The character Steve Carell plays in ‘Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day’ is similar to his real-life self.
The 52-year-old actor said the part he performs in the new film is that of a ‘fommy’, a father whole also performs the function of a mother.
Asked to describe his on-screen character, Carell told the Guardian: "It’s very complicated, but he’s a father-mommy. It’s basically a stay-at-home dad. It’s a guy who hasn’t accepted the reigns of father-motherhood, and parenthood. In the movie, I’m a fommy… in real life I’m kind of a fommy, too.
"The character is conflicted. He wants to be working again, and he also loves his family and enjoys taking care of his kids. So, there is the purity of that enjoyment coupled with that sense of … him still striving to have a career. You know, that’s something a lot of parents struggle with."
The new movie – which also features Jennifer Garner, Ed Oxenbould and Dylan Minnette – caused Carell, who has a daughter Elizabeth, 13, and a son John, 10, to dwell on his own experiences of fatherhood.
He reflected: "I got so much advice before I became a dad. Everyone was saying that I should read this book and you have to do this. You don’t know until you become a dad and then you learn the role."
Steve Carell says he’s a ‘fommy’
