Carrey’s incredible ability to go from comedy to drama kept being displayed. Carrey’s resume is filled with both. In the early 2000s, he went from “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” a kids movie based on Dr. Seuss’s book, to “The Majestic,” a drama about a blacklisted Hollywood writer who loses his memory.
Carrey’s career continued like this for some time. Another hugely daring film came in 2008, where he wowed audiences as a gay conman in “I Love You Phillip Morris,” in which he starred alongside the great Ewan Mcgregor.
Breaking The Mold
Today everybody knows the extent of Carrey's acting abilities, but it took some time for the actor to recognize that. What set him apart from other comedians was his incredible range and the versatility he had within the genre of comedy. He could go from the most physically absurd style to even surreal-type humor. Of course, he demonstrated just how dark and morose he could be too. "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" was Carrey's breakthrough moment in realistic drama.
The film starred the great Kate Winslet and was written by screenwriting legend Charlie Kaufman. It told the story of a terribly difficult breakup and how a man uses a new type of memory loss procedure to erase the memory of his ex-girlfriend literally. The breathtaking scenes both dramatically and cinematically elevated Carrey into a new status.
More Success
Of course, you can't wow them forever. Carrey had rightfully earned his spot in the hall of great actors, but as a comedian to his very core, the actor went back to good old funny movies. He would continue to land more comedies, some hits, and some, a little more lukewarm at the box office.
Some of these films included "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and "Fun with Dick and Jane." These were the quintessential Jim Carrey movies that people were guaranteed to love.
Working For Free
Hollywood is definitely known for the big bucks, with actors making tons of money from movies, commonly in the millions. In today’s world, A-list actors are some of the highest earners in the world. Historically it wasn't always like this, and the biggest stars in Hollywood ended up being seriously underpaid.
Jim Carrey happened to be an example of this. At least initially. For the film "Yes Man," he did not get a cent upfront. Later it turned to be a real success, and the actor ended up making $35 million from the movie after its box office success.
Being a Yes Man
There was a reason this happened, and it was actually due to his personal choice. Before "Yes Man," Carrey made a film called "Fun with Dick and Jane" starring Tea Leoni. It had a $100 million budget and was written by Judd Apatow. The 2005 film had a lot going for it, but it turned out to be a total flop and lost millions at the box office.
For "Yes Man," Jim Carrey refused upfront payment for the movie, meaning he shot a whole movie without getting any salary. What he did do, which was rather clever, was that he negotiated for 36.2 percent of the movie's profits. That good thinking got him roughly $30 million.