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A two-time Golden Globe-winner for his roles in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Truman Show, Jim Carrey is one of the most talented actors and comedians of Hollywood. His leading roles in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Dumb and Dumber and Mask made him one of the highest-paid comedy actors in the history of cinema. His facial expressions, flexible body movements, erratic manner of speaking, and unforgettable catchphrases are his trademarks.
He has fans of all ages all over the world and he still goes on to amaze people wherever he goes. Here is a list of 10 things you will be surprised to hear about Jim Carrey.
He Emailed His Resume To The Carol Burnett Show When He Was 10
Even as a child, Jim Carrey performed all the time for his family and friends, basically for anyone who would watch. In junior high, he performed stand-up routines for his classmates at the end of each class. He loved acting so much. He was so ambitious that he even mailed his resume to The Carol Burnett Show when he was 10. The comedy/variety show was loved by Americans who tuned in every week to watch Carol Burnett and her comedy troupe. Although he only got a form letter reply he was still thrilled and it didn’t stop him from becoming one of the highest-paid comedy actors of all time.
He Was Rejected By Saturday Night Live
Although hired by comedian Rodney Dangerfield to open shows for him, Jim Carrey was one of many celebrities who was rejected by Saturday Night Live. Lorne Michaels, the executive producer of SNL told Vanity Fair that one of the show's staff members rejected Jim Carrey in 2015 and he didn’t see Carrey's audition for the season of 1980 to 1981.
Regardless of that rejection, Carrey would become a regular ensemble cast member on the television comedy show In Living Color and eventually hosted the SNL stage. The star has hosted the show three times and he also appeared in the series' 40th anniversary special in 2015.
He Is A Canadian
Jim Carrey is a Canadian-born with dual Canada/U.S. citizenship. He was born James Eugene Carrey on January 17, 1962, in Ontario’s Newmarket town in Canada. Carrey’s parents, Kathleen Oram who was a homemaker, and Percy Carrey, a jazz musician and accountant had four children with Jim being the youngest. At age 15, Carrey started to perform at Yuk Yuk’s comedy club in Toronto where he was discovered by comedian Rodney Dangerfield. In 2004, Jim Carrey became a U.S. citizen. In the same year, he was honored by the Canada Post office with a postage stamp. He also received a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame, his name being between household names Pierre Berton and Karen Kain.
He Was The First Actor To Receive A $20 Million Salary
Jim Carrey made headlines when it was found out that he got paid $20 million dollars for featuring in the film The Cable Guy (1996). He was the first actor to receive such a large amount of money. This move by the movie’s producer Judd Apatow was accepted as a historic move in Hollywood upping of the salary ante and setting the pace for actors’ salaries. Directed by Ben Stiller, Jim Carrey’s depiction of the creepy cable-installer stalker was funny yet lacking the “dumb-guy humor” that was expected by the audience, most likely due to his role in Dumb and Dumber in 1994.
He Wrote An Imaginary $10,000,000 Check To Himself
In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 1997, Jim Carrey said that he would often use visualization techniques (or the law of attraction) to get through tough times. In one of the visualizations, he imagined getting a check for $10,000,000 for "acting services rendered” and he placed it in his pocket.
Years later, he actually received a $10,000,000 payday when he was offered the part in Dumb and Dumber. Back then he was 19, had just come to Hollywood and was trying to make a career like many young actors. It seems like the “law of attraction” just worked out fine for Jim Carrey!
He Wrote A Children’s Book
Jim Carrey is a man of many talents. He writes and is an artist. In 2013, he released a children’s book named How Roland Rolls. Roland is a wave in the ocean and is scared that when he reaches the beach, his life will end. However, while far out in the sea, he realizes that he isn’t just a wave, but is the entire ocean. The book was described by Carrey as a metaphysical children’s story dealing with real struggles in a childish way. The book won the 2013 Gelett Burgess Children’s Book Award. The book’s illustrations were done by Rob Nason, who won a Golden Reel award for his work as art director on the film Anastasia.
He Confessed His Love For Emma Stone In A YouTube Video
Jim Carrey is undoubtedly one of the funniest actors in Hollywood. He is known to tease the paparazzi regularly or his fans in unexpected situations. He did the same thing when he released a video where he is confessing his love for Emma Stone who won an Oscar for her performance in La La Land in the “Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role” category in 2017. When asked if the video was a comedy routine, he said he was serious about what he said. He tweeted about the video and answered fans’ questions about it. The video was watched so many times that it crushed the servers of the website JimCarreyTruLife.com.
He’s Dealt With Depression
Despite having monumental success as an actor and comedian, Jim Carrey has dealt with depression for most of his life and has been open about it in the interviews he has given. He admitted that depression can be very tough and that he found freedom when he separated from his ego. He admitted taking Prozac to treat his symptoms but later he stopped using it as the medicine was making him feel hopeless. He also gave up coffee and alcohol because of their effects on the brain. In a recent interview, he said he was no longer suffering from depression and had overcome his problems.
He Is Against Vaccination
In 2009, Jim Carrey wrote to the Huffington Post claiming that vaccines and autism are linked. At that time he was dating Jenny McCarthy whose son was diagnosed with autism. Huffington Post later removed the article in the interest of public health. Jim Carrey also used his Twitter platform to call California Governor Jerry Brown a "corporate fascist" after he signed a strict vaccination law requiring all school-age children to be vaccinated. Carrey received a lot of backfire from many celebrities and health professionals because of his anti-vaccination views. The anti-vaccination topic still continues to be a widely discussed subject in the area of medicine, though.
He Didn’t Graduate From High School
Carrey dropped out of high school the day he turned 16 in order to help his father who lost his accounting job. The whole family was working as security guards and janitors. They were very poor at that time. Those tough times had a real impact on Jim Carrey. In one of his interviews he gave to Hamilton Spectator in 2007, he said he would probably be working in Hamilton, Ontario at the Dofasco steel mill if his career in show business hadn’t been a success. Luckily all turned out just fine and we got to watch his amazing talent in his films.