Steve Carell: I don't do cocktail convo

Steve Carell is no good at holding court.

The American funnyman has cemented his status as one of Hollywood's leading comedic actors and is well loved for roles in both film and on TV.

However, a career in comedy didn't always seem a viable option for the Golden Globe winner.

"I never thought of myself as funny," Steve told the American issue of GQ magazine. "I don't feel like I'm great at cocktail conversations. I don't hold court. I don't take up a lot of space. I'm not the life of the party. I'm not the guy telling jokes. And I never was."

For his latest project Steve has made a bold decision to move away from the funny films, playing real-life murderer John du Pont in Foxcatcher.

While portraying a killer may be new for the actor, one theme that is constant in most of his movies is playing the misfit – such as his iconic role in The 40-Year-Old Virgin. The 52-year-old feels both an affinity and affection for those who are socially awkward.

"Everyone is so worried that if other people see the real parts of who they are, they're not going to be included. And I think that is an incredibly universal feeling for human beings, that in order to feel included, you have to mask aspects of who you really are," he said.

"Well, I think that's why it's a movie, because in a movie or a TV show or a book or a story, something has to happen. Something has to crack open, and there needs to be some sort of shift. So the shift is somebody like the 40-year-old virgin, this piece of information, the part that he doesn't want anybody to know about him, is out in the open and he has to deal with it."