HOLLYWOOD -- Jim Carrey sees his new film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind as a deeply personal love letter.

"The movie ended up being a love letter to everyone that I've loved," says Carrey.

In the newest film from Charlie Kaufman -- who wrote Adaptation, Being John Malkovich and Human Nature -- Carrey plays Joel Barish, a man reeling from a painful breakup.

Joel discovers there is a new selective memory procedure which allows a person to erase completely all memories of a particular individual.

"I knew from the offset one important aspect of doing this film was that I would have to open old wounds.

"I knew I'd have to sit there and pick at scabs because I've had my share of failed relationships."

Carrey was married to Melissa Womer from 1995 to 1997.

After their divorce was finalized, Carrey was married to actress Lauren Holly for 11 months.

Most recently he was engaged to Renee Zellweger after they met on the set of Me, Myself & Irene.

"In my time I've done the erasing and I've been erased and it's never a pleasant feeling, but I would never want a person erased completely from my memory."

Carrey says after the initial hurt of a failed relationship he "learns to forgive and move on and look at the world as a beautiful place again.

"In retrospect, it always seems to work out that you can look back on something that was a disaster and find some gems in there."

He may be adamant that he believes in love, but Carrey is quick to add he doesn't believe in fairy-tale endings.

"So many people expect that fairy tale where everyone is going to be together forever, but I don't subscribe to that.

"I'd love for it to happen, but I think 10 years with someone is enough.

"Ten years is a good thing because a lot of love can happen in 10 years."

Kaufman says he never writes with actors in mind and never considered Carrey even after he'd completed his screenplay.

"Jim called us and said he wanted to do the movie," recalls Kaufman, adding he "told everyone I didn't know if he was right for the part because Joel is so introspective."

Kaufman agreed to meet with Carrey and to his surprise the manic man was "quiet, gentle and even a bit nervous. I could see Joel at that meeting." Carrey says it was a gut feeling that told him to pursue this role of a man devastated by unrequited love.

He immediately felt it was serendipity and discovered during filming how right that first instinct was.

When he was a second-grader growing up in a suburb of Toronto, Carrey desperately wanted a Mustang bike, but knew his family could not afford to buy it for him.

"My teacher was this Irish lady. She told us that if she wanted something she'd pray to the Virgin Mary and her prayers would always be granted."

Carrey recalls he went home that evening and prayed to the Virgin Mary for a Mustang bike.

Two weeks later, the bike was on his doorstep.

"A friend of mine had put my name in a raffle at a sporting goods store without ever telling me and the bike showed up as if by a miracle."

That's not the end of the story.

In one of the flashback scenes in Eternal Sunshine, Joel returns to his childhood home.

"I went to do the scene and there was a Mustang bike. I hadn't told anyone connected with the movie my story.

"It was just one of many psychic things that happened during filming that told me I was right in wanting to do this film."


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