Jim Carrey In New Kind Of Role

The Oscar talk has already begun for the film "Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind," and the performances by its stars Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, and Mark Ruffalo.

The Early Show's Laurie Hibbard caught up with them at the DVD's launch party in Los Angeles.

In "Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind," says Hibberd, Carrey and Winslet play a couple who, when their relationship goes bad, undergoes a procedure to erase each from the other's memories.

Through the mind-altering process, Carrey's character frantically tries to retain his memories when he remembers the love they really had.

The screenplay was written by two-time Academy Award nominee Charlie Kauffman and was, notes Hibberd, the reason the cast signed on.

"I was dying to do something with Charlie Kaufman," Carrey says.

"This one was so right on for me," he continues. "Because it was a lot of the things I wanted to express about love and - a lot of feelings that - that were unexpressed for me. ...Everything kind of came together on this movie, you know. The heart and the intellect."

Ruffalo says, "I read it. And I was just like, this is completely out there. It's totally original. Had never seen anything like this. It sounds scary. Where do I sign up?

Winslet weighs in: "I knew that script was going to be incredible. I mean, it just was. And it held itself up and the ending was always so great. I just couldn't believe I was being given this opportunity. And I just loved every second of it."

Critics have called the film a career high for Carrey who, says Hibberd, "mutes his manic antics and delivers a heartfelt blend of anguish, desperation an romantic longing."

Winslet says, "(Carrey) had to kind of reign himself in and sort of suppress a lot of that natural largeness and comedic brilliance that he has. And he just did it so well. And I think his performance is really wonderful.

Ruffalo agrees: "(Carrey is a) serious, serious actor. He likes to stay in character all the time. So we threw Cheetos and stuff at him to - to sort of break him out of that, get to him do his Jim Carrey stuff. And - I mean, he's awesome. I think this is seriously one of the best things I've seen him do.

And Carrey is aware of the Oscar talk: "I appreciate the fact that people like what I'm doing. That's the important thing. I really am happy about that. You know I'm - whatever God gives me, I'll welcome. How 'bout that? You know? It's OK."

Also coming out next week is a special 10th anniversary two-disc Special Edition of the "The Shawshank Redemption."

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