15 Surprising Facts About Jim Carrey

Before becoming one of Hollywood's highest-paid actors, Jim Carrey had a difficult youth. His family struggled financially, and when he was a teenager they lost their home. For a while the family lived in a camper van, and Jim and his siblings worked as janitors in a factory. This hard period helped shape his perseverance and humor.

In the early nineties, while still struggling to break through, Jim Carrey wrote himself a check for 10 million dollars 'for acting services rendered', postdated to 1995. He kept it in his wallet as motivation, and the dream came true when he earned that amount for Dumb and Dumber.

Jim Carrey auditioned for Saturday Night Live in the early eighties but was turned down. Ironically, he went on to become one of the biggest comedians of his generation.

Jim's father, Percy Carrey, was a talented musician but chose a 'safe' job as an accountant to support his family. When he lost that job, the family fell into poverty. It taught Jim an important lesson: you can fail at what you don't want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love.

As a child, Jim Carrey was known for his impressions and funny faces. At ten he sent his résumé to The Carol Burnett Show, and at fifteen he began doing stand-up in Toronto, where he was booed at first but later became a local star.

Despite his comic image, Jim Carrey has battled depression for years. He took antidepressants for a time but later stopped and chose meditation and a healthier lifestyle to improve his mental wellbeing.

In 2015, Carrey's former girlfriend Cathriona White died by suicide. Lawsuits were later filed against him, claiming he had supplied the medication involved. Carrey denied the claims and the cases were eventually dropped, but the tragedy had a huge impact on his life.

According to various reports, Jim Carrey was among the actors considered for Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean before Johnny Depp got the role, which became one of the most iconic in film history.

In recent years, Jim Carrey has said several times that he sees Hollywood, fame and even identity as an 'illusion', leading to some famously bizarre interviews in which he spoke about his spiritual insights.

For his role as Andy Kaufman in Man on the Moon (1999), Carrey completely immersed himself in the character and stayed in character throughout production. The documentary Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond shows how intense and uncomfortable this method acting was for cast and crew.

During a break from Hollywood, Jim Carrey devoted himself to painting. His works are often politically charged and full of social commentary, painted in an expressive, colorful style.

After filming Kick-Ass 2 (2013), Carrey publicly distanced himself from the film, saying that after the Sandy Hook shooting he could no longer support its level of violence. Remarkable, since he played a big role in it.

Jim Carrey has spoken openly about experiences that changed his worldview and led to a spiritual awakening. This has contributed greatly to his current philosophical and spiritual outlook.

After years of stepping back, Jim Carrey made a surprising comeback in 2020 as Dr. Robotnik in Sonic the Hedgehog. The film was an unexpected success and showed his unique energy is still loved by audiences.