Screen Tests: History of Jim Carrey Before He Was Ace Ventura

Jim Carrey is one of cinema's most recognized funnymen, bursting on the scene in the 1990s in a slew of comedy hits that redefined the genre. This 'overnight success' made him one of the most popular stars of the decade but it wasn't so easy. Here, we'll zoom in on 5 films before he became Ace Ventura, plotting his screen tests to 'sudden' success.

Carrey grew up in Ontario, Canada and had dreams of entertaining others from an early age, his father, even in tough times, helping to encourage his son to pursue this career. He worked as a stand-up comedian in open-mic and paid shows, eventually earning his way to the Johnny Carson show in the early 1980s, where doors began to open, though it would be a long decade before his true rise to fame began. Let's track that success.

Technically, Rubberface is not a film but a television movie and in fact, was not called Rubberface until after Carrey became well known, originally called Introducing Janet and starring Adah Glassbourg as an introverted but funny high school girl who befriends a struggling comic (Carrey). The movie was made for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and is only 48 minutes long, but, what's interesting about the film is how it reveals much that would become standard weapons in the Jim Carrey arsenal, from this flexible body movements to his many voices to his energizing momentum. It truly is like watching an origin story of a comedic hero in the making. This was still early though and he was yet to make an impression, his stand-up work getting him far more appearances.

After some television work and lots of stand-up gigs, Carrey was given the lead in the dark comedy Once Bitten, the story of a high school boy who is seduced by a hot blonde countess in a Hollywood nightclub. Problem is, she's a vampire and has passed it on to him. While Carrey to this point had only a few opportunities to be in front of the camera, this would mark his first starring role in a feature film, starring opposite Lauren Hutton no less. It was savaged by critics for being out of date and using the weak premise only to make a teen sex comedy without really delving too deeply into the characters, but audiences like it. Either way, Carrey can be seen flourishing, tweaking his style and while it's a lot more subdued that is ought to be and he is far more restrained than expected, for fans, it's a must see, simply to see Carrey work his magic in an early role.

The following year, Carrey landed a big role, though not the lead, in a new film by acclaimed filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola called Peggy Sue Got Married. That's huge. It starred up and coming heavyweights Nicolas Cage and Kathleen Turner in a story about an unhappy woman who is transported back in time to her high school senior year to be reminded of where she's come from. Carrey is Walter Getz, a friend and classmate, and is only in the film for a short time, but makes an impression in a semi-serious role that is hardly over-the-top, sowing seeds for the dramas to come perhaps. Trivia: Turner would show up years later in Carrey's comedy sequel Dumb and Dumber To (2014). Nice circle.

It would be two more years before his next film, but what a break. Dropping the comedy antics, Carrey is cast as Johnny Squares, a strung out pop-rock singer opposite Liam Neeson and the already iconic Clint Eastwood in his fifth and final role in the Dirty Harry series called The Dead Pool. Listed as 'James Carrey', Carrey's character is killed off early, his suspicious death on a movie set investigated by police. Carrey makes a strong impression here, going completely serious, convincing as a man hooked on drugs. It's good stuff and would lead to a short cameo in Eastwood's next film. Speaking of ...

Not long after The Dead Pool was released, next came this absurd comedy called Earth Girls are Easy, starring Geena Davis and Jeff Goldblum about three furry aliens traveling in space who intercept a transmission showing 'hairless females' and naturally, they become aroused. They head to Earth and make contact, shedding their fur and blending (mostly) in, fulfilling their desires. Ridiculous? You bet? Funny? Absolutely. It's now a cult classic, probably due to Carrey's presence, but it also put Carrey to work with co-star Damon Wayans, whose brothers would form in Living Color in 1990, casting Carrey in a full-time role as a sketch comedian. This would keep him busy and raise his profile until 1994 when everything would change.

In 1994, Carrey co-wrote and starred in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, a film that capitalized on everything he had become known for on In Living Color and reshaping it on screen to an international audience. It was a huge success and catapulted Carrey in to superstardom, with many around world truly get their first look at this whacky, bendable comedian who would seem to do anything for a laugh. He was an overnight sensation and it only took ...13 years.
LEARN MORE: Is Ace Ventura really who we think he his?