Oh, it’s not too difficult. I mean, it’s certainly cerebral. But when I read “Eternal Sunshine,” it definitely made sense to me. I understood what it was about, and ultimately what its aim was. It wasn’t altogether confusing. I think you can get lost a little bit in the structure because there are so many layers, and so much of it takes place in Jim Carrey’s mind. But, it’s so clearly labeled in the script that it makes sense. You can kind of read the subtext of a scene and go, “Okay, I kind of know where we are now.” It was actually more confusing I think on [the] set, because then we were trying to apply it. And when we’d apply it, we kind of lost our place as to what we were doing and where we were. “Right, okay, so I’m in this bookstore, which is also in the thing which is in his memory, so…” You know, that got a little confusing. But his scripts flow incredibly well.
So that was you in the bookstore - even though we don’t see you?
Yes.
Did the director insist on filming your back – that couldn’t have been a stand-in?
Yes, he insisted on having my back because it’s that classic… In a sort of dream state, or if you’re in a dream and you’re trying to see someone, and you know who it is, or you know what that person represents, but you can’t quite see their face, or make it out. That was the kind of idea, that there is this sense that ‘Joel’ has of this imposter in his life ingratiating himself into Kate Winslet’s life. He’s never seen this person so he gets the back of my head constantly, which is brilliant. So smart, so smart.
You went from this huge, ambitious project to something more intimate but no less ambitious with this movie.
Yeah.
What kind of transition did you have to make?
It’s a different dynamic.
Is this the kind of movie that makes it possible for you to go back to smaller pictures?
Yeah, definitely. You do the smallest movie you can, in some ways. That’s sort of how I felt when I finished “The Lord of the Rings.” I mean, in terms of the dynamic of working on this, the atmosphere for which we were able to do what we were meant to do was really created and set up by Michel. It was an extraordinary environment to work in. Incredibly creative, you know, it was very spontaneous. We didn’t quite know what each day would hold. There were times in which we didn’t know the camera was rolling. He would inspire us to improvise and completely change our perception as to what the scene was in the first place. He would allow us as actors to work together to come up with our own ideas as well, which was wonderful. And it’s a great group of people who were ready and willing to go in that direction, to be sort of free, and led into an environment that they’d not existed in before, which can be kind of nerve-racking. It was kind of unfamiliar for everyone, but it was liberating more than anything.
Can you recall specific instances of that?
Sure, yeah. Well, with Mark Ruffalo, because I spent most of my time with Mark, which was awesome. You know, he’s such a great actor and a great guy. We got on really well, which was awesome because I think both of our characters are sort of reliant on that relationship. I think that relationship is pretty important.
[There’s] one [scene] in which we’re starting the process on ‘Joel,’ and Kirsten [Dunst] comes over. We have a little bit of a conversation before she comes, and then she comes over, and we’re talking about quotes and stuff like that, and that whole scene carries on. Well, midway through many, many takes of that and doing different things, Mark leaned over and he’s like, “We should just laugh the entire time and not say our dialogue and just see what happens - and not tell Kirsten.” “Alright. Game. Whatever. Cool!” So we just kind of winged it, and we’d throw in a line or two but essentially [just] laughed the entire time. Some of it’s in the movie. Some of it’s in that scene. There’s a couple of the laughs that seem slightly out of place. We were given that freedom and it was so invigorating, and so exciting. I would love to work more like this, because I think out of that spontaneity, when it’s not forced, is realism. And I think what Michel really wanted out of us was a sense of reality and sense of real moments, and real connections. And by the way that he set up our mode of filming, I think he really achieved that. I think it really comes through in the film.
PAGE 3: Elijah Wood on "Lord of the Rings" Oscars and Working with Jim Carrey
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
"Eternal Sunshine" Cast Interviews: Jim Carrey / Kirsten Dunst and Mark Ruffalo / Kate Winslet
"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" Photo Gallery
Elijah Wood News, Photos and Interviews
"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" Credits, Trailer and News
