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Sat 10 May 2025 16:59, UK
American comedian and screen icon Jim Carrey may be something of an estranged Hollywood star in modern cinema, but back in the 1990s, there was no name as pertinent. It took him a while to gain the fame he desired, but as soon as the touch paper of Carrey’s explosive talent was lit, he created a devastating shockwave that saw him become a nuclear talent, gathering up some of the most legendary roles of the decade.
Pivotal in the change in American comedy throughout the ‘90s, Carrey became known as the Hollywood face of funny, steadily growing into an international sensation alongside contemporary names such as Robin Williams, Chris Rock, Mike Myers, and Adam Sandler. He would need to start somewhere though, and like so many of those stars, that was in the comedy clubs of the big cities, using his physical comedy to provide a blessed relief from the run-of-the-mill stand-ups.
After making a name for himself at comedy clubs across Los Angeles in his youth, Carrey landed the lead in the NBC sitcom, The Duck Factory, sparking a fateful career in the industry spotlight. Performing on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Carrey’s impressions of Elvis Presley, Clint Eastwood, Bruce Dern and even E.T was met with rousing applause from audiences.
What followed in the late 1980s and ‘90s was a whirlwind of success for the young actor who quickly became Hollywood dynamite and an unlikely industry heartthrob, working alongside such filmmakers as Joel Schumacher, Peter Weir and Milos Forman.
Things got a little tougher for Carrey as he entered the 21st century, however, with the star struggling with the weight of Hollywood life. Experiencing sporadic success in the early century, the actor struggled to get back to his supremacy, and by the 2010s, he had become almost totally alienated from the industry.
A number of films attempted to get the comedy legend back to his feet, with the superhero comedy sequel Kick-Ass 2 being one of them. Satirising the world of comic book heroes, the 2013 movie starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloë Grace Moretz and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, was a blood-spatterd romp that focused on overtly stylised violence to try and gain box office ticket sales. The first movie was a huge success, but the sequel wasn’t as well-received as the celebrated original. Kick-Ass was indebted to the charm and charisma of the script with the follow-up being criticised for its overly violent nature.
Carrey wasn’t best pleased with this either, with the actor denouncing the “level of violence” that existed in the film shortly after the Sandy Hook shootings. Tweeting his thoughts on the matter, Carrey stated that he couldn’t support the movie, writing: “I did Kick-Ass 2 a month b4 Sandy Hook and now in all good conscience I cannot support that level of violence. My apologies to others involve[d] with the film. I am not ashamed of it, but recent events have caused a change in my heart”.
In response to Carrey’s comments at the time, the Kick-Ass 2 executive producer Mark Millar wrote on his blog: “[I’m] baffled by this sudden announcement as nothing seen in this picture wasn’t in the screenplay 18 months ago…Yes, the body count is very high, but a movie called Kick-Ass 2 really has to do what it says on the tin”.
Carrey’s comments never really came to much at the time, with many focusing on just how bad the sequel to Matthew Vaughn’s brilliant 2010 satire, truly was. It’s difficult to know exactly how Carrey now feels about the movie in comparison to the rest of his starry filmography, but judging by his comments, this is one picture he’d really rather not have done.
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