Jim Carrey: I Had My Own 'Ghost of Christmas Future' Moment

Parade - November 3, 2009 12:40 PM PST
Story photo: Jim Carrey: I Had My Own 'Ghost of Christmas Future' MomentJim Carrey (Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images)Parade
By Jeanne Wolf

Jim Carrey is once again exploring the dark side of Christmas. He stole the holiday as the Grinch and now in "A Christmas Carol," he's the legendary Dickensian character who turned his back on good cheer and helping others until he faced his own morality.

Parade.com's Jeanne Wolf probed the serious side of the wild comic.

He can be a quiet man: "I'm at a very manic level when I'm working, but when I'm home I try to have a very peaceful world and live a healthy life. I have my spirituality. I have my motorcycles. I have a lot of different things in my life that bring me a lot of peace."

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What really bugs him: "I get upset about controlling little things. Huge things I can let go of. I don't sweat my career, but when I have to deal with the cap on the toothpaste that doesn't go my way, look out! That's when my angst comes out. It's the stupid little things like the stereo not working."

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Coming to terms with Oscar snubs: "What's important to me is the long haul. It's a strange thing, but sometimes I think that God is somehow fashioning my life so that I stay interested and stay hungry. I played at the Comedy Store for 12 years and got standing ovations every night, but I couldn't find my picture on the wall anywhere. Every comedian but me had their picture up, and yet I was the one they were coming back to see. After having some success, I went back and there's a giant neon picture of my face. So it was after the fact that I got the recognition. And that's OK with me because I like to stay hungry and keep having to prove myself. It's a good thing."

His own Ebenezer Scrooge moment: "I certainly had times where things were kind of going south, and I had the opportunity to see how horrible things could have gotten without actually going there. I can't get into specifics, but I had my Ghost of Christmas Future at a certain point in my life, and I went like, 'Oh, wow. OK. I gotta really start caring about the right things here.'"

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Some things can't be valued just in dollars: "I would never qualify or quantify any project or piece of art. Van Gogh didn't sell a painting while he was alive. If a movie makes everybody a gajillion dollars, great, I'm happy -- everybody hits the jackpot and that's a wonderful thing. But God, if you start doing it because of that or second-guess what that's about, then you become so boring as an artist. I'd rather face financial failure."

Keeping his fame in perspective: "I feel like I could be working in a factory where I kind of started out loading trucks. Honestly, I don't have any perspective on it. It's just kind of one thing to the next. It's trying to do work and trying to have fun with what's in front of me. I have to go to that place of, 'I'm gonna try to enjoy every person who's in front of me in that moment, and try and live that way.' That's what I do. So I don't really think about anything iconic."

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  • Mommy_Kat
    noudidnt - you sound a bit jealous of his talent and ambition. Get over yourself, put in some hard work, and maybe you won't suck for the rest of your life.
    report abuseposted November 4, 2009 12:34 PM PST
  • dkdkdkdd
    He looks like Pavarotti in that picture.
    report abuseposted November 4, 2009 10:52 AM PST
  • noudidnt
    Susie ...I thought McCarthy's kid was suddenly "cured" of his autism??? Carrey has his "spirituality" What exactlty does that mean?.....in his case probably worships himself!!.... I wish Carrey was still working in that factory!!!
    report abuseposted November 4, 2009 9:43 AM PST
  • Susie
    Hes a vaccine objector? really? Do you know why? Probably not.His girlfriends child has autisum as does my nephew and they are starting to believe that it stems from childhood vaccines,so I do believe children should get vaccines but parents should be informed of the possible effects.
    report abuseposted November 4, 2009 9:19 AM PST
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    report abuseposted November 4, 2009 8:08 AM PST
  • Black Steve-O
    Stupid vaccine-objector. Thanks for being a part of the polio "welcome-back" party.
    report abuseposted November 4, 2009 7:02 AM PST
  • Linda
    love jim carrey so funny!!!!
    report abuseposted November 4, 2009 7:00 AM PST
  • Linda
    love jim carrey so funny!!!!
    report abuseposted November 4, 2009 7:00 AM PST
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    report abuseposted November 4, 2009 2:23 AM PST
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    report abuseposted November 3, 2009 9:54 PM PST
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