Steve Carell realised he was famous in Starbucks

Steve Carell is well known for portraying one of the most iconic US sitcom characters of all time - Michael Scott in The Office. However, global fame actually arrived for the 59-year-old relatively late in his career.

Asked about how he dealt with his newfound fame on The One Show, Carell revealed the first time he discovered he had become a celebrity. The actor, who received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2016, said it was a Starbucks employee who first introduced him to life as a household name.

He said: "I don’t think it’s something you get accustomed to. The first time that ever happened was at a Starbucks, I didn’t tell them my name and they wrote my name on the cup. Wow, I’ve really made it if that’s the case.”

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Carell added: “So no, it’s always kind of strange and it doesn’t happen a lot, I kind of keep a low profile. I don’t have an entourage.”

Carell returns to voicing Gru in the upcoming Minions: The Rise of Gru sequel, which visits the title character’s early years in villainy. On The One Show sofa, Carell also revealed what he wanted to be when growing up.

“I always wanted to be a teacher or an attorney," he said. “That was my trajectory, especially right after university.” However, Carell also credited his mum and dad with opening the door to the acting industry.

Carell was then asked about his relationship with fellow comic Ricky Gervais, who jokingly took credit for launching Carell’s career through The Office. He said: “He’s always been really kind and incredibly supportive and I’ll text him from time to time and let him know because I’m a huge After Life fan.”

The One Show airs Monday-Friday on BBC One at 7pm.