Lesley Stahl's Marcel The Shell With Shoes On appearance took years to make happen
The 60 Minutes host was "a little embarrassed" upon hearing the shells' praise for her

Marcel The Shell With Shoes On is one of the the most delightful films of the year so far, and a key factor in that is the titular tiny mollusk’s way of finding joy in his own little life. Almost nothing makes him and his grandmother Nana Connie happier than tuning into 60 Minutes every week, so naturally, it’s overwhelming when Lesley Stahl ends up interviewing Marcel himself. In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Stahl opens up about the process behind her and the 60 Minutes crew playing themselves in the A24 film, released last month.
For director Dean Fleischer Camp, making Marcel The Shell With Shoes On was a seven year effort after his initial short film went viral in 2010. Incorporating 60 Minutes was a significant part of the process, starting with getting producer Shari Finkelstein on board before approaching Stahl. Then, it took even longer to get clearance from CBS to use the show’s studio and branding.
“I actually thought it had gone away for good and I assumed that it wasn’t going to happen because if it were, I would have heard something,” Stahl says.
While eventually shooting the film’s faux segment with the real 60 Minutes crew was sort of like just another day at the office, having to interview a one inch-tall shell was a decidedly novel experience. Though the journalist was speaking to voice actor Jenny Slate on set, it wasn’t exactly a typical set-up.