For a man who arguably owes his film career to animals, it’s fitting that Jim Carrey’s return to comedy sees him teaming up with a troupe of six dancing penguins.
His first lead role in 1994 film Ace Ventura: Pet Detective made him an overnight success and follow-up hits The Mask and Dumb And Dumber cemented his name as one of Hollywood’s hottest comedic talents.
But in recent years, he’s flexed his serious acting muscles with thriller The Number 23 and last year brought the true story of a convict to life in I Love You Phillip Morris.
“I never leave the funny roles, I just go all over the place. I’m a creative, so I like to do it all,” says the Canadian-born actor, flashing his world-famous manic grin.
Mr Popper’s Penguins is based on a children’s book published in 1938 about a guy who inherits 12 penguins. While the original Mr Popper is a painter who lives in small-town America, the film version features Carrey as a divorced businessman in New York, who’s more interested in sealing the deal than seeing his two kids. Until his explorer dad bequeaths him six penguins.
“Some people resist working with children and animals for fear of being upstaged,” says the 49-year-old. “But I love capturing the spark of innocence. And what’s better than penguins, in our case, and children to bring that out in us?”
He admits identifying strongly with his feathered friends, played by Gentoo penguins.
“There’s no mistaking their innocent purity and there’s this quality about them that’s odd. They’re not quite at home in the water, they’re not quite at home on land.
“Are they fish? Are they fowl? What are they? I think everybody who looks at them has that same feeling about themselves, I know I do. Where do I fit in? That’s what we love about them. They’re awkward!”
Carrey beat off competition from five “major comedians” for the role, according to producer John Davis, who says: “Some of them showed up at my office with penguin statues and said, ‘I have to do this movie because I love penguins’.”
But the actor’s ability to bring more than just comedy to the role won him the part.
“He has a rare kind of emotional accessibility,” says Mean Girls director Mark Waters.
Carrey is certainly in touch with his emotions. Having openly battled with depression, he’s long been on a mission to make people laugh.
“My major quest in life is freedom from concern, that’s my MO. It’s what I’ve done since I was a kid.
