Steve Carell is a "fan" of Kristen Wiig.

Steve Carell

Steve Carell

The 54-year-old actor stars alongside Kristen in the upcoming animated movie 'Despicable Me 3', and has gushed about his co-star's ability to be "really funny" and "very intuitive".

Speaking to Australian newspaper the Herald Sun, Steve said: "I like [Kristen] so much as a person and I think she's really funny and she's very intuitive. There's certain people you work with who you just feel like you have a rhythm and a chemistry with, and I've always felt like I have that with Kristen.

"I've never seen her not be great. Even in her more dramatic work she's always so real. I'm just a fan; I guess it comes down to that."

And Steve's love for the 43-year-old beauty's acting skills might come down to the fact that he believes the world "needs to see" lighthearted movies as in the current political climate where many people are concerned about the state of the world around them, there is a definite place for movies that "express the decency of human behaviour".

He said recently: "'What is an audience looking for?' is a different question than 'What does an audience need to see?' For me as an actor, I'm tending to go towards things that are lacking cynicism and have a point of view and potentially a joy to them. Not necessarily a happy ending, but something that expresses decency of human behaviour. Those are the kinds of things that reflect where I am."

Steve previously said the world needs "outright silliness" within it's comedy movies, and claims 'Despicable Me 3' - in which he reprises his role of the evil Gru - offers just that.

He said: "There's a place for outright silliness right now, which 'Despicable Me 3' is a perfect example of."