Steve Carell is back on the small screen as the quirky — and charmingly awkward — devoted dad in HBO’s hit comedy series Rooster.
In the series, co-created by Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarsas (Scrubs), Carell plays best-selling author Greg Russo, known for his books about a private investigator named Rooster. He lands a job as the resident writer at Ludlow College, a New England liberal arts school, where his crisis-ridden daughter, Katie (Charly Clive), teaches art history.
Carell, who also serves as executive producer alongside Lawrence and Tarsas, spoke with Gold Derby on Sunday in Studio City ahead of the show’s FYC screening and panel, explaining how he coopted his real-life dorky dad routine for his new role.
“We all have daughters around the same age, so as fathers, we’re all going through similar experiences now with our adult daughters,” Carell told Gold Derby outside the Main Theatre on the Universal Studios lot. The Office alum shares Annie, 24, with his wife, Nancy Carell. They also have a 21-year-old son, John.
“One element that I did try to bring to the character is that I really love embarrassing my kids. I always have,” Carell said with a proud grin and a burst of laughter. “Like you really dork it up for their benefit. They might think you’re dorky, but part of it is an act just trying to get a rise out of them.”
Carell and Clive play an endearing father-daughter duo who bond over their failed marriages and ultimately have each other’s backs at all costs.
“I think it’s really sweet and it’s very respectful,” Carell shared of the on-screen dynamic. (As for Clive, she said it was “the compliment of a lifetime” to play Carell’s daughter. “Making Steve laugh is the high I will chase for the rest of my life.”)
Carell then delved into the writing on Rooster, which was recently picked up for a second season, explaining that the unexpected “twists” the complex relationships take make them feel more “human.”
“They might start out in a familiar way, but you never quite know how they’re going to bend or turn or twist in the course of it. I think that’s exciting, because it feels very human. It feels very real,” shared Carell, who was later praised during the panel for wanting every single person in the ensemble cast to shine.
“I just love being a part of it. I’m really proud of it,” Carell added. “I mean, when you watch a show, you don’t care if the cast had a great time doing it, you just don’t,” he cracked. “But I do think it reads, I think you can tell with a show like this. We genuinely like and care about each other.”
Rooster, which premiered on March 8, also stars Phil Dunster (Ted Lasso), Danielle Deadwyler (The Piano Lesson), Lauren Tsai (Moxie), Annie Mumolo (Bridesmaids), Maximo Salas (The Runarounds), Connie Britton (The White Lotus) and Scrubs star John C. McGinley.
McGinley, who posed with his daughter Kate on the carpet, described the show as a “big hug.” He said that Lawrence and Tarsas based his college president role, Walter Mann, on McGinley himself — and his at-home sauna sessions.
“The hothouse in the show is my hothouse,” McGinley flexed.
Another personal element for the creators? The music. Lawrence gave a nod to his wife, actress and music supervisor Christa Miller, who curated ’80s- and ’90s-era tunes for Rooster, like Billy Idol’s “Eyes Without a Face.”
“These songs were the soundtrack to our college years,” Lawrence said.
Upping the show’s cool factor, R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe recorded original music for the show’s intro, “I Played the Fool,” co-written by Andrew Watt.
“I cried when I heard it, I really did,” added Tarsas on the carpet. “That was my thing in college, [R.E.M.] was my band.”
