British actor Phil Dunster has praised Office star Steve Carell as a "king" among collaborators, describing the experience of working with him as both surreal and rewarding. The 33-year-old actor, best known for playing Jamie Tartt in Ted Lasso, recently took on a new role as Archie in the series Rooster.
In a recent interview, Dunster revealed that the opportunity to work alongside Carell was a major reason for joining the project. While he praised the writing from creators Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses, he admitted that sharing the screen with Carell was a key draw.
One sequence in particular stood out to Dunster as a "fever dream." The chaotic confrontation between the characters involved a scene where Carell's character, Greg Russo, hit Dunster on the bottom with a ladle while he was wearing only boxer shorts. "When I first read it, I was like, 'Is this right? I’m in pants [boxers], and Steve’s going to be hitting me on the bottom with a ladle?'" Dunster recalled.
Initially skeptical of the scene while reading the script, Dunster said it ultimately became one of the most memorable parts of the shoot. "It really was incredibly bizarre," he continued. "We watched it back a couple of times, which I think most people wouldn’t normally do, but it was so joyful to be working with this person who’s such an icon, and he’s the person who’s so giddily going, 'Can we watch it again?'"
In Rooster, Dunster plays Archie opposite Carell's character, Greg Russo, in a dark comedy centered on family tensions and personal fallout. For context, a successful author, Greg, takes a job at a prestigious university to support his daughter Katie (played by Charly Clive), after she splits from her husband, Archie, for cheating on her with a student.
