Despite "Dumb and Dumber’s" box office appeal and success on video, it wasn’t until writer Robert Brener came up with the idea of taking the two main characters back to their formative years that the idea of revisiting Harry and Lloyd came to fruition. "Everyone remembers certain kids in high school who didn’t fit in because they were just a little different from the norm. Harry and Lloyd don't fit in for every reason. They do everything wrong and the beauty of that is they are completely oblivious to it all," explains Brener.
In this interview, Derek Richardson (Harry) and Eric Christian Olsen (Lloyd) talk about attempting to walk in Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels' footsteps, capturing the tone of the original "Dumb and Dumber," and performing physical comedy.
How much freedom did you guys have with these characters and how much of a limitation was there?
ERIC: I think that the key to this is you study the original film. You watch it like 30 times, and figure out the mannerisms, the nuances, and the elements. You essentially do an impersonation, throw it all away, and be that character. [You] find the reverse art to that and begin the evolution of those characters.
I'm such a huge fan - and I know he is, too - of the first film and what those guys did with the first film, which is one of the best comedies of the past ten years. Those guys are geniuses, and we’ve got to give props to the opportunity that we have.
DEREK: I think one of the nice things [about] doing a prequel is that you have more freedom with the character. You can capture those nuances and mannerisms. You want people to identify with these characters and it was nice because you have all this new back-story about the characters.
You’ve got to have an ‘innocence’ to do this type of movie. How do you tap into your inner child?
ERIC: People talk about playing ‘dumb’ and innocent, and you just captured it. These guys aren't dumb, they're just really committed to this false reality where everything makes sense to them. In their own minds, they're rock stars and they're super cool. They're confident because everything makes sense to them in their own minds. That's where the innocence comes from. I think that's really what makes them so likeable and lovable together. You're totally behind these characters.
DEREK: They did that in the first movie. They were so good about keeping them sincere and honest and giving heart to these characters, which I think is really important. And in the end, it's about this relationship with these two guys that you follow on this journey. That's what I think is so important about making it work for us, just having a connection between those two guys.
What were some of the elements from the first movie that you had to include?
ERIC: The looks, superficially, - the bowl cut. Jim had this brilliant lisp for the whole first film and just the animation of his eyes. His eyebrows, his face, and just the squints that he does – and the looks.
Can you talk about how you had to transform physically?
ERIC: I'd just come off another job, a show on Fox called "24," and I was in the best shape of my life. I was surfing every day, working out, [and I had] long blonde hair. I dropped 13 pounds in two weeks and dyed my hair brown.
Was that your real hair?
ERIC: Oh yeah. That's what everybody asks. That was my real hair – and prosthetic teeth for the chip.
NEXT PAGE: Derek and Eric on Physical Comedy and Staying in Character
