Buzz
Dive deeper into Carrey’s life, from his tumultuous early days in stand-up comedy to the apparent disdain Tommy Lee Jones held for him, by continuing below.
1. Jim Carrey’s journey into stand-up comedy was sparked by his father’s influence.
Jim Carrey, born on January 17, 1962, in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, displayed a natural flair for comedy from a young age, often entertaining his family, especially his father, Percy. Percy played a pivotal role in motivating Carrey to pursue comedy professionally as a way to channel his creative energy. (In school, Carrey’s teachers even struck a deal with him, offering 15 minutes of uninterrupted performance time at the end of class if he refrained from disruptive outbursts.) Together, Carrey and his father crafted a routine, which Carrey later described as “corny,” and he debuted at Yuk Yuk’s in Toronto at 15. Despite being heckled by the club’s owner, Mark Breslin, Carrey eventually found his footing in New York’s comedy circuit, rapidly improving and earning a spot on The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson by the age of 21.
2. Jim Carrey faced hostile audiences at comedy clubs.
Carrey initially gained attention for his celebrity impressions, including Jimmy Stewart and Clint Eastwood, but he soon abandoned this skill, feeling it didn’t reflect his true self. “Even if I perfect 2000 impressions, I’d still be telling the world those individuals are more fascinating than I am,” Carrey explained during a 2004 interview with 60 Minutes. “And that’s simply not the case.”
This shift to more avant-garde comedy, such as hiding inside a piano during another comedian’s performance, often left audiences frustrated. Carrey recalled instances where the crowd’s dissatisfaction turned aggressive: “There were nights when it turned into chaos. I’d be standing there, defending my new material while people yelled for the old act, sometimes even becoming physically hostile.” On occasion, Carrey had to protect himself using a broken beer bottle, an experience he credited with making him “at ease with the creative process.”
3. Jim Carrey’s debut film was a TV movie called Rubberface.
In 1981, Carrey landed a leading role in Introducing … Janet, a made-for-TV movie produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Playing Tony Maroni, a young comedian who supports a woman battling self-doubt (Adah Glassbourg), Carrey found it ironic to portray a character poor at impressions when he excelled at them in real life. Years later, in 1995, the film was rebranded as Rubberface for home video release, aiming to leverage Carrey’s rising stardom.
4. Jim Carrey’s peers doubted the success of Ace Ventura.
Following a brief role as the star of the 1984 NBC sitcom The Duck Factory and appearances in 1985’s Once Bitten and 1986’s Peggy Sue Got Married, Carrey rose to prominence in the early 1990s as part of the cast of Fox’s popular sketch comedy show In Living Color. This breakthrough paved the way for his lead role in 1994’s Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Despite the film’s eventual success, Carrey faced ridicule from his fellow cast members during production.
“David Allen Grier would mockingly announce to the audience, ‘Jim’s spending his hiatus working on a movie called Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,’” Carrey recalled in a 2018 interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “‘Let’s wish him luck with that.’ Everyone would laugh and sarcastically clap.” However, by the close of 1994, Carrey had delivered three consecutive blockbusters: Ace Ventura, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber. For Dumb and Dumber, he earned $7 million.
5. Tommy Lee Jones was less than cordial to Jim Carrey during the filming of Batman Forever.
In 1995, Carrey took on the role of the Riddler in Batman Forever, the third installment in the Batman film series. Sharing the screen with Tommy Lee Jones, who played Harvey “Two-Face” Dent, Carrey received public praise from Jones, who described him as “a grounded, good-hearted individual and remarkably bold in his portrayal.” Behind the scenes, however, Jones reportedly harbored disdain for Carrey. Carrey revealed that Jones bluntly stated his dislike early in production, declaring, “I cannot sanction your buffoonery.” This led Carrey to reflect, “Sometimes, someone you deeply respect ends up despising you.”
6. Jim Carrey’s mind was toyed with during the making of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
While filming 2004’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Carrey, portraying a man heartbroken over a failed relationship and considering memory erasure to cope, was dealing with his own recent breakup. Director Michel Gondry reportedly encouraged Carrey to channel his pain, even telling him, “Please stay in pain,” to enhance his performance. Carrey also suspected Gondry cast actors resembling his ex to unsettle him, though Gondry never acknowledged this.
7. Jim Carrey was honored with a postage stamp.
In 2014, Carrey was among a select group of comedians featured on a limited-edition series of stamps by Canada Post. The collection included Carrey, Mike Myers, Catherine O’Hara, Olivier Guimond, and Martin Short. This initiative was inspired by the popularity of a 2006 stamp honoring the late comedian John Candy.
8. Jim Carrey authored a children’s book.
In 2013, Carrey published How Roland Rolls, a children’s story centered on Roland, an ocean wave anxious about the implications of reaching the shore and whether it might signify the end of his being. Carrey penned the book and sketched the initial designs, while artist Rob Nason provided the illustrations.
