JIM CARREY

The response to Liar Liar in America has confirmed JIM CARREY's status as the world's number one comedian. But even the wildest dreams of success can't stamp out memories of a darker past and a desire to be loved by everyone. Words: Hannah Fries

‘Brrrrrrrrr! Rrraaargghl' roars .lim ('arrey without warning. shuddering yiolently and throwing his long limbs in all direetions. ‘Rrroooooaaaah Y‘

The world‘s lay'otii'ite'eomie aetor is wearing a smart eream suit and his hair is neatly parted. hut underneath the .55" surl'aee lurks a raging

heast. ‘.lust elearing the eohwehs.’ (‘arrey

explains. righting himsell‘ on his chair.

l'h huh. You hegin to understand why

some ol. his eo- stars haye heen intimidated hy him. .-\nd why young ehildren are not eneouraged to Visit him on the set. where he is said to erupt into e\pleti\'es ‘motherl‘ueker. eoeksueker' ~ as a wa)’ ol- t'oeusing his energy.

‘Sometimes people miseonstrue my proeess with l'reaking out. But I‘m just elearinfil out the eohwehs‘f reiterates the star of The .l/us'k and Dumb And [MINI/NW. “it‘s like. it I‘m sitting there and He got a judge in my head going “the last line wasn't good‘ and 'l don‘t think you're on the right traek'. l'ye got to get rid ol’ that.‘ :\nd so we enter the interior oldim (‘arrey‘s head. It is. it transpires. one of the most inhabited plaees you are likely to Visit.

’See. when l was a kid. I Used to spend hours in my room. I was siek. and people thought I was autistie or something heeause I would stare at myselt‘ in the mirror and just do these Iaees hmmphh l‘elookin n tryin tind a eharaetei” -- his yigorous laeial eontortions distort his speeeh —- 'helurggh mmmnnnuh‘ -- and then supplant all need t'oi speeeh.

‘I would go through these weird yoiees and I‘aees with my selt‘. and that was my entertainment. People were playing baseball outside and l was in there. I was listening to [on Rawls and trying to sing “eel iieyei' y ine” and all this sort or stul't‘.‘ lle pauses. ‘I don't know why.‘

(‘arrey ‘s early lite was not the kind to settle and halanee any ehild. The son of unhappy parents his mother was a hypoehondriae: his father a trusti'ated musieian he had to drop out ot his ()ntario sehool in the ninth grade and work in a taetoi'y' after his lather lost his _ioh as a eompany eontroller. liinaneially.

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