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Carmen, you must have been thrilled to learn you were going to be in a film set in Leatherhead. What was your initial reaction to the project?
"Initially I was sent the script...and I read it and thought it was really funny. I've always done a lot of comedies, but more physical, slapstick, in-your-face comedies. It was kind of nice, because I didn't have to get hit over the face with anything, or run into trees, or fall off of anything. And I thought it would be fun to shoot in London with a British cast."
This is a starring role, as opposed to your previous elongated cameos. Was this a conscious decision?
"It just happened to come along at the right time. Honestly, I never put that much thought into it. I never thought, 'I'm going to do these cameos and then try something else'. I wasn't drawn to playing a porn star; (I wanted) to play a character that is a good person and has a good heart. I liked the layers of the character. So many people in that industry who have sexy images only get looked at for one thing, and I think that's what really pulled me in to like Candy and want to play her."
Are you seen as a funny person among your friends?
"I guess so. I like to make people laugh and be silly... I guess I've always had a good sense of humour about myself and my image. I've always liked to be in fun movies, whether it's the Scary Movies or I Want Candy. I want to laugh and make people laugh - it's fun for me."
Stephen, have you ever been tempted to direct a porn film?
"You know, when I was in film school in Montreal...there was this guy in the laboratory who would try to get you involved in his film. His film was of course some kind of porno film. I eventually got sucked in (because) my friends were saying, 'He's really interested in your work'. I wanted to counter the deal, so I came in with a project called The Crash: The Ballad Book which was basically a story about these guys running around in ambulances, and there was this weird kind of sexuality that takes place in the ambulance. It was dark material, but I thought it was an angle. They read the script and they didn't want to meet me any more - they thought I was a pervert. They didn't want anything to do with me!"
Carmen, how does a British film set differ from an American one?
Carmer: "Well, you know, we basically had to shoot all my scenes within two weeks, so it was a really gruelling schedule."
Stephen: "We basically packed Carmen into two weeks, so we worked Carmen pretty hard. She was extraordinary in terms of being in good humour."
Carmen: "I remember shooting in the summer, and it was in the middle of a rare heatwave here, (so) it was really hot and there was no air conditioning in the studio. I walked away thinking how professional all the actors and the crew were, because not one person complained, you know, about the heat. You get really spoiled, because everyone worked really hard and continued shooting even though they were pouring sweat. We had no fans. They were trying to get us some little hand fans."
Were there any English traditions that took you by surprise?
Carmen: "We didn't get much of a lunch break!"
Stephen: "The one that surprised me was that we scheduled some stuff so that everyone could watch the football."
Carmen: "That's right!"
Carmen, what image do you aim to project? Who's the real you?
"Well, it's interesting because I started off my life being a dancer. That was my passion and my love, and it still is. I thought I would dance on Broadway - that was my dream. Imagine what my parents thought when I ended up posing nude in Playboy! You know, I guess I've always been a little rebellious, but I'm glad I did Playboy, I love the magazine. It's been a major learning process for me to actually figure out who I am and what it is I want to do. My image (has always been) about being sexy, and I love that, and I still put out that image, because it's a part of who I am...I want to do sexy stuff as long as I can."
What exactly did your parents say when you posed for Playboy?
Carmen: "You know, it's funny because I didn't know what they would think. They were so supportive. My grandmother even went to the beauty salon and brought in my Playboy so all the grannies were getting their hair done and looking at it. I thought that was really interesting! They're really proud of me."
Carmen, how do you think your fans in America will react to this?
Carmen: "I think Americans love British comedies, and that's showing more and more. I hear it all the time. My friends love British comedy, so I think Americans are definitely open to it and it should hopefully get a good reaction."
Tom, did you need a lot of space to grease up for your love scene?
"It was there from day one, so I had a countdown to Butter Your Chest Up day. You know, when you're on the top diving board you just have to think, 'I've gotta just jump off this, I've got to do this', and pretend it's not there.
Carmen, what was working with Michelle Ryan like?
