1995’s Batman Forever was a stand-alone sequel to Batman Returns (1992) but with a fresh cast. The film featured Val Kilmer as Batman, Jim Carrey as Riddler, and Tommy Lee Jones as Harvey Dent / Two-Face. It may sound like a great idea to put all these legends on the same set, but it was a disaster because of the feud between Jones and Carrey.
The sharp contrast between their acting styles was one of the main reasons behind their clash. In Jones’ defense, he wasn’t very fond of Carrey’s goofy persona. Jones was never interested in playing the role, in fact, he didn’t even understand the script. Due to the pressure from the producer, Jones had to agree.
Tommy Lee Jones had a hard time understanding the script of 1995’s Batman Forever
The producer of Joel Schumacher’s iconic 1995 film Batman Forever, Peter Macgregor-Scott once revealed that actor Tommy Lee Jones couldn’t understand the script of the movie, so with the producer’s convincing, Jones eventually had to agree under pressure (via Hollywood Reporter),
“So I sent Tommy Lee the screenplay down in Texas, and two hours later, he calls me up and he says, ‘I don’t get it.’ I said, ‘Why don’t you reread the f**king thing and remember that the Academy Award-winning actor Tommy Lee Jones is playing the f**king role!’ And I hung the phone up. (Laughs.) A few hours later, he calls back and says, ‘OK, I’ll do it.’ And then he got on a plane and flew into Burbank the next day, and we went to work. No management. No nonsense. The deal was obviously going to be worked out.”
With its neon-lit Gotham City, memorable one-liners, and a rocking soundtrack, Batman Forever managed to become one of the most memorable films created in the 1990s, grossing over $336 million worldwide.
What happened between Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones?
Two of the biggest stars of the 1990s, Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones, worked together in 1995’s Batman Forever. However, there was a clash between the two stars. Carrey once appeared on Norm Macdonald Live and revealed that he approached Jones in a restaurant when they were working together in the movie,
“The maitre de said, ‘Oh, I hear you’re working with Tommy Lee Jones. He’s over in the corner having dinner.’ I went over, and I said, ‘Hey Tommy, how are you doing?’ and the blood just drained from his face, and he got up shaking – he must have been in mid-kill-me fantasy or something like that. And he went to hug me, and he said, ‘I hate you. I really don’t like you.’ And I said, ‘What’s the problem?’ and pulled up a chair, which probably wasn’t smart. And he said, ‘I cannot sanction your buffoonery.'”
The success of this film was quite important as 1992’s Batman Returns‘ darker tone didn’t work well with the audience. So, Tim Burton decided to step down and Joel Schumacher took his place. In the end, Jones and Carrey didn’t let their off-screen feud ruin the movie.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
