Jim Carrey: So Ma-churrr!
Following two serious films (Truman Show and Man on the Moon), actor Jim Carrey returns to the land of outrageous comedy and has picked up a new girlfriend along the way. With Me, Myself, and Irene, Carrey has reunited with Peter and Bobby Farrelly, the brothers behind Dumb and Dumber, and There's Something About Mary.
"Pete and Bobby (Farrelly) are so connected to…that sophomoric fun place, and they just never grew up… I mean, they're the sweetest guys. They are so connected to their audience," Carrey tells The Early Show's Mark McEwen.
In Me, Myself, and Irene, Carrey co-stars with his new real-life love Renee Zellweger. While they were working together on the movie, says Carrey, their relationship was "very respectful and very professional… It wasn't till months afterwards that she missed me and called me up and said, 'Hey, what are you doin' ?'"
He is becoming more accustomed to moving between comedy and drama.
"I think things are getting a little more refined as I go along," he says. "I think the dramas are affecting the comedies, and the comedies are affecting the dramas. I've gotten a little better at actually making a kind of a real background for my characters and all that."
But, serious acting craft aside, Carrey maintains a straightforward approach to toilet humor: "I look at it this way: If people are afraid of the turd joke,...take it up with God. He's the one who created 'em."
| FAST FACTS ABOUT JIM CARREY |
- The youngest of four siblings, Carrey was born on Jan. 17, 1962 in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada.
- Carrey was a straight-A student who loved to make his classmates laugh. But when his father, an aspiring saxophone player who worked as an accountant, lost his job, Carrey dropped out of high school and worked out his frustration by performing in comedy clubs.
- He made his debut at age 16 at Yuk Yuk's in Toronto, but he was booed off the stage.
- In 1979, he moved to L.A. where his act at the Comedy Store caught the attention of Rodney Dangerfield. Soon after, Carrey was Dangerfield's opening act for a season and appearing on Late Night with David Letterman.
- In 1983, Carrey starred on the short-lived series The Duck Factory; the show was canceled after 13 episodes.
- Carrey then decided to jump into the big screen, landing minor roles in such films as Francis Ford Coppola's Peggy Sue Got Married and Clint Eastwood's The Dead Pool.
- In 1989, he co-starred with Jeff Goldblum, Damon Wayans and Geena Davis in Earth Girls Are Easy and his performance so impressed Wayans that he recomended him to his brother.
- The following year Carrey was hired in Keenen Ivory Wayans' TV comedy In Living Color, which gave Carrey considerable exposure.
- 1994 was a terrific year, with the release of Ace Ventura, Pet Detective and The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber.
- But with fame, his personal life became like a roller coaster ride for Carrey. He divorced Melissa Womer, a waitress he had met earlier and married Dumb and Dumber leading lady Lauren Holly, only to divorce again.
- In 1995, Carrey played the Riddler in Batman Forever, a part that has been originally intended for Robin Williams. The following year he became The Cable Guy, but his role was not well received.
- In 1997, his film Liar Liar grossed nearly $ 200 million and Carrey received a Golden Globe nomination.
- Carrey then starred in The Truman Show and was recognized with a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama.
- Last year, he was seen as the legendary comic Andy Kaufman in Man on the Moon.
| FILMOGRAPHY |
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
- Me, Myself & Irene (2000)
- Man on the Moon (1999)
- In My Life (1998) (TV)
- Simon Birch (1998)
- The Truman Show (1998)
- Liar Liar (1997)
- The Cable Guy (1996)
- A Salute to Clint Eastwood (1996) (TV)
- Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995)
- Batman Forever (1995)
- A Salute to Steven Spielberg (1995) (TV)
- Dumb & Dumber (1994)
- Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)
- High Strung (1994)
- The Mask (1994)
- Doing Time on Maple Drive (1992) (TV)
- The Itsy Bitsy Spider (1992)
- In Living Color (1990) (series)
- Mike Hammer: Murder Takes All (1989) (TV)
- Earth Girls Are Easy (1989)
- Pink Cadillac (1989)
- The Dead Pool (1988)
- Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)
- Once Bitten (1985)
- The Duck Factory (1984) (series)
- Finders Keepers (1984)
- All In Good Taste (1983)
- Copper Mountain (1983)
- Introducing... Janet (1983)