Steve Carell has opened up about the deeply personal moment on the set of his new HBO series Rooster when he accidentally called his character’s daughter by his real daughter’s name, and how fatherhood has shaped everything about the role.

Speaking to L’Officiel, the 63-year-old actor revealed that he had hired his daughter Annie, 24, as a production assistant on the show. 

During one emotional scene, the line between fiction and reality blurred in the most unscripted way possible. 

“I actually got her a job working as a production assistant on the show, and when we were shooting one scene, I accidentally said, ‘I would do anything for Annie,’ instead of saying my character’s daughter’s name,” he recalled. 

“There was this big ‘aww’ sort of moment, but it really lined up for me. Because I was thinking of my daughter as I said the line.”

It speaks to something Carell clearly feels with real conviction. 

“Raising children is my favorite part of my life,” he said. “There’s not even a close second, it’s the most satisfying thing I’ve done.” 

He shares Annie and son John, 21, with his wife Nancy Walls.

For someone with one of the most recognisable faces in comedy, Carell has gone to considerable lengths to keep his children away from the glare of the spotlight throughout their lives. 

He has brought them to only a handful of red carpet events and rarely discusses them in interviews. 

His reasoning is straightforward. 

“It’s always just been a job,” he said of his career. “I’ve tried not to let it define me too much. But mostly, I just didn’t want it to be weird for my kids.”

Annie and John did make a rare joint red carpet appearance alongside their father at the Minions: The Rise of Gru premiere in July 2022, a franchise that has run alongside much of their childhood, given that Carell voices the lead character Gru. 

The FA Cup quarter-final draw has excited football fans by revealing the highly anticipated showdown between Premier League titans Manchester City and Liverpool.

Chelsea and Arsenal, on the other hand, secured more favourable paths to the semifinals.

The draw, conducted on Monday, March 9, pits Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City against Arne Slot’s Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium during the weekend of April 4-5.

Liverpool qualified for the quarterfinals after an emphatic 3-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. Andy Robertson scored the opener with an incredible effort before assisting Mohamed Salah for the second, and Curtis Jones scored the third before Hwang Hee-chan scored for the home team.

Manchester City qualified for the quarterfinals with a 3-1 win over Newcastle United, with goals from a brace by Omar Marmoush and Savinho. The win was Manchester City’s eighth consecutive quarterfinal qualification in the FA Cup.

Additionally, Chelsea will host third-tier Port Vale at Stamford Bridge after Liam Rosenior’s side overcame Wrexham in a thrilling encounter.

Arsenal secured a second-tier Southampton, while Leeds United will face either West Ham or Brentford in London, with that fifth-round tie scheduled for Monday evening.

The complete quarter-final lineup is:

• Southampton vs Arsenal
• Chelsea vs Port Vale
• Manchester City vs Liverpool
• West Ham/Brentford vs Leeds United

Where to watch the FA Cup?

The FA Cup will be available via official broadcasting partners. Fans in the UK can watch on TNT Sports (via Disney+). While in the U.S., matches are available on ESPN+. The official coverage of quarter final draw is available on TNT Sports 1, Discovery+, and the TNT Sports YouTube channel. 

United States (U.S.) President Donald Trump has offered asylum to the Iran women’s football team after the Iranian state media labelled them as “traitors” following the team’s refusal to sing the Islamic Republic of Iran’s national anthem.

The Iran women’s football team, currently in Australia for the Asia Cup, lost their final group match on Sunday and are set to return home to Iran amid the ongoing U.S.-Israel and Iran war.

Australia is facing calls to protect the team and prevent them from returning to Iran.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, the U.S. president wrote: “Australia is making a terrible humanitarian mistake by allowing the Iran National Women’s Soccer team to be forced back to Iran, where they will most likely be killed.”

Trump urged the Australian prime minister to offer them asylum, adding, “The U.S. will take them if you won’t.”

This comes after the football team refused to sing Iran’s national anthem before their first match on March 2.

They have since performed the anthem in the subsequent matches but the Iranian media have described the initial act of defiance as “the pinnacle of dishonour.”

A campaign is ongoing in Australia calling for the government to “Save our girls”. An online petition calling for Australia to ensure the safety of the women’s football team has garnered more than 50,000 signatures so far.

The Australian government is yet to react to the U.S. president and human rights activists’ demands.