For the last several years, Steve Carell has been making audiences laugh in films like The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Anchorman and Little Miss Sunshine as well as the TV hit The Office, but now the actor has shown his versatility by tackling a serious dramatic role.

In the film Foxcatcher, Carell takes on the role of wealthy but disturbed heir John Du Pont, who tries to win the approval of his mother by buying his way into a position coaching Olympic wrestler Mark Schultz. This is a pretty brave move for an actor that has been so successful at comedic roles but lacks prior experience in drama.

Even the director of the film has admitted having doubts about giving Carell the part. Speaking at a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival, Bennett Miller recalled his first meeting with the actor. “I’ll tell you, as I’m sure he will too, that it was so far out of his comfort zone, but we met and we talked about the character, and truthfully I’d never seen Steve do anything that would give any material evidence he can do this.”

Despite his misgivings, Miller was won over by Carell and his ideas about how to attack the role. “We chatted and I heard how he was thinking about the character, and I had a vision for it working,” said the director.

The gamble seems to have been worth the risk, as Foxcatcher is winning rave reviews at Cannes, with some critics calling the performance by Carell “transformed” and “astonishing.” While it is a bit early to start talking about Oscar nominations, Carell is already being mentioned as an early favorite.

The actor explained how he made the leap from comedy to drama, saying, “I think it’s really the same approach you take to the comedy. I don’t think characters in films know that they’re in acomedy or a drama. They’re just characters in films.”

This particular character could win Carell an Oscar in 2015.