Will Ferrell discusses villainous roles in ‘Despicable Me 4’ and ‘Barbie’

Will Ferrell has taken on another villainous role in Illumination's “Despicable Me 4,” voicing the French supervillain Maxime Le Mal. Directed by Chris Renaud and Patrick Delage, the film sees Maxime escaping from prison, prompting Gru (Steve Carell) and his family to go on the run.

Ferrell expressed his enthusiasm for the role, telling Variety at the film’s New York premiere, “[Chris and I] have been trying to work together for a long time. [‘Despicable Me 4’] was an opportunity where I was pitched the character of being the villain, this French bad guy, Maxime, and that’s all I needed to hear was ‘French’ and ‘bad guy.’” He jokingly added, “I’m being typecast now,” referencing his previous role as the Mattel CEO villain in “Barbie.” Ferrell noted the enjoyment of playing the villain, “It’s always fun to be mean, in a silly way. And I think that’s just a side of you that you don’t get to express…it’s just fun to play around with the voice and it’s a little bit of an homage to the Pink Panther.”

Steve Carell reprises his role as Gru, finding the character’s voice again with help from his children. “When I originated the voice, it was my kids who said, ‘That’s the one you should use,’ after I tried a few different voices,” Carell shared. “Whenever I’m about to go try it again, I’ll test it out on them, and I’ll ask, ‘Is that the one? Does that sound like it?’ And they say, ‘Yup, that’s it’ and I’ll go with that.”

The “Despicable Me” franchise has grossed over $4 billion globally since its debut 14 years ago. “Despicable Me 3” made history by crossing the $1 billion mark worldwide, surpassing the “Shrek” series as the highest-grossing animated film franchise. “Minions: The Rise of Gru” also performed well, achieving the highest domestic opening for an animated film since 2019’s “Frozen 2,” according to Variety.

Carell, when asked about the potential success of “Despicable Me 4,” remained cautiously optimistic. “You never know, that’s something I keep my head out of…that first ‘Despicable Me’ no one knew that it would do as well as it did and spur the other sequels behind it, so I’m always pleasantly surprised when things turn out well,” he said before heading to his matinee performance of Broadway’s “Uncle Vanya.”

The film introduces Joey King as Poppy Prescott, an aspiring villain. King, who has voiced characters in “Horton Hears a Who!” and “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs,” expressed her excitement, saying, “I would have been happy playing a rock in the movie,” and added, “I’ve been such a fan since I was a little girl. I’m obsessed with these movies. And so getting to be part of them as a cast member is surreal.”

Miranda Cosgrove, who has been with the franchise since she was 13, continues to voice Margo. Now 31, Cosgrove adjusts her voice to keep the character youthful. “I try to make my voice a little higher and younger when I do the part, but it’s nothing crazy. I kind of have a pretty easy job. It’s usually just really fun,” she said. Cosgrove also revealed her hopes for an “iCarly” movie following the TV series revival’s cancellation, stating, “I’m pretty sure it’s gonna happen. So I’m excited, and I’d love to get to wrap up the story.”

“Despicable Me 4” is now in theaters.