Jim Carrey is of course known as one of the funniest people on the planet. He first came to fame doing nutty features like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and The Mask. In recent years he has really expanded his repertoire with movies such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events.
His latest picture, Fun with Dick and Jane, is a return to form because it is pure wacky nuttiness. Dick [Jim Carrey] and Jane [Ta Leoni] are in love and living the American dream. But then the company Dick works for becomes involved in an Enron-like scandal and he is confronted with the prospect of losing everything. Now Dick and Jane are forced to steal to get it all back.
Check out the official site for Fun with Dick and Jane
Daniel Robert Epstein: What made you want to remake this film?
Jim Carrey: I do think it is odd to remake a movie when the original was made in 1977. But I think it is more relevant now that it was then because of Enron and all those corporate scams that have gone on. I thought it was a perfect and fun idea. The bottom line is that its a really cool backdrop and it is socially conscious but mostly it is just fun. It is about two people breaking their chains, throwing caution to the wind and throwing the rules out the window which we cant do in out lives. I can, but you guys cant.
DRE: [director] Dean Parisot has done a lot of television. What made you want to work with him?
JC: I wanted to do something with Dean. I thought Galaxy Quest was very good. For what it was it had a great cast and it was a really funny movie. From that I knew he has a lot of talent and knows what is funny.
DRE: Could you talk about all the reshoots for this film?
JC: A lot of people make a big deal about that stuff but to me thats just part of the process. You know when you put a play up, you take it out of town and you rewrite and you fix it up until its ready to come to Broadway. For me it is the end product thats important. After some screenings we thought of a bunch of things that would make it funnier. There were some things that we wanted to take in different directions. The bottom line to just make it as funny as possible.
DRE: What was your favorite costume?
JC: The Cher thing was pretty fun. Just trying to hide the lump was an experience.
DRE: Its the same for her.
JC: Oh man. You said that, ok? I dont want her coming to my house.
My daughter came to visit me on the set when I was dressed as Cher. She was like, Dad, this is going to cause damage. You are the ugliest woman I have ever seen in my life. I gained a lot of respect for women in their high heels. It is a torture chamber. They were like a good four inches so I was in extreme agony.
DRE: Did you practice in them?
JC: I was strutting but it just didnt look good.
DRE: How was it working with Ta Leoni?
JC: Shes incredible and shell go anywhere and do anything. Shes not afraid to look silly and shes an incredibly talented actor. I think our relationship comes off real. There are moments in it, where even though its completely silly, where you stop and go, Hey wait a second. Theres real love here. It was important to me to have somebody who could give it authenticity as well as be insane.
DRE: Can bank robbing spice up your sex life?
JC: I think a little bad is good. Im not sure about the bank-robbing thing. But I dont think were going to have that problem with this movie. No one is going to walk out of this movie and rob a 7-11. Just in case were going to put switches at the concession stand so they can whip themselves if they have bad thoughts.
DRE: Judd Apatow worked on the script for this movie and youve known Judd for 20 years. Sometimes when two people work together on something that isnt considered successful, like you two did on The Cable Guy, you never see them work together again.
JC: I love The Cable Guy!
DRE: I do too. But what does Judd bring to the table?
JC: I need Judd. We practically started out together. For years I was an impressionist and I stopped doing that for a couple of years. Then I came back as a standup trying to discover myself. Judd was the one that was running around telling people, If he doesnt clear the room because of some horrible thing he says, hes really wonderful to watch. He was my champion and we started writing together before In Living Color and weve been writing together ever since. Practically everything I do I try to get Judd on.
DRE: As you get older do you want to do less physical comedy?
JC: Im a Capricorn Aquarius cusp, man. Im better in the second half. I keep myself in shape. I feel good. I can do some crazy stuff. Nothings too brittle yet.
DRE: Did you take any bad falls during the production of Fun with Dick and Jane?
JC: I always hurt myself during a movie. I get low-grade injuries all the time. Thats just comes with the territory. On Me, Myself and Irene I did the entire movie on a severely sprained ankle and was bruised from head to foot. Im always banging myself up. Its like the X Games.
DRE: How much improv was there in Dick and Jane?
