When it comes to celebrities and those who live inside the gates of Hollywood, it would seem that the skeletons in their closets find a way out eventually. The mightiest fall the fastest and those who were known as the kindest, possess the most darkness. Unfortunately, very rarely is someone exempt from this, and Jim Carrey was not fortunate enough.
Carrey is a comedic icon, having revolutionized the genre and established himself as a talented actor in several genres. Despite this, there have been more than a few questionable moments in his career.
The one that immediately comes to mind is the transphobic themes of his 1994 film, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. As well as the fact that he supported these themes in 2019.
Jim Carrey and the Controversy Surrounding Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
In Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, there is a scene involving a transwoman that stirred a lot of controversy, even at the time of its release. In it, there is a point where Jim Carrey’s character interacts with the queer woman, played by Sean Young. Here, he strips the woman and exposes her to onlookers, causing them to react in a disgusted manner.
Not only was the scene criticized, but in an interview at the time with the Los Angeles Times, he mentioned that he wanted to have an extreme reaction to ‘kissing a man’ misgendering his co-star and the character in the film.
“I wanted to keep the action unreal and over the top. When it came time to do my reaction to kissing a man, I wanted it to be the biggest, most obnoxious, homophobic reaction ever recorded. It’s so ridiculous it can’t be taken seriously–even though it guarantees that somebody’s going to be offended.” said Carrey.
However, when it comes to older movies and series, one often has to watch them with a grain of salt. Times were a lot different, and people were okay with joking about a lot of things that would not pass today. While a lot of work was a product of their times, apologizing to the people they upset at the time and taking responsibility often absolved the matter.
This was not the approach Jim Carrey took.
What Did Jim Carrey Have to Say About The Scene?
One would assume that since many years have passed and knowledge has become readily available for such matters, Jim Carrey would have changed his perspective on the situation. However, during a 2019 interview at the Television Critics Association, via CheatSheet, his thoughts on the matter did not change much.
Still referring to Sean Young’s character as male, he continued to misgender his co-star and character. Additionally, he still stood by making queer people the butt of his jokes, something that has not been appreciated by the media in recent times.
“That was an honest completely homophobic reaction from that character. It was basically making fun of homophobia. It’s ridiculous. I’ve got a plunger on my face because I kissed a dude.”
Although the actor was trying to claim that the film was making fun of homophobia as a concept, that would imply that the character was a man and not a transwoman, which would make his comments transphobic.
