Sometimes when you feel low, all you need is someone to make you laugh. For a long time, Jim Carrey has been that someone for an entire generation. All you needed to do was put on a light-hearted comedy with the actor in the lead, and you would forget your worries for an hour or two.
However, in addition to the tons of characters he has played, it is intriguing to think about what he might be like in real life. Well, according to the comedy legend himself, his real-life persona is nothing more than just another character he plays. The actor believes that going back and “playing” the character of Jim Carrey gave him depression and that’s why he does not do that anymore. According to him, Jim Carrey does not really exist, and is just a bunch of ideas, instead.
Jim Carrey Does Not Exist
In an interview for the Toronto International Film Festival, Jim Carrey made it clear that he does not exist. Elaborating on the statement, he said that throughout his life, he has been playing different characters, and ‘Jim Carrey’ is simply one of them. He adds that while this character was far less intentional, it was still a character at the end of the day.
“I don’t exist, so … They are all characters that I played, including Jim Carrey, including Joel Barish, including any of those things. They are all characters. Jim Carrey was a less intentional character because I thought I was just building something that people would like, but it was a character. I played the guy that was free from concerns so that people who watched me would be free from concerns.”
While working on Man on the Moon, Carry got so invested in the character of the late Andy Kaufman, that it was difficult to separate the actor from the role. In fact, it soon became so real that Kaufman’s close ones felt as if he was right there with them.
Talking to The Hollywood Reporter for TIFF, Carrey stated that it was interesting how losing himself to a role opened his eyes about his own self. He says,
“It’s kind of an interesting perspective on what came from losing yourself n a character and realizing you are a character who has been playing you your whole life…A lot of people think that I’m kinda going through something – but it’s been my whole life…When I try to go back and play Jim Carrey, I got depressed, and now, I don’t try to do that anymore.”
Carrey added that Man on the Moon is the film that opened his heart and mind to the point where he had no choice but to give the idea a thought.
Jim Carrey Is Nothing But Ideas
Once again talking about his time playing Kaufman and the documentary (Jim and Andy: The Great Beyond) that followed, Carrey told The Talks that he is not a person, but rather an idea.
“It took me a while and I was depressed going back into my concerns and my politics. But there was a shift that had already happened. And the shift was, ‘Wait a second, if I can put Jim Carrey aside for four month, who is Jim Carrey? Who the hell is that?’ I know now that he does not really exist. He’s ideas…Kim Carrey was an idea my parents gave me.”
From being Canadian, to being a part of a hockey team, to following a religion, Carrey stated that all these things and more amalgamated into one “Frankenstein monster.” It looks like Carrey has a more philosophical and unique take on life, one which may or may not resonate with others.
You can rent/buy Man on the Moon on Prime Video.
Source: Toronto International Film Festival