JC: The one scene where I am robbing the house and I have on the voice box there is at least an hour and a half of footage of me just torturing him. I had so much fun. I had a blast with those little stupid voice boxes. Theyre ridiculous. The prop guys had them and we put them on and it became the joke. I think we really showed how fun a home invasion can be.
DRE: I got to interview Woody Allen earlier this year
JC: Quit bragging.
DRE: I asked him if he would ever do standup again and he said that he would like to but that it is a lot more work than making a movie. Would you ever do standup again?
JC: I cant really say when the urge will take me but I wouldnt be against it. I dont have a burning desire to do it though I have many things that pop up in my head that would be great. But I get to vent my creativity in many ways and Ill go on Letterman, Leno and Conan and have fun doing that kind of stuff there. It is just like anything, youre either painting with oils or pastels or watercolors. It is different medium but Im just doing the same thing, only now I write and perform in the movies.
DRE: What excited you about making Ripleys Believe It or Not?
JC: Working with Tim Burton. Ive always wanted to work with Tim Burton. Hes a genius. We met when I was in Paris and when you meet somebody you really admire youre always a little nervous about whether or not they will like you. We had such a great time and I dont think anybody could do the freaks better than he could. Im going to be surrounded by a bunch of misfits in the movie and I just think its going to be wonderful. Were going to start shooting sometime in the next fall.
DRE: What do you play in The Number 23?
JC: Im an animal control officer in The Number 23.
DRE: What drew you to that?
JC: The movie is really about obsession and Ive had an obsession with the number 23 for years. After one of my best friends in Canada turned me onto it I see it everywhere. Hes been writing down 23 related things forever. The earths axis is 23, the human body has 46 chromosomes, the Hiroshima bomb landed at 8:15 and you can go on and on. There are actually societies out there that follow 23. I even changed the name of my company to JC23 a couple years ago because for me, it culminated in the 23rd psalm, which is about living without fear. I was explaining this to somebody and they said, I just read a script called The Number 23 so I had to read it. I couldnt put it down. Its so interesting and its so compelling. I want to turn the audience into these people that see 23 everywhere.
DRE: Do you believe in numerology?
JC: Not necessarily. I just think theres a little something to everything. To me 23 is a good thing. The pope died at 2:37 Eastern Standard Time. Those kinds of things pop up everyday of my life. Its always like that. Those things go on in my head and I have to put them somewhere.
DRE: How do you balance the wackier roles with more serious fare like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind?
JC: Im just looking to do good work. I love telling stories and I love losing myself in a character and if somebody told me, that I had to lose 50 pounds and be emaciated then Im like Great lets do it! Im always in that place of dissatisfaction with this art form. Sometimes there are glimpses of things I like but for the most part I want to know whats going to make the audience blow up.
DRE: Once you made it big did you ever want to go rub it in the face of those that had wronged you in the past?
JC: Sometimes are moments like Ill show them but then by the time you get the opportunity to actually show them, youre over it. Im cool with myself and Im happy with where I am. I dont think Ive ever had a moment where I actually said to a person you know like, See? You didnt know and I told you and I showed you. Theres just no room in my life for that.
DRE: If you got a tattoo what would it be?
JC: The tortoise and the hare.
DRE: Why?
JC: Because Im the tortoise.
DRE: Who is the hare?
JC: There have been many hares. Many hares have come and gone. It means that Im in it for the long haul. Someday youre going to look up and Ill be 80 years old and still doing movies.
DRE: You seem to have really put a lot of thought into your tattoo.
JC: It has entered my mind, absolutely. I live at a very manic level when Im working and when Im home its a very peaceful world. I live a very healthy life and Im really about my spirituality. I have my interests like my motorcycles. I have a lot of different things in my life that are fun but there has to be balance. Sometimes I think that God is fashioning it so that I do stay interested and do stay hungry and thats why I played at the Comedy Store for 12 years solid and got standing ovations every night but yet my picture wasnt up on the wall. Then at a certain point I went back to the Comedy Store and as you walk in the front door of the main room theres a giant neon picture of my face. Its after the fact that I got the recognition and thats okay with me because I like to stay hungry and have to keep proving myself.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
His latest picture, Fun with Dick and Jane, is a return to form because it is pure wacky nuttiness. Dick [Jim Carrey] and Jane [Ta Leoni] are in love and living the American dream. But then the company Dick works for becomes involved in an Enron-like scandal and he is confronted with the prospect of losing everything. Now Dick and Jane are forced to steal to get it all back.
