Commissioned and produced by Netflix, the dark and gritty sci-fi cyberpunk show ‘Altered Carbon’ is host to a variety of eccentric and outlandish characters unbound by the rigidity of society as we know it. Jim Carrey, an actor famed for his eccentricity, would seem to be the perfect fit for one of these roles, is he in ‘Altered Carbon’?
Although he has starred in some sci-fi themed movies, Jim Carrey was not in ‘Altered Carbon’. Carrey has never had a part in the show, in any capacity.
Although he hasn’t had a part in ‘Altered Carbon’, Carrey has had some other strange and exciting roles in the sci-fi genre, though perhaps the colorfulness of the characters being played may not have fit in quite as well with the bleak undertones of the show. However, if you need another sci-fi fix and are in the mood for some Carrey, maybe there are some alternatives.
Carrey and his Cart
Although nothing akin to ‘Altered Carbon’, Carrey had a small role in the movie The Bad Batch. In the movie, he plays a nomadic, cart-pushing mute, roaming a desert filled with all manner of criminals and ne’er do wells.
Carrey’s character in this bizarre dystopian thriller is not typical of the usual role he plays, though it was a fairly interesting and unusual part for the actor to assume, despite the relatively average reviews that the movie received.
If nothing else, this is one of the only movies on this list that features Carrey in a world where the vibe of the movie never tips anywhere near “fun” with such a heavy dose of “sinister” sitting opposite it.
A More Alien Carrey
An even further departure from ‘Altered Carbon’, and from the previously mentioned offering, is the immeasurably silly 80’s sci-fi rom-com, Earth Girls Are Easy.
In what would be one of his earliest movies, Carrey stars as Wiploc, one of three overly excitable aliens, deprived of female attention and companionship for a little too long.
In a movie that is as strange as it sounds (and looks), with Carrey exhibiting the early signs of his patented exaggerated physical comedy, alongside his fellow aliens Damon Wayans and Jeff Goldblum.
It’s a little light on the sci-fi elements if the trailer didn’t give that way, though it’s an entertaining romp from an era that managed to produce a lot more ‘strange’ than ‘good’. Depending on your sensibilities, however, it might not have aged too well.
Delete Your Memories
Another movie in Carrey’s comedy wheelhouse, this is another movie that throws a little bit of romance and sci-fi into the cooking pot for some extra flavor. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind stars Carrey and Kate Winslet as the two leads.
Carrey and Winslet play Joel Barish and Clementine Kruczynski in this sci-fi outing that examines our memories, love and how those two concepts interact with one another on a daily basis.
This movie is larger than the sum of the genres that it attempts to fulfill and both stars do a fantastic job at bringing the higher concepts of the movie to life, leaving it to be regarded as possibly one of the best films of all time.
Under Observation
Although perhaps not a sci-fi movie in the truest sense, this next psychological thriller does share one thing in common with the cyberpunk genre of ‘Altered Carbon’: The concept of being trapped in a society where you are under constant observation.
The Truman Show features Carrey as the character of Truman Burbank, a man that has grown up under the watchful eye of the public inside an artificial world.
This world that Carrey is trapped in serves a dual purpose, entertainment to the public, and a prison for Truman.
Much like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, this film has become something of a cult-classic. Carrey’s thoughts on a sequel are significantly more mindful of the modern era of social media and technology.
Altering ‘Altered Carbon’
Looking through some of the roles that Carrey has played here, it would be fairly easy to see how one could imagine him fitting into the series.
Perhaps not as the hormonal red alien from Earth Girls Are Easy, but looking at the way he has handled some of the more serious science fiction style topics in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Truman Show, he could definitely find a place in the dark, grim world of ‘Altered Carbon’, where memories and identity are often malleable constructs, subject to individual whims and a world that turns the abnormal into the every-day.