Edward Asner as Carl Fredricksen (Jeremy Leary voiced Carl as a young boy). Docter and Rivera noted Asner's television alter ego, Lou Grant, had been helpful in writing for Carl, because it guided them in balancing likable and unlikable aspects of the curmudgeonly character.[6] When they met Asner and presented him with a model of his character, he joked, "I don't look anything like that." (The appearance of Carl is meant to resemble Spencer Tracy as he appeared in his final film, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.[7]) They tailored his dialogue for him, with short sentences and more consonants, which "cemented the notion that Carl, post-Ellie, is a disgruntled bear that's been poked awake during hibernation".[8] In Colombia, unexpected publicity for the film was generated due to the uncanny similarity of Carl with Colombian ex-president Julio César Turbay Ayala.[9][10]