With his partner Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi), Wonderstone takes Vegas by storm. But their act gets old, especially after an edgy Criss Angel-like magician (Jim Carrey), aims to steal their magic thunder. Carell is also one of the film's producers.
"And I thought, 'Well, Jim Carrey would be great. I don't know if he'd want to do it, but you want to call him?' So we called him," said Carell. "He read the script and he was in. That, to me, is the magic of it: Like, 'Oh my God! Jim Carrey is going to be in the movie!"
Carrey also had nice words to say about Carell during the film's premiere on Monday night.
"He's an absolute gem. He's just the best. He's a wonderful, amazing, like one of the great comic actors of our time," said Carrey.
Carell said the movie is "very silly."
"But at the same time, at least what we were trying to achieve, is that you care about the characters to a certain extent," said Carell.
And Carell's character certainly cares about his look.
"I just figured this guy is a preening peacock of a performer and just figures that's a look that is righteous," said Carell.
Illusionist David Copperfield has a cameo in the film, and he was a consultant.
This story shows us "Burt" as a not-so-popular pre-teen.
"I had a magic kit when I was a kid," said Carell. "I had a Mattel Magic Kit and I performed for kids in the neighborhood. I put on little shows and stuff. I was that kid.
"To me, magic is like Santa Claus for adults," said Carell. "It's so much more fun to believe it."
"The Incredible Burt Wonderstone" also stars Olivia Wilde and Alan Arkin.
The film opens on Friday.
