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Does Gru or Michael Scott Make the Better Fictional Boss? Steve Carell Weighs In

By Paige Strout Jun 28, 2022 6:39 PMTags

Steve Carell has played bosses on the big and small screen, but one of his iconic characters fits the role better than the others.

In reaction to the hilarious Minions parody of The Office's opening credits, Carell revealed whether he thinks his movie villain Gru or TV alter ego Michael Scott is the more beloved leader.

"I think Gru is a more respected boss," Carell exclusively told E! News' Daily Pop on the Minions: The Rise of Gru premiere red carpet. "I think Michael Scott would love to have Minions of his own that just worshipped him." 

His love for the funny yellow creatures keeps him coming back to the franchise, as the new film—which premieres July 1—marks his fifth outing as Gru since Despicable Me in 2010.

"I love it," he shared . "I love the minions. I love the character."

As for how much of himself Carell sees in his bald supervillain character? "89 percent," he joked. His co-star Taraji P. Henson also shares some similarities with her character, Belle Bottom—especially her funky fashion sense.

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Minions Style

"I mean, they had me at 'Belle Bottom,'" the actress told Daily Pop. "And I saw her afro, I was like, 'I'm in.'"

Araya Doheny/FilmMagic

The Empire alum's love for her character wasn't the only reason she wanted to join the beloved franchise. "I love animation," Henson shared, having previously starred in the Disney animated flick Ralph Breaks the Internet. "It's so much fun, and I just love villains. I can't get enough."

Hot off the success of Everything Everywhere All at Once, Michelle Yeoh—who stars as Kung Fu Master Chow in the new movie—told Daily Pop that she has loved the Minions "since the beginning."

"I am surrounded by little kids a lot of the time and I want them to be able to watch," Yeoh said, adding that her young family friend had a hilarious reaction to one of her character's scenes. "I had my 3-year-old who turned around to me and say, 'Why you beat the minions?'"

Check out the full interview above.

Minions: The Rise of Gru premieres in theaters July 1.

(E! and Universal are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)