Steve Carell Got Hit By A Fan's Car And Lived To Talk About It With Ellen DeGeneres

Steve Carell learned firsthand the dangers cyclists face in the sprawling city of Los Angeles a few weeks ago, when he was hit by a driver while riding his bike.

“I made a turn and I didn’t see the car behind me, and they hit me from behind,” Carell said Wednesday on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show .” “So I went up over the handlebars. It’s a weird experience, because everything just slows down.” 

Fortunately, neither Carell nor the driver of the car was injured. True to form, the actor found a way to laugh about it in hindsight. 

“Luckily, everything was fine,” he said. “The woman who was driving the car jumped out she was distraught, obviously. She’s saying, ’Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! It’s Steve Carell!′ She was so excited that she hit me. It was really kind of a fun experience, like a fun fan encounter.” 

Carell also spoke about his new film, “Welcome to Marwen ,” which comes out Friday. He plays Mark Hogancamp , a real-life artist who was attacked by five men after they discovered he enjoyed dressing in women’s clothing. Hogancamp, who was left with extensive brain damage after the attack, decides to build a miniature World War II village to help in his recovery. 

Also starring Leslie Mann and Diane Kruger, “Welcome to Marwen” is the latest in a series of dramatic turns by Carell, who is best known for his comedic chops. Learning to walk in high heels for the film presented an unusual challenge, he told DeGeneres.

“It was, I think, the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to do for a movie,” he said. “That’s not even a joke ... It’s one thing just walking in them, it’s another thing looking like you feel comfortable in them.” 

Still, he quipped, “I did look great in them.”