Renovation Rescue to look a tenth as good.
Of course the highlight with guests on Rove, which to my mind, can provide some interesting insights into their head space, is the challenge of "20 dollars in 20 seconds", and the coup de grace, "
who would you turn gay for?"
You'd think minders would give them a better briefing on what to expect, given the reactions of some previous guests (
Kevin Rudd anyone?); but Anne and Steve both handled it with aplomb, Anne even pondering that "when in Australia..." and deciding she'd turn gay for
Cate Blanchett, while Steve opted for a fling with
George Clooney.
So they won their $20 bucks each, with MOH commenting that he thought Steve had "palmed" the Aussie $20 and replaced it with another note. Didn't notice myself, but if so, nice job. Anne gave her $20 to an audience member on the way out. See
the interview (You Tube).
All that remains to be seen now, is whether their visit was
worth it. I was sufficiently amused, so might even go see what all the fuss was about.
