Steve Carell as wealthy heir John du Pont in Foxcatcher
Actor Steve Carell has said that the prosthetic nose he wore for the film Foxcatcher made people treat him differently on set.
"It influenced the performance more than I anticipated," he
said ahead of the film's gala screening at the BFI London Film Festival.Carell is almost unrecognisable as eccentric billionaire John du Pont in Bennett Miller's wrestling drama.
Based on a true story, the film is released in the UK on 9 January 2015.
"Once all of that make up was on, people reacted and responded to me differently on set," Carell said on Thursday.
"People naturally wanted to be separate from me and I was off-putting, so organically I stayed in character. I didn't have any choice because nobody wanted to talk to me."
Steve Carell and director Bennett Miller at the BFI London Film Festival
Director Miller said: "I'm attracted to these characters who are outsiders who end up in worlds where they don't belong."
Miller's previous film Moneyball - another sports-based drama set in the world of baseball - was nominated for six Oscars, including best picture, in 2012.
Since Foxcatcher screened at Cannes in May, Carell's performance and the film have been tipped to get Oscar nominations next year.
"You can't really put any stock in it," Carell told the BBC. "It's nice that people are talking about the film in that way, but you can't really give it too much credence."
Talking about taking on a non-comedy role, the 40-Year-Old-Virgin star said: "I just think of myself as an actor, not necessarily a comedic actor. Those are the parts I have been hired to do more often than not."
His other films include Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and its sequel, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues; Crazy, Stupid, Love; Little Miss Sunshine and Seeking a Friend for the End of the World.
On TV he starred in the American version of Ricky Gervais' sitcom The Office.
