Jim Carrey is known for his comedic roles in films such as The Mask, Liar Liar, and the Ace Ventura series. Popular for his intense physical comedy and loud expressions, Carrey was extremely popular in the early ‘90s and even ventured into dramatic territory with films like The Truman Show and The Majestic.
Before he had his breakthrough with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, however, he was a stand-up comedian and struggling actor. Carrey credited actor and filmmaker Clint Eastwood for giving him a chance in his Dirty Harry series as a heroin-addicted rockstar named Johnny Squares. He even mentioned how impressed Eastwood was with his audition tape.
Jim Carrey Showed His Gratitude For Clint Eastwood As He Gave Him A Small Role
Clint Eastwood has an eye for talent like no other filmmaker. He has chosen many talented artists to headline his films despite being a huge star himself. Actors like Sean Penn, Paul Walter Hauser, Morgan Freeman, Bradley Cooper, Hillary Swank, and more have received acclaim for their performances in films directed by Eastwood.
Even in supporting roles, Eastwood seemed to have a good eye. His 1988 procedural film The Dead Pool, which was part of his Dirty Harry franchise, reportedly saw multiple future stars doing small roles. Apart from Liam Neeson and Patricia Clarkson, the film also saw one of the earliest appearances of Jim Carrey before he hit it big with Ace Ventura.
Carrey played the role of Johnny Squares, a heroin-addicted rockstar who dies at the beginning of the film. Though the role was small, Carrey had plenty of scope to perform. The actor showed his gratitude to Clint Eastwood at the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony for choosing him for the role,
At the time, I was a struggling actor, and I was cast to play the part of a crazed drug-fiend rockstar named Johnny Squares in the Dirty Harry film named The Dead Pool…when I finally met Clint, he just said to me [does Clint Eastwood impression], ‘I…loved that [audition] tape. And I showed it to all my friends.’
The actor mentioned that he had gone to huge extremes on his audition tape and had even spit into the camera. While he was worried that he might have taken it too far, Eastwood’s reassurance reportedly gave him confidence.
Clint Eastwood Allowed Jim Carrey To Go Crazy In Front of The Camera
Jim Carrey is known for his no-inhibition act on screen. Examples of his range of physical comedy can be seen in movies like Ace Ventura and The Mask where he does all sorts of antics that make audiences laugh out loud. Similarly, the actor reportedly came to the set of Clint Eastwood’s The Dead Pool with a bunch of ideas.
While his role was limited and he even dies in the early parts of the movie, Eastwood reportedly allowed him to give whatever he had in mind a go in front of the camera,
On the first day of shooting, I showed up with all these wild ideas. I said, ‘I have a ton of ideas I wanna try out, Mr. Eastwood, if you don’t mind.’…I was expecting a little bit of resistance, but Clint just looked at me, and looked at the producer David Valdes, and said [does Clint Eastwood impression], ‘Well, maybe we’ll just turn the camera on and…let him go.’
While Carrey admitted that he was overprepared for a role that was barely in the film for a few minutes, he was still grateful to the veteran filmmaker for giving him the space.