Jason Segel Is "Despicably" Funny

Jason Segel has brought us laughs for the past five seasons on the hit sitcom, "How I Met Your Mother."

On the big screen, he's starred in films like "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and "I Love You, Man."

This summer, he's back as an evil villain in the new box office hit, "Despicable Me."

"Despicable Me" Impeccable at Box Office

Segel joked with Erica Hill on "The Early Show" Monday about his dorky character in the orange jumpsuit and fanny pack. "He's a little geeky dude, too. To be honest, it's how I look in my own head. It was perfect for me," joked Segel.

He laughed that he often wears a velour jumpsuit for most of his days, which gives him even more in common with his animated self. The character is every bit as animated as the actor is in real life, which Segel really enjoyed, because he could pump as much personality into Vector, the genius villain, as he wanted.

Segel explained that one of the best things about "Despicable Me" is the creative freedom he and the rest of the cast had when voicing the characters.

"Everybody on the incredible cast, Julie Andrews, Russell Brandt, Steve Carell -- everyone is doing a voice you wouldn't necessarily know is them," said Segel."The thing about animation, you're freed from your physical body. So, all of a sudden, we could play characters we could never play in a live action film."

Segel had a couple of different voices prepared when it came to Vector, but in the end, he describes the accent as "kind of a Jerry Lewis impression."
The actor really gets a feel for his character, who was born Victor, but changed his name to Vector to sound more hip and cool.

"It's certainly more hip. The character is a guy who just desperately wants to prove to his father that he's worthy, which I thought was an awesome thing," laughed Segel. "He's like a super, super dork who wants to be the ultimate villain in the world. Him trying to prove himself to his father was easy to draw on."

True to form, Segel is a character on-and off-screen.

While he is often seen in front of the camera, few know that he also does a lot of screen writing as well. Every day, no matter what is on the agenda, he will wake up, shower, and get dressed in a three-piece-suit, even if he is just writing from his living room.

"I wear a suit regardless of weight going on. It makes me feel like I'm going to work," said Segel, "(It helps me be) productive and just super attractive."

While he votes that "How I Met Your Mother" may be the best show to ever air on television, he also says that he is coming back funnier than he's ever been in a new Muppets adventure.

"If you thought I was funny so far in my career? Allegedly, I'm going to be even funnier in the Muppets," said Segel.