From hilarious, on-point expressions to brilliant comic timing, Jim Carrey figured out the formula to be one of the best comedy actors of all time. Thanks to films like Bruce Almighty, Dumb and Dumber, and The Truman Show, Jim Carrey singlehandedly took the comedy genre to a whole new level and became a role model to anyone pursuing a comedy career.
However, while Jim Carrey has mostly been in light-hearted films, it does not mean that his times on the sets are always easy. Case in point, the actor once ended up with serious injuries after shooting a film for the 2008 Rom-Com, Yes Man. If you have seen the movie, you might recall a scene where Jim Carrey had to bungee jump from a bridge. However, no matter how obvious it seems, this was not how the comedy legend ended up with broken bones.
Jim Carrey Broke His Ribs While Filming Yes Man
In the Peyton Reed-directed film, Jim Carrey’s character Carl Allen falls on his back in a bar when he bumps into a waitress. While filming this scene, Carrey, unfortunately, fell harder than he expected and ended up breaking three of his ribs. While recalling the incident to Wales Online, the actor stated,
“I broke three ribs just doing a fall in a bar scene – so I was in great shape going into the really rough stuff. They put everything like the bungee jump to the end of the movie because I had three broken ribs to work with, because halfway through the pratfall, I changed my plan.”
However, Carrey is nothing if not an absolute professional. Despite obviously being in a ton of pain, the actor stated that the only thing he could think about was if the fall looked cool on camera or not.
“I’ve done pratfalls my whole life, I know how to do them, but suddenly I decided it would be a good idea to get all four limbs up into the frame at the same time. I came down really hard. The professional comedian in me just got up, finished the scene, put an ice pack on it, sat down, and asked if I could see it back. All I really cared about was, ‘Did it look cool?’”.
Luckily, Carrey walked out of the movie with a huge paycheck. While the actor decided not to take any salary for the film, instead he agreed to take 36.2% percent of the film’s profits. Yes Man was made on a $70 million budget and it made $223 million at the box office. As a result, Carrey made $35-50 million for his role.
Jim Carrey Wasn’t the Only One Hurt on the Set
Despite the film being a comedy, there were some stunts involved that required the use of stunt professionals. Carrey’s stunt double was Tom McComas who didn’t have the best time on the sets of Yes Man. In an interview, McComas stated that during the filming he, along with Zooey Deschanel’s double, met with a horrible accident.
“A car that was supposed to slide by us hit us at 50 miles per hour. She [Deschanel’s stunt double] shattered her pelvis; I jumped, flipped in the air and herniated a couple of discs.”
Owing to the accident, McComas was out of work for eight months and went from making $10,000 per week to just $900 a week. That is roughly 90% of his income gone. This just goes on to say that sometimes we forget to give stunt doubles the attention and respect they deserve, don’t we?
Source: Wales Online
