THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION

AS an 11-year-old boy, Australian comedian Peter Helliar came to Movie World and was picked out of the crowd to participate in the Lethal Weapon live show. Now, more than 20-years later, he returned to the theme park that captured his imagination with his own film.

"It's great, to be able to come back with my a movie of my own,'' he said.

Helliar was at Movie World with Brendan Cowell and Yvonne Strahovski, the stars of his film I Love You Too which premiered at the theme park last night. Shot in Melbourne, the romantic comedy follows a commitment-phobic man (Cowell) as he tries get back with the woman of his dreams (Strahovski) and say `I love you too'. Helliar, who wrote, produced and starred in the film, said the idea came to him when he forgot to lock his car on the way into the movies.

"It just came from a simple little story and I thought `what would be the worst thing that could be stolen from my car?'' he said.
"It would be something personal, not material, probably like a love letter which thankfully I didn't have in the car at the time.''

Early reviews have been overwhelmingly positive and Helliar is `confident audiences will be touched' by it.

"It's like I've seen the scans and the baby's healthy. Its heart beats fine,'' he said.
"Not a box-office result or review could change the way I feel about the movie.
"Watching it with a packed cinema of people... it hasn't really hit me how vulnerable I've made myself.''

Last seen playing a courageous WWI hero in Beneath Hill 60, I Love You Too star Cowell joked he prepared for his role as leading man in a romantic comedy by watching Hugh Grant films.

"I'm honing my Hugh Grant,'' he said.
"He is a master. Harrison Ford is a master of running and Hugh Grant is a master of rom-com.
"That look that Yvonne and I have, the connection look, I studied that look in Notting Hill and he's very good at it.''

A rising star in America thanks to her role as a sexy spy in hit show Chuck, Strahovski was attracted to the role of Alice because she is a `normal girl'.

"She's like all girls in relationships and she wants to find someone, fall in love, connect, have a life with them and grow old with them,'' she said.
"It was different for me because I play a spy on Chuck I've been doing that for three years and it's very stylised and heightened.
"This is a lot more normal and closer to reality.''

I Love You Too also stars Peter Dinklage and super model Megan Gale in her debut movie role. I Love You Too opens in cinemas on Thursday, May 6 and stay posted for some more exclusive stories, interviews, review and favourite films with the cast.