Jim Carrey is arguably one of the most successful actors in Hollywood, though it’s no secret that his career has slowed down over the years quite a bit. Having landed his big break in the 1994 comedy Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Carrey quickly became one of the highest-earning stars, commanding up to $20 million per motion picture. The 59-year-old went on to star in a string of successful blockbuster flicks including Bruce Almighty, The Mask, Dumb and Dumber, Fun with Dick and Jane, and The Truman Show, to name a few, but Carrey has since admitted that his passion for filmmaking has since subsided.
Acting no longer takes the forefront for him, and neither does the money he could be making by agreeing to a bunch of roles he probably wouldn’t really want to play, to begin with. He’s amassed an impressive $180 million and has been a staple in the movie industry since the early ‘90s, so can we really blame Carrey for wanting to focus his attention on other things in life other than making movies?
Updated on April 21, 2022: Jim Carrey has actually been in the news quite a bit these days. First, he made headlines for strongly criticizing Will Smith's behavior at the Oscars. Many people were quick to point out that Carrey had a history of inappropriate behavior at awards shows too, so maybe he shouldn't be talking on this issue.
Then, Carrey's newest big-budget feature film, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, came out to mixed reviews from critics. Shortly thereafter, Carrey announced that he was planning to step away from acting and would probably retire. In just a few short years, Carrey went from having largely disappeared from Hollywood to becoming the talk of the town once again, only to quickly decide to retire.
What’s Jim Carrey Doing These Days?
In a 2018 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the comedian shared he’d somewhat lost his passion for the film industry, so he decided to gradually step back, which has allowed him to explore other creative outlets. “I just didn’t want to be in the business anymore. I didn’t like what was happening, the corporations taking over and all that,” Carrey expressed to the publication.
“And maybe it’s because I felt pulled toward a different type of creative outlet and I really liked the control of painting — of not having a committee in the way telling me what the idea must be to appeal to a four-quadrant whatever.” The actor made somewhat of a comeback with Showtime’s 2018 series Kidding, so when asked how he felt about coming out of his lengthy hiatus to take on the character Jeff Pickles for the two-season television show, he said, “I’m not back in the same way.
“I don’t feel I’m little Jim trying to hang on to a place in the stratosphere anymore — I don’t feel like I’m trying to hold on to anything.” Some of his recent projects that have fared well at the box office include Dumb and Dumber to, and 2020’s Sonic the Hedgehog, which has already wrapped filming for its upcoming 2022 sequel — and yes, Carrey will reprise his role as Dr. Ivo Robotnik. It’s also been speculated whether or not Carrey’s fallen star power could have also been the force behind his decision to step back from Hollywood, as perhaps the roles were no longer as lucrative as they once were.
When Carrey was cast in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, he was paid a whopping $20 million, making him one of the best-paid actors of that year. Not only was the movie deal lucrative, but it was also a role that was sure to challenge Carrey’s acting abilities given that he was contractually obliged to spend 10 hours in hair and makeup each day before filming commenced while embodying a mean, sob-nosed creature.
The role was different from what Carrey had done in the past, that’s for sure. But it’s no secret that once actors reach a certain age in Hollywood, they start getting all the typecast roles and the pay takes a drastic cut too.
Some Of His Recent Projects Haven't Done So Well
We can’t confirm whether this was the case for Carrey, but we also can’t deny that there had been some projects in recent years he had done that didn’t do so well at the box office. 2016’s The Bad Batch, for example, was not the blockbuster hit fans were hoping for, earning a measly $200,000 worldwide despite its star-studded cast including Suki Waterhouse, Jason Mom, and Keanu Reeves. Aside from starring on Showtime’s Kidding, which ended in 2020, Carrey enjoyed a year-long stint on NBC’s Saturday Night Live that same year, playing Joe Biden for a whopping six episodes.
As previously mentioned, he has already wrapped filming for Sonic the Hedgehog 2, so while he may not be an actor that gets talked about a lot anymore, Carrey is definitely still working — he’s just very picky with the projects he takes on. Some of his other notable film salaries include $20 million for How The Grinch Stole Christmas, $35 million for 2008’s Yes Man, and another $20 million for the first installment of Sonic. With all the money he’s made, Carrey honestly doesn’t even need to work anymore. His highest-grossing movie is Bruce Almighty, which pulled in over $470 million at the box office worldwide. Rumor has it that a sequel has been discussed in the past but nothing has been set in stone just yet.