Check out the official site for Fun with Dick and Jane
Daniel Robert Epstein: What made you want to remake this film?
Jim Carrey: I do think it is odd to remake a movie when the original was made in 1977. But I think it is more relevant now that it was then because of Enron and all those corporate scams that have gone on. I thought it was a perfect and fun idea. The bottom line is that its a really cool backdrop and it is socially conscious but mostly it is just fun. It is about two people breaking their chains, throwing caution to the wind and throwing the rules out the window which we cant do in out lives. I can, but you guys cant.
DRE: [director] Dean Parisot has done a lot of television. What made you want to work with him?
JC: I wanted to do something with Dean. I thought Galaxy Quest was very good. For what it was it had a great cast and it was a really funny movie. From that I knew he has a lot of talent and knows what is funny.
DRE: Could you talk about all the reshoots for this film?
JC: A lot of people make a big deal about that stuff but to me thats just part of the process. You know when you put a play up, you take it out of town and you rewrite and you fix it up until its ready to come to Broadway. For me it is the end product thats important. After some screenings we thought of a bunch of things that would make it funnier. There were some things that we wanted to take in different directions. The bottom line to just make it as funny as possible.
DRE: What was your favorite costume?
JC: The Cher thing was pretty fun. Just trying to hide the lump was an experience.
DRE: Its the same for her.
JC: Oh man. You said that, ok? I dont want her coming to my house.
My daughter came to visit me on the set when I was dressed as Cher. She was like, Dad, this is going to cause damage. You are the ugliest woman I have ever seen in my life. I gained a lot of respect for women in their high heels. It is a torture chamber. They were like a good four inches so I was in extreme agony.
DRE: Did you practice in them?
JC: I was strutting but it just didnt look good.
DRE: How was it working with Ta Leoni?
JC: Shes incredible and shell go anywhere and do anything. Shes not afraid to look silly and shes an incredibly talented actor. I think our relationship comes off real. There are moments in it, where even though its completely silly, where you stop and go, Hey wait a second. Theres real love here. It was important to me to have somebody who could give it authenticity as well as be insane.
DRE: Can bank robbing spice up your sex life?
JC: I think a little bad is good. Im not sure about the bank-robbing thing. But I dont think were going to have that problem with this movie. No one is going to walk out of this movie and rob a 7-11. Just in case were going to put switches at the concession stand so they can whip themselves if they have bad thoughts.
DRE: Judd Apatow worked on the script for this movie and youve known Judd for 20 years. Sometimes when two people work together on something that isnt considered successful, like you two did on The Cable Guy, you never see them work together again.
JC: I love The Cable Guy!
DRE: I do too. But what does Judd bring to the table?
JC: I need Judd. We practically started out together. For years I was an impressionist and I stopped doing that for a couple of years. Then I came back as a standup trying to discover myself. Judd was the one that was running around telling people, If he doesnt clear the room because of some horrible thing he says, hes really wonderful to watch. He was my champion and we started writing together before In Living Color and weve been writing together ever since. Practically everything I do I try to get Judd on.
DRE: As you get older do you want to do less physical comedy?
JC: Im a Capricorn Aquarius cusp, man. Im better in the second half. I keep myself in shape. I feel good. I can do some crazy stuff. Nothings too brittle yet.
DRE: Did you take any bad falls during the production of Fun with Dick and Jane?
JC: I always hurt myself during a movie. I get low-grade injuries all the time. Thats just comes with the territory. On Me, Myself and Irene I did the entire movie on a severely sprained ankle and was bruised from head to foot. Im always banging myself up. Its like the X Games.
DRE: How much improv was there in Dick and Jane?
