Two of the most popular actors in the world, Jim Carrey and Steve Carell have collaborated on a number of projects. Are they friends in real life?
Jim Carrey and Steve Carell are friends. They first worked together on “Bruce Almighty” in 2003 and made two more movies together in the following years. Carrey has said that he appeared in “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” because his friend, Carell, asked him to do so.
For more on Jim Carrey and Steve Carell and their joint projects, read on.
Bruce Almighty
The first time Jim Carrey and Steve Carell worked together was the 2003 film “Bruce Almighty”. Carrey plays Bruce Nolan, a reporter who, after an outburst at God, is offered the chance to be God for a while.
Carell, who had no prior movie credits of note, played Evan Baxter, Bruce’s rival reporter who becomes their station’s anchorman.
One of the movie’s most memorable scenes depicts Bruce using his new powers to control Evan, making him perform ridiculous acts while on live TV. Carell’s gift for maintaining a straight face while acting outrageously is in full effect.
“Bruce Almighty” received mixed reviews but was a box office success, costing $81 million and grossing $484 million. Carell’s appearance likely contributed to his being cast in the leading role in “The Office” and propelled his career to new heights.
He was also the lead in the 2007 spin-off sequel, “Evan Almighty”. The film received significantly worse reviews and failed to recover its exorbitant $175 million budget, a record for a comedy movie at the time.
Horton Hears a Who!
The duo’s second movie together, “Horton Hears a Who!”, was released in 2008. A computer-animated adaptation of the book by Dr. Seuss, Carrey and Carell receive top billing on the movie’s voice cast.
Carrey voiced the titular Horton, a kind-hearted, tuskless elephant, while Carell voiced Mayor McDodd, the mayor of Whoville. The movie was the first Hollywood Dr. Seuss adaptation since 2003’s critically maligned “The Cat in the Hat”, which in turn was the first since Carrey starred as the Grinch in 2000.
Dr. Seuss’ widow, Audrey Geisel, outright refused to allow any further films based on his work but softened her stance on “Horton” after being shown animation tests and being given the role of supervising producer.
Fortunately, “Horton Hears a Who!” received a far warmer critical reception than the previous Dr. Seuss film and performed well at the box office.
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
Carrey and Carell’s third collaboration would take place five years later in 2013 when they made “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone”. In a role reversal from “Bruce Almighty”, it was now Carell who received top billing as the titular magician Burt Wonderstone, while Carrey portrayed his nemesis, Steve Gray.
The film had been in and out of development since 2006, with the script undergoing numerous rewrites. Carell joined the project in 2010 and his inclusion helped the movie gain momentum, with Carrey joining a year later.
Carrey has said that Carell called him personally and asked if he would be his co-star in the movie, describing Carell as his friend. Carell went on to say that Carrey agreeing to be in the film was “the best day ever”.
“Burt Wonderstone” ended the streak of Carrey and Carell’s box office success together, receiving mixed reviews but failing to make back its $30 million budget globally.
The film’s failure did little damage to either actor’s career, however. Both Carrey and Carell have established themselves as being equally capable in comedic and dramatic roles, with Carell being nominated for Best Actor at the 2015 Oscars for “Foxcatcher”.
Carrey, controversially, has never been nominated for one. If the time comes for the duo to work together again, there’s no reason to think they won’t be able to replicate their earlier successes.