'Burt Wonderstone's' Steve Carell on Secrets of Magic, Hanging Over Vegas and 'Anchorman 2' (Video)

12:22 PM PDT 3/15/2013 by Rebecca Ford

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The actor talks to THR about being "sworn to secrecy" after he was taught a magic trick by David Copperfield.

A magician never reveals his secrets.

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It looks like Steve Carell is a true magician.

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The actor, who plays the titular Las Vegas magician in The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, tells The Hollywood Reporter that he was “sworn to secrecy” after being taught a customized trick by magician David Copperfield and his team.

The trick, called "The Hangman," involved Wonderstone and his Las Vegas partner, Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi), appearing onstage together, with one of them placing his head in a noose and appearing to be hanged.

“I actually had to sign something that I would not divulge,” Carell tells THR. “So that was kind of cool.”

The Warner Bros. film -- which follows Burt Wonderstone, a successful Vegas magician who sees his popularity decrease after the emergence of a shock magician named Steve Grey (Jim Carrey) -- also allowed Carell to learn some basic sleight-of-hand tricks.

One of his character’s biggest tricks with his onstage partner involved staying in a large, clear box hanging over the Las Vegas strip.

“I would want to be in a large clear box with no one but Steve Buscemi,” says Carell. “He’s such a good guy, and he’s so funny.”

But Carell says they were both “petrified” of the stunt, which took a couple of days to shoot.

“It’s weird being in an all-clear box -- to be able to look down and see the ground is a very disconcerting thing,” he says.

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Carell, whose films include The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Little Miss Sunshine, Evan Almighty and Dan in Real Life, next shoots the sequel to the hit comedy Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

He tells THR he has just been in Atlanta rehearsing for the highly anticipated film.

“It’s like no time has passed,” he tells THR. “It’s going to be really, really fun.”

Watch THR’s interview with Carell above.

Directed by Don Scardino, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone opens in theaters March 15.

Email: Rebecca.Ford@thr.com; Twitter: @Beccamford