STACK #123 Jan 2015

EXTRAS

FEATURE

visit www.stack.net.au

JIM CARREY The king of comedy.

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-

“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.

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

Once Bitten (1985)

JANUARY 2015 JB HI-FI www.jbhifi.com.au

020