Watch CBS News

Myers: Friends Love The "Guru"

Comedian Mike Myers has made millions of people laugh around the world, bringing characters like super spy Austin Powers and teenage slacker Wayne Campbell to life.

In his new film, "The Love Guru," Myers introduces fans to a new original character: a self-help guru hired to get a heartbroken hockey player back together with his estranged wife, who has taken up with a new -- and possessive -- boyfriend.

Myers told The Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith Friday that the voice of his latest character, Guru Pitka, began to emerge while he was making his Austin Powers movies.

"In 1994," he said, "I did five characters, Austin Powers for the first time and the Guru Pitka for the first time." At the time, the 45-year-old Canadian comic was dealing with the death of his father by reading books on spiritualism and philosophy. It was this study that gave birth to Guru Pitka.

"My friends would call me," Meyers told Smith, "and say, 'I'm feeling depressed, would you call me with the voice.' And the voice would say, 'You are a beautiful spirit. Right now, the emotions come as clouds hitting the mountain.'"

With this movie, Myers works a familiar format, weaving parts of his life into the storyline and finding humor in strange places. The Ontario native's favorite sports team - the Toronto Maple Leafs - figures prominently in the movie. Some scenes were shot on the ice at the Air Canada Center, something which Myers has said in print interviews was a real thrill for him.

His next project is another "Shrek" movie; Myers provides the voice for the loveable green ogre, whose three previous films have been box-office hits.

"I've had an unbelievably great run," the actor told Smith. "I've wanted to do this since I was a little kid. I can't believe I get to do this. I can't believe it's gone as well as it has. I'm grateful and blown away."

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.