Jim Carrey said ‘yes’ to The Truman Show after reading just ten pages of the script. The Sonic 2 star revealed this to Screen Rant when they asked him which role he accepted fastest.
“The Truman Show,” he said. “First of all, I had thought of that concept two years before. I had noodled with it, but I couldn’t break the code. And then when I was handed that script, Andrew Nichols’ script, I read it and knew probably within ten pages that I had to do the movie.”
“It was not a question. Eternal Sunshine [of The Spotless Mind] was like that as well,” Carrey continued. “Comedies are generally things that you have to consider. You don’t generally get a very well-formed comedy; at least, I don’t. It’s like making a silk purse out of a sow’s ear a little bit. You’ve really got to work a comedy to keep it fresh, to make it something special. But those two scripts, more than any other, were just an immediate yes.”
It’s fascinating that despite being best known for his work in comedy movies like Liar, Liar, Bruce Almighty, and Ace Ventura, it was the more dramatic turns in The Truman Show and Eternal Sunshine that really spoke to him as a performer.
Carrey has claimed that he’s going into semi-retirement after Sonic 2, so we’re unlikely to see more drama movies from the legendary comedian. Still, the Sonic 2 ending teased that Dr Robotnik may not have been defeated just yet, so we’ll have to see if Carrey returns to the silver screen.
If you enjoy the adventures of the world’s fastest hedgehog check out our list of the best family movies.