USA: Jim Carrey expands his acting chops further in "The Number 23," a psychological thriller about a popular conspiracy theory.

Record ID: 751702

  • Title: USA: Jim Carrey expands his acting chops further in "The Number 23," a psychological thriller about a popular conspiracy theory.
  • Date: 23rd February 2007
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (RECENT) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR JIM CARREY, SAYING: "The number 23 is an obsession a lot of people have, and it's out there, and it's connected to a lot of things, good and bad events in the world. It was something that was handed to me by a friend years and years ago, used to point out license plates and add up birthdays and years and events and things like that that and come up with '23,' and he kind of became like a savant with it, and I thought he was crazy, and then I started seeing it everywhere, then I realized that I was born at 2:30 in the morning, and my daughter was born at 12:11 in the morning, all of these things kept rolling into my life, but for me, it's a lot of fun."
  • Embargoed: 10th March 2007 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA8YCCAWUE3UI54FSCA8RNDEIZ6
  • Story Text: Jim Carrey and Virginia Madsen star in "The Number 23," a psychological thriller directed by Joel Schumacher about a man consumed by a deadly obsession with the mysterious integer.

    Jim Carrey's latest film, "The Number 23," delves into a psychological obsession that has baffled many conspiracy theorists for years. The film, also starring Virginia Madsen and directed by veteran Joel Schumacher, is about a man whose life begins to unravel as he becomes consumed by what is known to some as the "23 enigma," a term describing the number's presence in everyday life and in significant historical events.
    The film's subject was of particular interest to Carrey, who began to have a personal obsession with the number some time ago.
    "The number 23 is an obsession a lot of people have, and it's out there, and it's connected to a lot of things, good and bad events in the world," he told Reuters. "It was something that was handed to me by a friend years and years ago, used to point out license plates and add up birthdays and years and events and things like that that and come up with '23,' and he kind of became like a savant with it, and I thought he was crazy, and then I started seeing it everywhere, then I realized that I was born at 2:30 in the morning, and my daughter was born at 12:11 in the morning, all of these things kept rolling into my life, but for me, it's a lot of fun."
    Carrey's character in "The Number 23" begins reading a mysterious book of the same name, a so-called "novel of obsession" by its author, and begins to see similarities between himself and the book's main character, a murderous detective on the trail of the number that haunts him. As a result, "The Number 23" is told from two perspectives -- Sparrow's reality, and the surreal, seedy world of the film's novel.
    Each actor has dual roles in the film, giving them the opportunity to let loose and let the audience see a side of them they may have never known existed.
    "You know, it's fun when you get to play a character that you do things that you would never do in real life, and she's running around, she wears nothing but lingerie because she's not a real woman, she's a male fantasy, so it was fun to kind of play on that, like what men think is really sexy, and so I sort of wanted her to look like a Helmut Newton photograph, I wanted her to look like a supermodel, I wanted to be all legs and breasts and just be like 'Ha! They're fantastic! Don't touch!'," said Virginia Madsen.
    "The Number 23" is a new kind of film for Carrey, who is most well-known for his comedic acting in the "Ace Ventura" films and the Farrelly brothers' movie "Dumb and Dumber," as it gives him the chance to show off his dramatic acting abilities in a suspenseful psychological thriller.
    Carrey was director Schumacher's first choice for the role, and brought an infectious sense of enthusiasm to the set every day, surprising many of his co-stars.
    "For instance when, the scene where Jim is writing all over the walls, and he's finding, Jim is finding all of these '23' examples in his life, and that was kind of a scene where we were sitting around a table and he was going 'look,' and not very exciting for the audience, but simply a transfer of information, and more exposition. Jim was like 'why don't I write on these walls,' you know because there's a room that we're painting, isn't that a coincidence, 'so lets use this part of the set,' and so he ran in and we started to follow him, and the scene just came to life, and that's exciting when you work with an actor like that, that was a great day," said Madsen.
    Carrey was able to put aside his fears that the audience wouldn't buy him as a threatening and dark male lead, and hopes they will look past his comedic talent to see a more complex side of himself that he rarely shows.
    "Pigeonholed is in your mind, you know, honestly, I'm sure people have different reactions to the different work you do, but pigeonholed is a choice you make for yourself, no one is pigeonholed if they have the nerve to do what they want to do." he explained "So I never pander to the audience, I respect the audience, and appreciate them, am grateful for them, but I believe in what Emerson says -- what's true for you is true for all men -- and if something hits me as true for me, then I know it's going to make somebody happy, it's going to connect with somebody, and in the best case scenario, a great many people."
    "The Number 23" opens in theatres on, of course, February 23rd.
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