Over a decade before he took on one of video games' most iconic antagonists in Sonic the Hedgehog, Jim Carrey starred in what many believe to be his best movie, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Despite being lauded as his best movie, he was not the most pleasant person to be around while on the film's set, according to the film's producer Anthony Bergman.
Bergman revealed that Carrey was not a happy camper on the set of the film because it was different from what he was used to. After all, Carrey was one of the biggest movie stars at the time, long before his days in the Sonic movies.
In an interview with Indie Wire, Bergman said that Carrey hated it because it wasn't an environment he was used to. “Jim…he hated it. We knew he was going to hate it. He’s the biggest star in the world, in control of every set, and here we were, pulling that part away. And who the f*** were we to do that? Which he would have a good point about that," Bergman recalled. "He would, like, storm out and scream at me. He called me all sorts of things, and I would just be there to absorb it. He’s like, ‘This is like the worst set I’ve ever been on, I don’t know what the f*** is going on!’ And we’re like, ‘No, no, no, it’s all good. This is why we’re getting great stuff.'” Bergman admitted the liberties they took on set were designed to make him uncomfortable. “And Jim, who I really like and did a spectacular performance, he was like very insecure at the beginning in a way that was almost designed to make him insecure, so I knew there was going to be blowback from that. You just take it...We knew that Jim was not going to be entirely comfortable with the way we were shooting.”
Carrey was known best for his comedic work in films like The Mask. However, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was a drastically different gig for someone like him. In that film, he played Joel Barrish, an introverted man with extreme heartbreak. It was such a far cry from his typical role, and many were moved by it. In one of those rare spectacles, Carrey demonstrated that he could play a normal person dealing with issues everyone experiences. Though the film's plot has its wackiness, Carrey wasn't asked to be involved but to respond to it.
Details like these show how far production crews are willing to go to get the movie they want, even if it makes their leads - who happen to be among the biggest movie stars in show business - as uncomfortable as humanly possible. To help an actor nail the emotion of frustration as their character, sometimes they need to add things that will make the actor themselves genuinely frustrated. Barrish was dealing with his girlfriend ending their relationship, and Carrey sold it amazingly. Maybe that would not have been the case if they hadn't taken those steps.
At the same time, just because you've succeeded in getting the performance you want does not necessarily mean those actions are justified. Sometimes, these behaviors can traumatize those working on the film, whether it's the production or the actor enforcing it. One can justify their actions by saying that they're only adding to the production value, but that's no excuse to potentially cause long-term damage to someone, even if you're making a film as good as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Sonic the Hedgehog can currently be streamed on Paramount Plus.
Source: Indie Wire