Steve Carell: Acting with Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones in "Hope Springs" "a dream"

(CBS News) Actor Steve Carell has delighted audiences for years in movies like "40-Year-Old Virgin," "Little Miss Sunshine," and "Crazy, Stupid, Love."

In his latest film "Hope Springs," Carell plays a couples specialist trying to help Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones rediscover their passion for each other.

Wednesday on "CBS This Morning," Carell joked about what it was like working with Streep and Jones. "They were so intimidated to work with me. ... No eye contact with me."

"(It was) extremely exciting and a little daunting at the same time, because the way we shot those scenes - they are fairly long scenes - and we would shoot them uncut," Carell said. "We would shoot them and they would train a camera on us and we would just go. So these scenes would play out like one-act plays essentially. And that to me was the most fun of it, because we got to get into a rhythm. And you are acting with these two great actors so it is sort of a dream."

The movie may not be what you expect, according to Carell. "It's very relatable, and they (Streep and Jones) play it so honestly," Carell said. "And some of it is tough. You would almost, on the surface, think it is just some frothy comedy about these two people rekindling their love. But it's much deeper than that, and they are such great actors that they bring a lot more depth to it."

Known for his comedic turns in "The Office" and "Anchorman," Carell doesn't consider himself a comedian. "I can't tell jokes. I never did standup," Carell said. "I'm not somebody who can hold court very well. ... I would rather be at a party listening to somebody tell a joke or a great story. I'm not that person."

For more with Carell, including talk about his "40-Year-Old Virgin" waxing scene, and why he says he's not good in polite conversation, watch the video in the player above.