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.
Unstoppable
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.
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.
Mixed Reviews
While "Yes Man" was technically a commercial success, the critical feedback was a mixed bag. Fortunately for the audience, they could count on Jim Carrey’s hilarious antics for a good laugh, but people didn't take to the film's plot too much.
The film earned itself a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 46 percent rating, Metacritic also gave it a 46 out of 100. Even so, these reviews did not seem to affect commercial success strongly, and he ended up making 223.2 million dollars.
Behind The Laughter
While our favorite funny man has seen many Hollywood success, his personal life hasn't always been on the same winning streak. The actor has seen some heart-ache when it comes to his romantic life. But it sure has been a colorful one; Carrey has been linked to rocker Linda Ronstadt, Renee Zellwegger, Jenny McCarthy, and more.
It's no secret that the comedian has also struggled with emotional issues. It's because of this that his relationships have been somewhat rocky over the years. His partners have even described him as an extremely depressive person, a far cry from the Carrey we know on screen.