Carmen: "She's very sweet, very nice. It's so funny, because I did an interview (just after) she got a really big role on an American TV show that's coming out - The Bionic Woman - and the journalist asked me if she could stay at my house while she was filming. So I said, 'Sure, yeah!" and suddenly I read everywhere that she's going to be staying at my house! She's not, but she could if she needed to stay there, but I doubt that she needs to - she'll be fine. She'll get to stay in a really swanky LA hotel with room service!"
Have you chanced across EastEnders on any of your visits to the UK?
Carmen: "No, no. That's her show."
Carmen Electra sounds like a name you might invent for a movie. Is it your real name?
Carmen: "No, in fact my real name is Tara Patrick, but Carmen Electra does sound like a porn name, or a superhero! I had a record deal with Prince in the nineties, and at that time there was an artist out with the name of Tara, and so he suggested that I change my name. So I did."
Carmen, obviously you're American, and Stephen, you're Canadian. What are your individual takes on British humour and where does it differ from your own?
Stephen: "Well, I don't know that it differs, because we haven't really talked about it that much. From my standpoint, Monty Python's Flying Circus was a really big influence for everyone in Canada, and you know, in Canada we get all the BBC shows."
Carmen: "Benny Hill for us!"
Stephen: "Benny Hill is ridiculous and at the same time really ingenious: if you watch it enough, you see both sides of that. We have Eastenders and Coronation Street (in Canada) too - they're not comedies but we get a lot of British influences."
Carmen: "I just remember being in the fourth grade and our teacher went around the room and asked every student in the room what their favourite TV show was. Most of the kids said The Brady Bunch or Bugs Bunny, but I actually said Benny Hill. The teacher called my mom to make sure everything was okay, but I was being honest! I would stay up late at night and watch Benny Hill."
Did you have a burning ambition to be one of Benny Hill's babes?
"Sure, why not! I like the little old man - he was cute. He was hot!"
Tom, what do you have coming up?
"There's a film coming out in a month or two's time, called A Few Days In September, with Juliette Binoche and Benicio Del Toro. I play Nick Nolte's son in it. It's a very, very different kettle of fish to this - it's a 9/11 conspiracy thriller set in Venice and Paris - so it's a world away from this."
Is it too early to ask whether this has opened any doors for you?
"Yes it is! I can only hope so."
Carmen's character is called Candy Fiveways. What are your porn names?
Tom: "I've been asked this all morning, and the look on people's faces! The way we got the names - I don't know if it's the traditional way - is the name of your first pet and the name of the road you grew up on, which for me is Biscuit Cripple."
Stephen: "Mine doesn't compete with that - mine is Fluffy Durham. It doesn't have 'Cripple' in it - you've got an amputee thing going on there, Tom!
Carmen: "Wow, mine's really boring. It's Heidi Hermes. I like Candy Fiveways, but what is the fifth way?"
Some of the insights into the porn world come from Jimmy Carr's character. How much did he contribute himself?
Stephen: "A lot of it. He originally wrote a lot of that material with his writers...That's Carr talking there."
Tom, you have quite a few, ahem, awkward scenes in the film. Did they remind you of any similar situations from real life?
Tom: "I don't think so - I don't think I've ever greased myself up with butter! I've gotten away with an awful lot. I'm sure I've had things people could catch me out with, but I've never been caught out."
Stephen: "I've never been caught with porn because I actually don't look at it."
Tom: "He shut his eyes every time there was porn on set."
Carmen: "No, nothing, I don't look at porn either!"
What will be your lasting British memory?
Carmen: "Handsome men, completely amazingly fit bodies."
Tom: "Just mainly scenes with me."
Did you take anything away with you from set?
Carmen: "I actually wanted the blow-up doll. Who has that?"
Stephen: "Don't blame me! I don't look at porn!"
Tom: "I wanted to take a Golden Cock award."
Carmen: "Those are great."
Tom: "They said I could have one. Where is it?"
Carmen: "Stephen keeps it all."
Stephen: "I keep it in the closet somewhere."
I Want Candy is in cinemas from March 23.
