The iconic Disney role Jim Carrey turned down
America’s goofy comedy star Jim Carrey enjoyed his meteoric rise to superstardom as the pliable face behind iconic characters of the 1990s, such as Ace Ventura, Stanley Ipkis, the Joker, Lloyd Christmas and, of course, Ernie ‘Chip’ Douglas, the cable guy. As a modern answer to Charlie Chaplin, Carrey made his millions through physical comedy, namely a superhuman ability for wacky humour and uncanny impressions.
Carrey’s facial muscle command and slapstick sense of humour put him in good stead for a career in comedy from a young age. Although he was well aware of his abilities, it would take a hard graft over the 1980s before the real rewards were reaped. One of the most significant setbacks in Carrey’s early career, however, was a failed audition for Saturday Night Live.
Towards the end of the 1990s, Carrey sought to broaden his cinematic scope following a successful run in slapstick blockbusters. More serious, dramatic roles in films like Man on the Moon, The Truman Show and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind successfully balanced Carrey’s catalogue and proved that his skill set ventures far beyond physical comedy.
As one of the world’s most adored and revered comedy actors, Carrey has very little to regret, but his career could have taken an interesting turn had he pulled out of Tom Shadyac’s comedy classic of 2003, Bruce Almighty.
In the early 2000s, Carrey was allegedly in advanced talks to take on the central role of Captain Jack Sparrow in The Pirates of the Caribbean, the Disney franchise that was to kick off with The Curse of the Black Pearl in 2003. Intriguingly, Robert De Niro, not usually linked to comedic roles, had already been approached for the role but declined as he felt the movie would flop.
On the other hand, Carrey was enthusiastic about the role but was ultimately forced to pull out due to his commitments to Bruce Almighty. Eventually, director Gore Verbinski landed on Johnny Depp as the suitable candidate for Sparrow. Serendipitously, Depp had been in search of a family-friendly movie to take on following more adult-orientated endeavours of late, such as Blow and From Hell, and landed on a gold mine.
The Pirates of the Caribbean project was seen as a risk of sorts during production since it was the first movie to be based on a Disneyland ride, not the other way around. This, no doubt, played on De Niro’s mind when he was approached initially; however, after the first movie in the series brought in a staggering $654million at the box office on a $140million budget, such apprehensions were put to rest with a deal of regret ostensibly befalling De Niro and Carrey.
Watch the trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl below.
