Joel Schumacher’s 1995 film, Batman Forever, boasted a star-studded cast with Val Kilmer, Jim Carrey, Tommy Lee Jones, Nicole Kidman, and many more. While the film made $336 million at the box office, it received mixed reviews from critics. With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 39%, the consensus called the film loud, excessive, and boring.
However, the troubles of Batman Forever weren’t limited to its reception. The set of the film saw two sets of controversies – one between Joel Schumacher and Val Kilmer and another between Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones. Talking about the latter duo, things apparently got so bad that after refusing to work with Tommy Lee Jones, the director went out of his way to take Jim Carrey’s side.
Joel Schumacher Defends Jim Carrey
When large objects collide, some noise is bound to be made and something similar happened on the set of Batman Forever. The feud between Joel Schumacher and Val Kilmer was so heated that the director went ahead to call Kilmer, “psychotic,” refusing to work with him ever again.
However, Kilmer was not the only actor Schumacher blacklisted. Tommy Lee Jones played the role of Harvey Dent in the film and according to the director, his on-set behavior toward Jim Carrey, who played the Riddler, was simply unacceptable.
Talking to Vulture, Schumacher opened up about working with Jones on Batman Forever and The Client and how the actor behaved with Carrey. He stated,
“[Tommy Lee Jones] was fabulous on The Client. But he was not kind to Jim Carrey when we were making Batman Forever…Tommy is, and I say this with great respect, a scene-stealer. Well, you can’t steal the scene from Jim Carrey. It’s impossible. And I think it irked Tommy.”
Jones’ behavior toward his co-star did not sit right with Schumacher who went out of his way to state that he hopes he never has to work with Jones. And thanks to his personal feud, he prayed he doesn’t have to work with Kilmer again, as well.
In a 1996 issue of Entertainment Weekly, Schumacher stated,
“I’m tired of defending overpaid, overprivileged actors. I pray I don’t work with [Kilmer and Jones] again.”
Schumacher sure kept his word as he never returned to work with either Kilmer or Jones. The director passed away on June 22, 2020, at the age of eighty.
Tommy Lee Jones Didn’t Act Like an Oscar Winner
Continuing his conversation with Vulture, Schumacher stated that Jones was anything but kind to Carrey. The director went on to state that the Men in Black actor’s behavior on the set of Batman Forever did not resemble the behavior of an actor who won an Oscar and had a star on Hollywood Boulevard.
“No, he wasn’t kind to Jim. He did not act towards Jim the way an Oscar winner with a star on Hollywood Boulevard, being the oldest member of the cast, and having such a distinguished career and the accolades to go with, should have acted towards Jim. But what happens on the set stays on the set.”
Well, the last sentence might not be entirely true. When Jones and Carrey accidentally met each other outside the set after making dinner reservations at the same restaurant, the meet-up didn’t exactly go well. On Norm MacDonald Live, Carrey stated that when he went to greet Jones, the actor got up shaking, hugged Carrey, and stated, “I hate you. I really don’t like you.”
When the Bruce Almighty actor tried to understand what the issue was, Jones stated, “I cannot sanction your buffoonery.” Carrey and Jones also never collaborated with each other again.
You can stream Batman Forever on Max.
Source: Vulture
