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Jeff Daniels says his agents initially did not want him to take the role in Dumb and Dumber
In a new interview, the actor notes that the 1994 film came at a time when he was known for serious roles
What’s more, it also starred Jim Carrey — who Daniels’ agents worried might overshadow him
Jeff Daniels is looking back on one of the most iconic roles of his career — and says that not everyone believed it was a good idea at the time.
At the time, Carrey, 64, was rapidly rising as a comedic force following the success of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, and Daniels’ agents worried that pairing him with such a popular comedic personality could backfire. Their primary concern was that Daniels, who had been building a reputation as a dramatic actor, might be overshadowed.
In a recent interview with Hour Detroit, the 71-year-old actor shared that his representatives had serious concerns about him starring in the 1994 comedy.
“I wanted to do comedy, and my agents tried to talk me out of it,” the actor told Hour Detroit.
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Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels Dumb and Dumber – 1994
Credit: Mark Fellman/New Line/Kobal/Shutterstock
Despite the warnings, Daniels chose to move forward with the project — a decision that would ultimately become one of the defining moments of his career. In Dumb and Dumber, Daniels starred as Harry Dunne opposite Carrey’s Lloyd Christmas, forming a now-classic comedic duo that leaned heavily into slapstick and outrageous scenarios.
The film also became a major box office hit and even spawned a sequel.
“We knew that 12-year-old boys would think it was Citizen Kane, but we weren’t prepared for the No. 1 movie for six weeks,” Daniels told Hour Detroit. “I still have the scrapbook of the 200 reviews for Dumb and Dumber, and there’s not one good one.”
In a 2019 interview with PEOPLE, Daniels acknowledged his agents didn’t initially want him to take the role, saying, “It was a rare time when I didn’t take their advice.”
“But their position was, ‘We are trying to turn you into a serious, dramatic actor. You can do a comedy, but you can’t do a dumb comedy that’s aimed at 12-year-old boys with the guy who just did Ace Ventura,’ ” he added.
He continued: “I had done some indies that didn’t make money because I loved the scripts and I knew I could do more and I knew I could do comedy. I figured if I could do Dumb and Dumber and stay with [Carrey], all the dramas I was doing and then have done subsequently, that’s range.”
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