Steve Carell credited for his 'dedication' after people find out the back story to notable scene in classic movie

Social media users are praising Steve Carell for his dedication to nailing a scene in one of his most iconic movies.

From losing insane amounts of weight to performing incredibly dangerous stunts, actors really put their bodies through the ringer for their art.

And Steve Carell is no exception.

In 2005, Craell starred as Andy Stitzer in R-rated comedy The 40-Year-Old Virgin.

When the hapless electronics store employee accidentally lets slip to his co-workers that he's still a virgin, they embark on a mission to help him get laid.

In one scene, Andy's co-workers David (Paul Rudd), Jay (Romany Malco) and Cal (Seth Rogen) suggest that he gets his chest waxed.

This results in Andy unleashing a stream of expletives - and Kelly Clarkson's name - as clumps of hair are savagely ripped from his chest.

It's probably the movie's most iconic moment and its back story makes it even funnier.

In order to get a 'genuine reaction,' Steve Carrell had his chest waxed for real while filming The 40-Year-Old Virgin (Universal Pictures)

You see, in order to get a 'genuine reaction' to the painful grooming treatment, Carell decided to actually get his chest waxed on camera.

His screams of pain were all 100 percent real, as were the hilarious reactions of his co-stars - Rudd giggling, Rogen cringing and Malco having to leave the room.

In an interview on The Graham Norton Show in 2013, he said: "I thought it would be funny for the guys watching it in the scene because there's no way you can replicate the horror and the joy of watching a man go through that."

And fans of the movie are loving the actor's dedication.

After a clip of the infamous scene was posted on X (formerly Twitter), one person wrote: "This is cinema."

Another said: "I feel for him. Dedication to the max! It had to be filmed in one shot, because he wanted to have it real."

And a third commented: "I can't imagine the pain."

Carrell's reaction in the iconic scene, as well as those of his cast mates, is 100 percent real (Universal Pictures)

But, it turns out the pain Carell was in during filming was far worse than even he'd imagined.

When auditioning for the movie, Miki Mia - the actress who played the waxing lady - assured the casting department that she had previous waxing experience.

But this wasn't exactly true.

Further into the 2013 interview, Carell revealed that her inexperience meant she didn't apply a protective layer of Vaseline to his nipples before waxing.

Apparently, if you don't do this, the nipple can actually be ripped off!

And, if the genuine screams of pain weren't enough proof that he was suffering, tiny specks of blood and bright red skin show just how rough it got.

Carell can only be glad that a producer stopped Mia before he ended up losing a nipple in the name of a few laughs.

Topics: Entertainment, Film and TV, Twitter, Celebrity

Bec Oakes