NBC Insider Exclusive

Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive show news, updates, and more!

Sign Up For Free to View
NBC Insider Despicable Me

Steve Carell and Will Ferrell Reveal How They Found Their Despicable Me 4 Voices

Will Ferrell joins Steve Carell and Kristen Wiig in Despicable Me 4 as the latest villain to take on Gru.

 

By Stephanie Gomulka
Steve Carell and Will Ferrell Salute the Animators | Despicable Me 4 | NBC
Video thumbnail
Now Playing
2:44
Web Exclusive
Steve Carell and Will Ferrell Salute the Animators | Despicable Me 4 | NBC
Video thumbnail
1:59
Web Exclusive
Behind the Sketch: Goth Kid on Vacation
Video thumbnail
10:01
Excerpt
Warnock says ‘Trump’s big, ugly bill’ threatens millions of Americans’ healthcare: Full interview
Video thumbnail
16:44
Excerpt
Speaker Mike Johnson denies Trump bill threatens Medicaid coverage: Full interview
Video thumbnail
2:48
Excerpt
‘It’s over’: Sen. Raphael Warnock doesn’t say if Biden should have dropped out sooner
Video thumbnail
2:39
Excerpt
Speaker Johnson says he texted Elon Musk after his criticism over the bill’s cost
Video thumbnail
2:25
Excerpt
Speaker Johnson claims Trump bill is ‘not going to add to the debt’ despite Senate GOP concerns
Video thumbnail
2:22
Excerpt
Tom Llamas to begin new era as NBC Nightly News anchor
Video thumbnail
2:07
Excerpt
Good News: 4-year-old honorary firefighter celebrates end of cancer treatments
Video thumbnail
1:26
Excerpt
CDC issues new travel warning as measles cases surge
Video thumbnail
1:01
Excerpt
U.S. envoy blasts Hamas ceasefire proposal response as ‘unacceptable’
Video thumbnail
2:05
Excerpt
Hegseth warns Chinese invasion of Taiwan ‘could be imminent’
Video thumbnail
2:04
Excerpt
500,000 immigrants at risk for deportation after Supreme Court ruling
Video thumbnail
2:16
Excerpt
Trump announces 50% tariffs on steel, aluminum imports
Video thumbnail
2:08
Excerpt
Canadian wildfire smoke threatens air quality across Midwest 
Video thumbnail
1:15
Highlight
Law Student Thanks Carisi and Benson for Catching Her Rapist | Law & Order: SVU | NBC
Video thumbnail
6:18
Excerpt
Lester Holt signs off from Nightly News after ten years leading the broadcast
Video thumbnail
2:10
Excerpt
Smoke from battery charger on Southwest plane causes flight to divert

Will Ferrell and Steve Carell’s kids influenced Despicable Me 4 in a big way.

The SNL alum and Emmy-winner jumped at the chance to join the fourth installment, which he affectionately called “The Quatro,” Ferrell revealed in an interview with NBC Insider.

“My kids are like, ‘Oh, no, Dad, you have to do that’, without even knowing the premise or what my character was,” Ferrell said. “They’re so well done. The animation is unbelievable. The collection of the minions, arguably, are some of the greatest comedic characters of all time in a weird way.”

RELATED: Despicable Me 4 Official Popcorn Bucket Keeps Your Hands Free for World Domination

The movie follows Gru (Carell) and Lucy (Kristen Wiig) as they grapple with raising their newborn son along with their three daughters and their latest vexing assignment with the Anti-Villain League. 

How Did Steve Carell and Will Ferrell Find the Right Voice for Their Despicable Me Characters?

As for finding his “Russian-ish” accent before the first film, Carell tested out various voices on his kids.

“I used my kids as the you know test for the character’s voice and it’s the one that made them laugh, so that’s the one I used,” Carell said.

RELATED: Despicable Me 4 Official Popcorn Bucket Keeps Your Hands Free for World Dominatio

Ferrell voices Maxime Le Mal, a former high school classmate of Gru at Lycée Pas Bon School of Villainy. He disappears into an “over the top” French accent, which he found a lot of fun to play with.

Split of Will Ferrell and Maxime Le Mal from Despicable Me 4

“It’s French, if you’re wondering,” Ferrell joked.

“I knew he was playing this character and it did not sound like him,” Carell later quipped.

Ferrell worked with one of the directors to find the right voice, he explained.

“We ran through a bunch of like listening to you now Inspector Closeau and listening to you know old Monty Python bits and things like that,” Ferrell said. “It was fun to kinda emulate some of that in this character.”

Steve Carell and Kristen Wiig Credit Writers and Animators for Despicable Me Success

Carell and Wiig first joined the franchise in the first film as evil villain turned girl dad Gru and Miss Hattie, respectively. In the sequels Wiig took on her current role as anti-villain league agent Lucy. Still being a part of the movies is special to them, according to the actors.

They get to work with a lot of the same collaborators over the years, Wiig noted.

Split of Kristen Wiig and Lucy Wilde

“You go into the booth, you’re talking to the same people,” Wiig said. “They ask about your kids. It’s like a family and we just keep coming back and the movies themselves are so light and positive that it’s—that’s the whole experience.”

Carell finds himself in disbelief he’s a part of the films and feels “very privileged.”

“We keep giving all the credit to the writers and the animators and the producers of these things, but that’s where it’s due,” Carell told NBC Insider, commending the creatives ability to expand the story in this world. “It’s just fun to be a part of. I mean, you go in, you do your little—you do your little voiceover, you do your part of it, and then they turn it into something that’s amazing to watch.”

Catch Despicable Me 4 on Peacock starting on Oct. 31, 2024.