Back in 2008, Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor made a film called I Love You Phillip Morris, all about two men who fall in love in prison. It’s supposed to be a comedy-drama, and it never sounded like the some kind of super-Oscar bait, nor like a crowd-pleasing mindless popcorn film. But it’s didn’t really sound bad, either. So it’s slightly surprising to me that it’s taken until now to get a release date – it was in distribution purgatory after concerns were raised over the raunchiness of some of the (gay) sex scenes between Ewan and Jim. Also surprising – Jim and Ewan are both standing by this project, and they both really seem to like each other. Strange bedfellows…

Anyway, the film comes out this Friday, in limited release. Jim Carrey sat down with Parade Magazine to promote the release, at long last- although it sounds a lot like past interviews. Jim has said the line about kissing Ewan before:

Jim Carrey takes it to the limit and beyond in the very R-rated I Love You Phillip Morris, loosely based on the life of convicted Texas con man and four-time prison escapee Steven Russell. He ends up having a mad affair behind bars with another prisoner played by Ewan McGregor.

Carrey tells Parade’s Jeanne Wolf what attracted him to the most off-beat role of his career and his long-term goal of helping to make the world a better place.

It’s all about love.
“There are very few scripts that I would come across that I would pay to do and this was one of them. I didn’t mind taking a big salary cut. I’m here to do extreme and interesting things. I liked the guy I played and I hated him. But the one thing that always stayed with me was the idea that he was relentless about love, and all of us understand that. I’m a desperate man myself.”

As for locking lips with Ewan McGregor, who plays his lover.
“A dream come true. I mean, look at the guy. I have to say, he is a great kisser. As Ewan said, ‘When you’re kissing another guy it can get a little prickly.’ Actually, you had to put out of your mind your own sexual preference and just try to understand that you were loving another person who just happens to be a guy. It wasn’t about male or female, love is love.”

What he had in common with his character.
“He had blind faith in himself. I have that. I have that belief that I can do probably more than I’m qualified to do. The guy I play definitely has no limits. The things he was able to finagle his way into are just shocking and amazing. You can’t help admire that quality in people. That’s why we love con artist movies.”

What’s driving him?
“There’s always some sort of deep undercurrent running under things for me. I’ve had peaks of kind of enlightenment where I felt like, ‘Oh, wow. I’ve got to figure it out. This is it. OK. I have peace. I have bliss.’ And, then, boom, off the wave into the surf, and you’re struggling again. I definitely have those scared to death moments, but they’re what make you interesting.”,

And who needs an agent when you have the man upstairs.
“What’s important to me is the long haul. It’s a strange thing, but sometimes I think that God is somehow fashioning my life so that I do stay interested and stay hungry.”

[From Parade]

Beyond the stuff about the film, how does Jim sound to you? I still worry about him. I worry that he’s not taking his meds, and that his “peaks of enlightenment” are some kind of manic-depressive high. That being said, Jim sounds like he’s in a pretty good place right now, so God bless. I hope someone goes to see this film. Apparently, Ewan goes down on Jim on camera.

Here’s an interesting photo of Jim, Ewan and… Ewan’s date for this particular night, Melanie Laurent, his alleged mistress. Interesting.

Photos courtesy of Fame.