Jim Carrey Says Yes, Man
Written by Nikki Baughan Thursday, 23 April 2009 13:40
Interview
To celebrate the DVD and Blu-ray release of hit comedy Yes Man, which follows the exploits of ordinary guy Carl Allen when he decides to say 'yes' to everything, Roll Credits caught up with leading man Jim Carrey to find out what it's like to never say never...
What first attracted you to Yes Man?
I think these films find me! Yes Man just popped out of the bunch for me. It was the idea, the concept of somebody who has to say yes to everything I just thought was really right for comedy. Just the idea of engaging in life, that you only regret really the things you say no to.
During the film your character says yes to quite a few things, like playing the guitar and learning to speak Korean. Was that difficult?
It was interesting. There were so many little things to learn. The guitar playing was wonderful, I got to learn one song and then I put it away forever. The great thing about movies is that you learn a little bit of everything. You become a tiny bit of an expert in every subject and just enough to entertain people at parties!
What was your favourite thing that Carl decided to do?
I'd have to say, the most dramatic and the most incredible thing was the bungee jump. Although the rollerblading down the mountain in the roller blade suit was also definitely up there.
It was absolutely terrifying but Jean Yves Blondeau [the creator of the roller blading suit] loved it. I actually saw him on the internet going down the French Alps in that suit, passing motorcycles and things like that and I said, 'I have to have that, I have to do this!' But it scared the hell out of me. I actually only went about 40 feet at the most, but it was terrifying!
What was it like working with director Peyton Reed?
Peyton is like a stork on acid. He has that kind of energy. It's quick and he's very witty and it was the first movie really that I could sit back in between takes and laugh my ass off because he was entertaining as hell. He was amazing.
As well as being very funny, Yes Man definitely has a few life lessons along the way. What did you take from it?
It's a funny movie but there is something to chew on. I think when people go to the movie they'll enjoy it, they'll get really big laughs because there's a really nice kind of love story in it too that I think you really connect with. My relationship with Zooey [Deschanel, who plays Carl's love interest Allison] in the movie is quirky and odd and yet it completely works because we're so different and she's such an original character that people really connect to it. You really buy that they're in love because you see the fun they have.
But there's also that thing that makes you think when you walk out of the movie. Even [Carrey's co-star] Bradley Cooper said to me, 'I saw it the other night and I couldn't help but think am I saying yes to enough things in my life? Am I engaging in life enough?' So it does make you think about that.
Yes Man is out now on DVD and Blu-ray from Warner Home Video