JC: The one scene where I am robbing the house and I have on the voice box there is at least an hour and a half of footage of me just torturing him. I had so much fun. I had a blast with those little stupid voice boxes. Theyre ridiculous. The prop guys had them and we put them on and it became the joke. I think we really showed how fun a home invasion can be.
DRE: I got to interview Woody Allen earlier this year
JC: Quit bragging.
DRE: I asked him if he would ever do standup again and he said that he would like to but that it is a lot more work than making a movie. Would you ever do standup again?
JC: I cant really say when the urge will take me but I wouldnt be against it. I dont have a burning desire to do it though I have many things that pop up in my head that would be great. But I get to vent my creativity in many ways and Ill go on Letterman, Leno and Conan and have fun doing that kind of stuff there. It is just like anything, youre either painting with oils or pastels or watercolors. It is different medium but Im just doing the same thing, only now I write and perform in the movies.
DRE: What excited you about making Ripleys Believe It or Not?
JC: Working with Tim Burton. Ive always wanted to work with Tim Burton. Hes a genius. We met when I was in Paris and when you meet somebody you really admire youre always a little nervous about whether or not they will like you. We had such a great time and I dont think anybody could do the freaks better than he could. Im going to be surrounded by a bunch of misfits in the movie and I just think its going to be wonderful. Were going to start shooting sometime in the next fall.
DRE: What do you play in The Number 23?
JC: Im an animal control officer in The Number 23.
DRE: What drew you to that?
JC: The movie is really about obsession and Ive had an obsession with the number 23 for years. After one of my best friends in Canada turned me onto it I see it everywhere. Hes been writing down 23 related things forever. The earths axis is 23, the human body has 46 chromosomes, the Hiroshima bomb landed at 8:15 and you can go on and on. There are actually societies out there that follow 23. I even changed the name of my company to JC23 a couple years ago because for me, it culminated in the 23rd psalm, which is about living without fear. I was explaining this to somebody and they said, I just read a script called The Number 23 so I had to read it. I couldnt put it down. Its so interesting and its so compelling. I want to turn the audience into these people that see 23 everywhere.
DRE: Do you believe in numerology?
JC: Not necessarily. I just think theres a little something to everything. To me 23 is a good thing. The pope died at 2:37 Eastern Standard Time. Those kinds of things pop up everyday of my life. Its always like that. Those things go on in my head and I have to put them somewhere.
DRE: How do you balance the wackier roles with more serious fare like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind?
JC: Im just looking to do good work. I love telling stories and I love losing myself in a character and if somebody told me, that I had to lose 50 pounds and be emaciated then Im like Great lets do it! Im always in that place of dissatisfaction with this art form. Sometimes there are glimpses of things I like but for the most part I want to know whats going to make the audience blow up.
DRE: Once you made it big did you ever want to go rub it in the face of those that had wronged you in the past?
JC: Sometimes are moments like Ill show them but then by the time you get the opportunity to actually show them, youre over it. Im cool with myself and Im happy with where I am. I dont think Ive ever had a moment where I actually said to a person you know like, See? You didnt know and I told you and I showed you. Theres just no room in my life for that.
DRE: If you got a tattoo what would it be?
JC: The tortoise and the hare.
DRE: Why?
JC: Because Im the tortoise.
DRE: Who is the hare?
JC: There have been many hares. Many hares have come and gone. It means that Im in it for the long haul. Someday youre going to look up and Ill be 80 years old and still doing movies.
DRE: You seem to have really put a lot of thought into your tattoo.
JC: It has entered my mind, absolutely. I live at a very manic level when Im working and when Im home its a very peaceful world. I live a very healthy life and Im really about my spirituality. I have my interests like my motorcycles. I have a lot of different things in my life that are fun but there has to be balance. Sometimes I think that God is fashioning it so that I do stay interested and do stay hungry and thats why I played at the Comedy Store for 12 years solid and got standing ovations every night but yet my picture wasnt up on the wall. Then at a certain point I went back to the Comedy Store and as you walk in the front door of the main room theres a giant neon picture of my face. Its after the fact that I got the recognition and thats okay with me because I like to stay hungry and have to keep proving myself.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
VIEW 16 of 16 COMMENTS
the Cher thing is hilarious