THEN & NOW: What the stars of 'The 40-Year-Old Virgin' are up to 10 years later
"The 40-Year-Old Virgin" almost didn't happen, but it was a good thing it did, because it helped launch the careers of Hollywood A-listers like Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen, and Steve Carell.
In a recent interview with Conan O'Brien, Carell revealed that the film he helped cowrite with Judd Apatow was almost sacked because Universal felt that Carell looked like a "serial killer" in early footage.
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"We hadn't shot any dialogue," he said. "It was me riding my bike with a weird helmet, and it was me walking down the street and seeing suggestive posters and going eghh. And just that week compiled, they went, 'No, no, no, this is not a comedy.'"
But the shooting continued and Apatow's feature directorial debut became a comedic success, leading to "Knocked Up" and more.
Here's what the cast and filmmakers have been up to in the last decade, since "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" came out in 2005:
Steve Carell had appeared in a few comedies ("Bruce Almighty" and "Anchorman") before landing the lead role of the 40-year-old virgin, Andy, in Judd Apatow's directorial debut.
Universal/"The 40 Year Old Virgin"
The film helped launch Carell to an award-winning career in comedic and dramatic roles. He played Michael Scott on "The Office" for seven seasons, a role that earned him six Golden Globe nominations (one win) and nine Emmy noms. He also earned an Oscar and a Golden Globe nom for his portrayal of convicted murderer John du Pont in "Foxcatcher" (2014). He can most recently be seen in "The Big Short," for which he earned another Golden Globe nom.
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Before Paul Rudd played coworker and friend to Andy, he was best known as Cher's ex-stepbrother in "Clueless."
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Rudd has starred in a number of comedies over the years, including Apatow's "Knocked Up" and "Role Models." He reprised his role as Andy, a cocky summer-camp counselor, in Netflix's TV version of "Wet Hot American Summer." But his most recent role as Ant-Man has now thrown him into the superhero universe. He'll appear alongside some of the Avengers in "Captain America: Civil War" and an "Ant-Man" sequel will hit theaters in 2018.
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Seth Rogen and Judd Apatow have been frequent collaborators since Rogen's first role on the short-lived but cult-favorite show "Freaks and Geeks," which featured Apatow as a producer. It makes sense that Rogen would appear in Apatow's directorial debut as Andy's coworker and friend.
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Rogen has continued to collaborate with Apatow over the years in films such as "Knocked Up" and "Funny People" and is well-known for comedies like "Pineapple Express." But he's also made the jump to dramatic roles, most recently in "Steve Jobs."
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Catherine Keener was already an Oscar-nominated actress when she starred as the main love interest to Carell's awkward character.
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She earned a second Oscar nom for "Capote," which was released the same year as "The 40-Year-Old Virgin." She most recently appeared in HBO's award-winning miniseries "Show Me a Hero."
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Romany Malco was a music producer before he started pursuing acting.
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He went on to star in the award-winning show "Weeds" and appeared in films such as "Blades of Glory" and "Baby Mama." His most recent role was as the principal in "The Duff."
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Elizabeth Banks had some minor roles in films, including "Spider-Man" and "Catch Me If You Can," before she popped up in "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" as a bookstore worker whom Andy flirts with.
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The following year, she landed a recurring role on "Scrubs." Since then, she has taken on comedies ("Our Idiot Brother") and dramas ("Love & Mercy") and even landed a role in one of the most popular recent franchises, "The Hunger Games." The three-time Emmy nominee — for guest appearances — directed her first feature film last year, "Pitch Perfect 2," and is returning to direct a third set for a 2017 release.
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Jane Lynch began her film career in 1988 and was known for her role as a dog handler in the 2000 mockumentary "Best in Show," but it was her role as the manager in "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" that led to her scoring a number of supporting roles in the years since.
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She's now known for her portrayal of the conniving Sue Sylvester in "Glee," a role that earned her a Golden Globe. She's back on TV this year in "Angel from Hell."
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When Kat Dennings starred as the daughter of Keener's character, it was only her third feature-film role.
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She's currently starring on the Emmy-winning "2 Broke Girls" and appears in "Thor" and "Thor: The Dark World."
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Kevin Hart had a few roles under his belt, including "Scary Movie 3" and "Soul Plane," before he showed up as a rude and obnoxious customer in the movie.
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He's currently starring alongside Ice Cube in "Ride Along 2," the sequel to 2014's hit "Ride Along."
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Jonah Hill's appearance as a customer in "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" was only his second feature-film role.
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Hill is well-known for his comedic roles in films such as "Knocked Up," "Superbad," and "21 Jump Street." But the funnyman also has a knack for dramas, racking up two Oscar nominations for his roles in "Moneyball" and "The Wolf of Wall Street."
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Mindy Kaling made her film debut as the ex-girlfriend of Paul Rudd's character.
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She went on to become a successful TV comedy writer and has her own show, "The Mindy Project."
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Judd Apatow made his feature-film directorial debut with "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," which he cowrote with Steve Carell.
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He has since directed hits such as "Knocked Up" and "Trainwreck." He also serves as cowriter and producer on "Girls" and is the creator of the upcoming Netflix series "Love."
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