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“If there’d been Ritalin when
I was a kid, I wouldn’t be here
now.”
James Eugene Carrey was born in
Ontario, Canada, in 1962. Although a
straight-A student at high school, he
dropped out at age 16 to try his skills as
a stand-up comic, but initially struggled to
make an impression at open-mic nights at
Toronto comedy clubs. His parents were
incredibly supportive, however. “My dad
was like a stage mother,“ he recalls, “he
always pushed me to do what I wanted.”
Having improved his stand-up act to the
point of receiving notices in the local
press, Carrey’s major break came when
he was noticed by Rodney Dangerfield
and signed on as the opening act for the
legendary comic’s tour. He then relocated
to LA where he scored a regular gig at
The Comedy Store in Hollywood, and was
soon taking his routine to Las Vegas and
television. Carrey branched out into feature
films, mostly low budget productions – and
a couple of Clint Eastwood movies – before
finally hitting the big time in 1994 with his
role as a PI who specialises in animal theft
in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. “If I had
never ventured beyond being a stand-up
comic, then I would be sitting in my house
today working on my Leonardo DiCaprio
impression,” he reflects.
The ‘80s
“Always turn your wheel in the
direction of the skid.”
Jim Carrey established his comedy
credentials with regular stand-up gigs in Vegas
and LA, thanks largely to Rodney Dangerfield.
After missing out on a Saturday Night Live
spot during the 1980-81 season, he landed
small parts in low budget movies including All
in Good Taste (1983) and Copper Mountain
(1983) – the latter, running only 60 minutes,
barely qualifying as a film. (Following Carrey’s
superstardom in the ‘90s, the video sleeves
for both were cunningly redesigned to make it
appear as though he had the leading roles.)
The second theatrically-released film to
feature Carrey was Richard Lester’s Finder’s
Keepers (1984), where he got lost amongst an
ensemble cast including Beverly D’Angelo and
Louis Gossett Jr.
Vampire comedy Once Bitten (1985) gave
him his first leading role – as a high school
kid seduced by Lauren Hutton’s bloodsucking
countess – and achieved a belated popularity
nine years later on VHS, following the success
of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.
Carrey got to work with Francis Ford
Coppola on the director’s 1986 time travel
romp Peggy Sue Got Married, before finding
himself in the equally esteemed company of
Clint Eastwood, as a rock star whose murder
is investigated by Dirty Harry in The Dead
Pool (1988). He allegedly amused Clint with
his signature Vegas ‘Post-Nuclear Elvis’ lounge
act during the audition, and got to reprise it
onscreen in his second film with Eastwood in
1989, Pink Cadillac.
In between Eastwood films (in which he
was billed as ‘James’ Carrey in the credits),
he played one of three furry alien visitors
(with Jeff Goldblum and Damon Wayans) who
discovered that Earth Girls Are Easy (1988).
The ‘90s
“I’ve been dubbed the man most
responsible for the dumbing of
America...”
“Alrighty then!” Ace Ventura: Pet
Detective (1994) announced Carrey’s arrival as
a major new comedy superstar. His rubber-
JIM CARREYThe king of comedy.
faced mugging, gangling gait and appropriation
of catchphrases and voices from his stand-
up routines made him an instant hit with
moviegoers – and a licence to print money
for the studios; the film grossed $107 million
worldwide from a $15 million budget.
Carrey’s next film, The Mask (1994), was
another box office smash, cementing his
position as a marquee name in Hollywood.
Having signed on to play the manic superhero
prior to the success of Ace Ventura, studio
New Line got a bargain, paying him $450,000.
Originally offered $700,000 to appear in the
Farrelly Bros. comedy Dumb and Dumber
(1994), Carrey realised his bargaining power
following the success of Ace and New Line
upped his salary to a whopping $7 million,
receiving an impressive return on investment
with another box office hit. Carrey became
one of the most bankable stars in 1994, with
three No. 1 box office hits in the same year.
Director Joel Schumacher may have killed
the Batman franchise in the ‘90s, beginning
with Batman Forever (1995), but few will
deny that Carrey was an inspired choice to
play The Riddler. That same year, he reprised
the role that made him famous in Ace
Ventura: When Nature Calls, receiving a
substantial pay rise to $15 million. The film
was another box office hit, but revisiting a
familiar character proved less challenging to
the actor, so he said ‘no’ to sequels to The
Mask and Dumb and Dumber.
The Cable Guy (1996), a dark comedy
directed by Ben Stiller and produced by a
newcomer named Judd Apatow, was a perfect
fit for Carrey’s ‘annoying character’ shtick.
But the film’s edgier tone alienated many of
his fans and it consequently underperformed
at the box office (when compared to his
previous hits, that is – it did still make a profit).
Regardless, the actor received a cool $20
million for doing the film – a record at the time.
“I’m the first to admit this whole salary thing
is getting out of control,” Carrey noted. “In the
final analysis, it’s still about the work.”
Carrey turned down Dr. Evil in Austin
Powers to work again with Ace Ventura
director Tom Shadyac on Liar Liar (1997),
banking another $20 million paycheque and
020 JANUARY 2015 JB HI-FI
FEATURE
Once Bitten (1985)
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