THEN & NOW: What the stars of 'The 40-Year-Old Virgin' are up to 10 years later

"The 40 Year Old Virgin"

"The 40-Year-Old Virgin" almost didn't happen, but it was a good thing it did, because it helped launch the careers of Hollywood A-listers like Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen, and Steve Carell.

In a recent interview with Conan O'Brien, Carell revealed that the film he helped cowrite with Judd Apatow was almost sacked because Universal felt that Carell looked like a "serial killer" in early footage.

"We hadn't shot any dialogue," he said. "It was me riding my bike with a weird helmet, and it was me walking down the street and seeing suggestive posters and going eghh. And just that week compiled, they went, 'No, no, no, this is not a comedy.'"

But the shooting continued and Apatow's feature directorial debut became a comedic success, leading to "Knocked Up" and more.

Here's what the cast and filmmakers have been up to in the last decade, since "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" came out in 2005:

Steve Carell had appeared in a few comedies ("Bruce Almighty" and "Anchorman") before landing the lead role of the 40-year-old virgin, Andy, in Judd Apatow's directorial debut.

Universal/"The 40 Year Old Virgin"

The film helped launch Carell to an award-winning career in comedic and dramatic roles. He played Michael Scott on "The Office" for seven seasons, a role that earned him six Golden Globe nominations (one win) and nine Emmy noms. He also earned an Oscar and a Golden Globe nom for his portrayal of convicted murderer John du Pont in "Foxcatcher" (2014). He can most recently be seen in "The Big Short," for which he earned another Golden Globe nom.

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Before Paul Rudd played coworker and friend to Andy, he was best known as Cher's ex-stepbrother in "Clueless."

Universal

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