FILM · 2005 · USA
The 40 Year Old Virgin
22 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (22)
- #001
Steve Carell's parents, who were 80 years old at the time, went to see the film, which embarrassed Carell greatly.
- #002
According to Seth Rogen, Steve Carell was so nervous that the studio would shut the film down that he had the writers prepare a backup version of the script containing not a single word of profanity.
- #003
When Catherine Keener was cast, Steve Carell told Judd Apatow that the cast legitimized the film's credibility.
- #004
The film helped make the US version of The Office (2005) an Emmy-winning hit. After the show's first season, the producers were worried because Steve Carell's character Michael Scott came across as mean and threatening, which was not what they wanted. After seeing his performance here, they used some elements of it to turn Michael Scott into a man who is still a buffoon but more ignorant than mean and who has some real skills.
- #005
Judd Apatow had a role written for Jason Segel called Jason, but Apatow could not get the studio to approve the casting. Apatow advised Segel to consider writing material for himself because of his unique sense of humor. So Segel wrote Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008), on which Apatow served as one of the producers.
- #006
The producers planned to make a sequel called "Knocked Up" with nearly the same cast. In the end, however, they released Knocked Up (2007) as a separate film unrelated to this one.
- #007
Steve Carell's wife, Nancy Carell (Walls), suggested Jane Lynch for the role of Paula, who had worked with Carell during his Second City days. Before Walls suggested Lynch for the role, the part had been written to be played by a man, and the character had not occurred to Andy until Lynch was cast and the actors developed that scene during rehearsals (with Andy singing her the "beautiful old Guatemalan love song").
- #008
Jonah Hill suffered heat stroke while filming the final dance number.
- #009
The electronics store featured in the film was not a set but a recently closed Staples store.
- #010
In the scene where Andy and Trish go to Benihana's for dinner on their first date, the Benihana scene from The Office is used.
- #011
In a magazine interview, Judd Apatow revealed a trick behind the film's success: during the film's first test screening, he recorded the preview audience's vocal reactions with a recording device. When it came to recutting the film for its general release, he cut the film to sync with the recorded reactions. Scenes that did not get a reaction from the audience were either cut or trimmed (but were restored to the Unrated edition).
- #012
During the waxing scene, the actor playing the waxer nearly tore off Steve Carell's nipple (she was not aware that you need to coat the nipples with Vaseline before waxing). Luckily for the actor, director Judd Apatow realized what was happening and shouted "cut!" just in time.
- #013
In a deleted scene from the Unrated DVD, when Andy calls for help getting rid of his erection, the person on the other end of the line is Judd Apatow imitating an Indian accent.
- #014
The actress seen in the adult film Andy watches alone at home is Stormy Daniels.
- #015
When Leslie Mann vomits on Steve Carell, it is actually yogurt.
- #016
Judd Apatow's daughter came up with the idea of having drunk Nicky (played by Apatow's wife, Leslie Mann) fall asleep while taking Andy home and jumping over parked cars.
- #017
Elizabeth Banks, who plays Beth, was commuting between Los Angeles and Vancouver because she was also working on Slither (2006) in Canada while shooting this film.
- #018
Universal Pictures gave the writing team stacks of academic studies about older virgins. They were pleased to see that most of these virgins were not unlike their main character.
- #019
David, Cal and Jay are believed to be in the same age group. However, during filming Seth Rogen (Cal) was only 22 years old, while Paul Rudd and Romany Malco were in their mid-30s.
- #020
This was Mindy Kaling's first film; she played the role of Amy.
- #021
Steve Carell was 43 years old, had been married for ten years, and was the father of two children when the film was released in 2005.
- #022
While helping Andy package his toys to put them up for sale, Trish says: "Oh my God, this guy Eric Gilliland, he bought like fifteen of these (toys from eBay). I think he likes action figures more than you do." Eric, a real friend of Catherine Keener, was the head writer of Roseanne (1988) and wrote and produced many other works as well.
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