Jeff Daniels has established himself as a prominent figure in the acting industry through his work on both stage and screen. His versatility is evident in the wide array of genres he has explored, particularly gaining fame for his roles in both comedy and drama.
Having begun his career in the 1970s, his career eventually took off in the 1980s. Back in 1994, he starred alongside Jim Carrey in the cult classic, Dumb and Dumber, which failed to captivate the critics, resulting in low ratings.
Since a project stays forever with the artist, Daniels, too, had to bear the consequences, but he never failed ashamed of his involvement in the movie. And he has a good reason for the same!
Jeff Daniels Got Candid About Working in Jim Carrey’s Dumb and Dumber
It has been three decades since the release of the cult classic, Dumb and Dumber movie but it remains one of the best comedy films of that era.
As the movie gets 30 years old, Jeff Daniels got candid about working on the project, revealing why he never felt tired of talking about the classic film.
In Jake’s Takes, the host asked about his opinions on how he never treated that movie as a “stupid movie” that he worked on in his early career which is often evident among actors. He responded,
“Because comedy deserves that and comedy is harder to do.”
He continued,
“The Precision that comedy requires, the timing that it requires, not every everybody has that and when you’re in a movie with Jim Carrey who’s a comedic genius, you’ve got to ride him.”
He further shared that the project was just like any other he had done before which “just happened to be funny.” He added,
“I loved pulling it off and I love that it’s still making people laugh.”
He further reflected on how he has received several compliments from others, who all shared that the 1994 is their favorite movie. Daniels is surely the best casting to play Harry Dunne in the movie, who even left his co-star intimidated.
Jeff Daniels’ Dumb and Dumber Audition Intimidated Jim Carrey
Carrey has been one of Hollywood’s most notable faces of comedy thanks to his successful projects. A key factor that has made him reign in the comedy world is his unique acting style, which is quite difficult to match.
But, it was Daniels, whose acting prowess not only intimidated the former but also proved others wrong, who doubted his potential to star in a comedy project.
In an interview with CinemaBlend’s ReelBlend podcast, movie director Peter Farrelly reflected on how he had to convince New Line Cinema, a distribution partner to have a serious actor like Daniels in the movie.
When he suggested having him for the project, the studio decided to make him read with The Mask actor.
“We had to have Jim read with him. They made him come in and read, which I was embarrassed about. I would never have Jeff Daniels read. He’d earned just to get an offer. But he read, and I remember he walked out and Jim was like, ‘That’s the guy.’ He goes, ‘That guy scared me. … He had me on my heels the whole time.’”
He continued,
“Jeff freaked him out. Like he was pushing back in ways where, Jim being Jim, you had to be pretty sharp to push Jim back. And he goes, that is the guy.”
The film centers around their characters, Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey) and Harry Dunne (Daniels), two good-hearted but dumb friends who embark on a cross-country road trip to return a briefcase full of money to its owner, hoping it will lead to romance for Lloyd. However, their adventures take an interesting turn when the real mystery is unveiled.
Dumb and Dumber is available to stream on Apple TV.
