Jim Carrey is turning 60, and he has a lucrative career of fan-loved projects on his back.
While Carey is now enjoying the life of a successful and wealthy actor, there was a time when he broke through as a young, struggling stand-up comedian. However, he always believed in himself, which is why he often threw away even his successful stand-up set in favor of starting anew and betting on himself to do something better the next night.
Speaking to Oprah Winfrey in 1997, Carey revealed that he used to drive his car and see downtown Los Angeles, pretending he already had everything he hoped to work for. One night, he wrote himself a check that he simply knew in his heart that he would one day be able to cash it.
"I wrote myself a $10 million check to 'provide acting services,' and I've given myself five years ... or three years, maybe," he explained. "And I dated it for Thanksgiving, 1995, and I put it in my wallet and I put it there, and it got worse and worse and stuff."
Surprisingly, when the 1995 round began, Carey was in a position to cash a $10 million check. Today, CelebrityNetWorth estimates that the "Sonic the Hedgehog" actor has a net worth of approximately $180 million, thanks not only to hugely popular hits like "Lear Liar" and "Bruce Almighty," but also receiving backend producer credits on his films. It's their decision too. ,
The story of Jim Carrey's rise to fame and wealth begins with the Wayans Brothers' 1990 sketch show "In Living Colour". Carey joined the cast as a relative, but quickly became a fan favorite. That small dose of fame greatly spurred filmmaker Tom Schadack, making the actor the star of his 1994 comedy "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective."
Thanks to a prodigious performance that no one but Carey could pull off, she shot to fame levels unheard of for just a year before her self-imposed deadline expired.
That same year, he starred in "The Mask" and "Dumb and Dumber", both of which were box-office hits. In a twist of fate, the latter film paid him $10 million before Thanksgiving 1995.
However, the star's meteorite rise was not even close. He created "Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls" and played The Riddler in "Batman Forever", further increasing his popularity and making him one of the most sought-after stars in Hollywood. However, as they say, the best was yet to come.
If "Ace Ventura" sent Carey to a level of wealth he couldn't imagine, the 1996 film "The Cable Guy" brought him to a level of wealth no one could have imagined. According to a report in Variety, on the occasion of the film's 25th anniversary, Carey's role as a cable repairman who starts stalking one of his clients really changed Hollywood forever. At the time, a salary limit of about $15 million was agreed upon for the stars. While it was breached by action heroes such as Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, none of them ever received $20 million.
However, Jim Carrey did. Despite the film being critical and a box-office flop, Carey walked away from "The Cable Guy" with one of the biggest pay days in filmmaking history. From there, the specific limit for films was increased. Today, $20 million is somewhat of a standard, if not more than stars like Dwayne Johnson and Leonardo DiCaprio. Surprisingly, though, Carey's biggest payday was yet to come.
As Carey grew and became savvy in show business, she went on to make films such as "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," "My Myself and Irene," "The Bruce Almighty," as well as the more dramatic "The Truman Show," among others. Also created passion projects," "Man on the Moon," "The Majestic" and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind."
However, according to Forbes, he peaked in earnings with the release of "Yes Man" in 2008. Carey is reported to have earned $30 million thanks to his deal to exchange his regular salary for an ownership stake in the film. Once it made an estimated $230 million worldwide, Carey was somehow sitting on a bigger pile of money than before. He would certainly come a long way from the man who had to pretend to have money and fantasize about cutting himself a $10 million check.
Carey continued to act in later years, with films such as "Mr. Popper's Penguin," "Dumb and Dumber Too" and a starring role in the TV show "Kidding." With "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" set to arrive later this year, no one can tell where the 60-year-old will go next.