While I've never met the man, it wouldn't take much to sell me on the notion that working beside comedian Jim Carrey circa 1995 had the potential to be an exhausting endeavor. During that time in his career, the rubber-faced actor was notorious for being "always on," to the point where appearing beside him was considered by many to be an act of mental gymnastics unlike any other. Based on the stories I've heard throughout the years, Carrey's antics were reminiscent of the late Robin Williams, in that his ceaseless improvisation often lead to his co-stars feeling overshadowed by his outrageous persona.
Recently, seasoned actor Jim Carrey stopped by Norm MacDonald Live, and told the comic just how much Jones despised working with him on the set of Joel Schumacher's BATMAN FOREVER. As you know, Jones played the morallly-conflicted villain Two-Face in Schumacher's disaster of a Batman film, while Carrey suited up as the malevolently inquisitive Riddler for the better-off-being-forgotten big screen comic book adventure.
Carrey continued to talk about the experience on the program (which is set to air on Tuesday) by saying, "I was the star and that was the problem," Carrey guessed. "He's a phenomenal actor, though. I still love him."
As Carrey tells it, the situation reached a fevered pitch just before filming their "biggest scene together," when Carrey randomly popped into the same restaurant as Jones. "The maitre said, 'Oh, I hear you're working with Tommy Lee Jones. He's over in the corner having dinner.' I went over and I said, 'Hey Tommy, how are you doing?' and the blood just drained from his face," Carrey said. "And he got up shaking — he must have been in mid kill me fantasy or something like that. And he went to hug me and he said, 'I hate you. I really don't like you.' And I said, 'What's the problem?' and pulled up a chair, which probably wasn't smart. And he said, 'I cannot sanction your buffoonery.'"
While MacDonald proposed that Carrey's rising-stardom was the source of Jones' fury, Carrey offered another take on the situation by saying, "He might have been uncomfortable doing that work, too," he said. "That's not really his style of stuff."
Now, this isn't the first time I've heard this story, though it's interesting to hear Carrey's interpretation of the events for sure. I mean, can't we all just get along? I suppose not. After all, no one can ever take away your right to be an asshole, nor can they force you to enjoy someone's company when the chemistry simply does not exist. Who knows? Maybe Carrey and Jones will come to some form of a reconciliation in the future, but I won't be holding my breath for it to happen anytime soon.