LOS ANGELES?STEVE Carell, who stars with Tina Fey in the current comedy, ?Date Night,? was asked how he prepares for his ?dates? with the press, such as this recent interview. ?I start makeup at three in the morning,? Steve deadpanned. ?I do five hours of makeup.? The father of two then gave a straight answer: ?I woke up, took a shower, played with my kids for a while, got dressed, and drove over here.?
?Here? is the Four Seasons Hotel, where he and Tina, in separate interviews, shared updates on their lives and careers.
In Shawn Levy?s ?Date Night,? two of the best comic talents on TV play a bored couple whose attempt to jazz up their married life with a romantic night out turns into a misadventure, thanks to a case of mistaken identity.
?The best was definitely my first date with my wife,? Steve answered about his most memorable romantic night out. Steve met Nancy Walls when he taught an improv class at Second City in Chicago. Nancy, one of the students, ended up marrying her teacher in 1995. He recalled, ?We went to a jazz club called Green Mill, which was an old hangout of Al Capone?s.?
Concert
The actor added, ?The worst was on a triple date with two of my brothers and their girlfriends to a Jethro Tull concert. It was the first date I ever went on. I was a sophomore in high school, and I was nervous. When I walked the girl to the door at the end of the night, I shook her hand, because my brothers were watching and laughing at me in the car. We were so nervous and embarrassed. We didn?t speak to each other for months after that, because we didn?t know what to do with each other.?
How do he and Nancy keep their marriage from being boring? ?Fantastic lovemaking,? Steve quipped. ?Seriously?and I?m no relationship expert?for us, it?s a matter of communication and doing the little things together. People ask us about how we spice it up, or what sort of romantic gestures we make. Rather than bold romantic gestures every once in a while, I think it?s important to show each other in little ways every day that we care, and that we?re connected, communicating and listening.?
Actors who start in TV shows and get a taste of success in film usually leave the series that first made them popular. Not Steve. He explained, ?When I signed on to ?The Office,? I had a seven-year contract, and I wanted to honor that. I appreciated ?The Office,? and all that it?s done for me. And, I care about the show and its people. I didn?t want to leave early and start thinking of myself as bigger or better than I was.?
Since ?Date Night? involves a mistaken-identity plot, Steve was asked if he has ever been identified as someone else. ?I?ve been mistaken for Stephen Colbert (a TV host) on several occasions,? he teased. ?I?ll take that, because he?s a good friend. He?s fantastic, so if anyone makes that mistake, I embrace it?but, no, I?ve never used any sort of mistaken identity to my advantage. I do check into hotels under a different name,? Steve volunteered. ?Only because I was told to do that for security reasons.? He added to laughter, ?So many people want to get to me.?
?Steve does?? Tina Fey asked aloud when told about her costar?s hotel check-in practice. ?I check into hotels under the name Steve Carell. I opened a credit card under his name.?
On purpose
On her kissing scene with Steve in ?Date Night,? one of the longest smooches in cinema, Tina shared, ?We did the scene only on the second or third day of shooting. Steve and I didn?t know each other well. I think assistant directors do that on purpose?if there?s a kissing scene, they put it in the beginning of the schedule, in case the actors end up hating each other.?
Tina continued, ?Shawn, who was very organized and knew exactly how he was going to use every piece of the movie, said, ?This is probably going to be over the end credits.? I said, ?Wouldn?t it be funny to have the kiss be the full length of the end credits?? Shawn, even though this was just on Day Two of filming, looked in his book and said, ?Well, the end credits are going to be four minutes and 23 seconds long.? How he knew that on the second day, I don?t know. He said, ?We?ll try it.? Steve and I were very polite?we?re both married, so it was the most chaste, no-tongue, endless kiss. It was like two 10-year-olds trying to kiss. After we kissed for what seemed to be an eternity, Shawn said, ?Okay, that?s 30 seconds, so we have three more.??
On Mark Wahlberg?s shirtless cameo, which is a hit with both critics and audiences, Tina said, ?It?s very generous of him to agree to be objectified in that way. He liked the scenes, and he actually does get to be funny. It was more than just a visual prop.?
?Because of all his body makeup?Mark had tattoos that he had to cover or he chose to cover?he could never put a shirt on even between takes or when we broke for lunch,? Tina explained. ?On the first day, I was like, ?Oh boy, this guy really doesn?t like to wear a shirt. Then, I realized it was because he couldn?t. He was a good sport. In a similar way, Mila Kunis was in a T-shirt and underpants the whole three days we shot with her. I?m so grateful that I don?t have to do that!?
Comedy series
As for guest stars returning to ?30 Rock,? her acclaimed comedy series with Alec Baldwin, she revealed, ?Michael Sheen is coming back at the end of the year. He?s like our new favorite, because he was so funny and delightful to work with. And Julianne Moore, Jon Hamm, Elizabeth Banks and Dean Winters are back.?
On the future of ?30 Rock? and her other plans, Tina shared, ?I?m taking a little vacation this summer. I seem to be able to pull off a movie every two years. That seems to be the most that my family can bear. ?30 Rock? was picked up for Season Five, then we?re just going to take it as we come. My only hope is that whenever the show does end, we?ll know in advance, because I?d love to end it in a tidy, controlled fashion, writing-wise. That?s my only hope?that it doesn?t just end abruptly someday!
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