Fans can’t get over ‘unreal' resurfaced clip of Jim Carrey performance from 'before he was famous’
Jim Carrey fans are still impressed by the 'genius' the comedian performed on his first US television appearance
Fans of Canadian-American comedian Jim Carrey have been taken aback by some archive footage of the star before he emerged as an A-Lister.
The Bruce Almighty and Yes Man star is well established as one of the finest comedy actors of his generation, with his exaggerated facial expressions and body language stamping him in film history as a one-of-a-kind star.
But decades ago, Carrey was just another comedian trying to make it in Hollywood, and would take any opportunity to be thrust into the mainstream.
And now, because of social media and the internet, millions have watched his national TV debut.
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A clip had previously gone viral of the star carrying out several impressions of various and this video is not much different.
It was Carrey's first appearance on American television, and it was in front of thousands watching the popular Tonight Show.
While you might know the programme to be hosted by Jimmy Fallon, and previously Jay Leno, it was Johnny Carson that hosted the show for 30 years from 1962-1992.
Back in 1983 though, Carrey was introduced by Carson as 'a young impressionist from Toronto' that was 'a little bit different'.
Coming out on stage, Carrey impersonated Elvis Presley at first, not before doing some exaggerated movements in preparation to some chuckles from the audience.
It was clear from the reaction of those in the crowd that they had never seen a comedian like this before, as many were left confused on how to react.
While many had done impressions before, nobody before or since did them as accurately or hilariously as the now 63-year-old.
As he was doing Elvis, Carrey not only did a great voice impression, but even pulled off a decent rendition of 'Jailhouse Rock' while doing the iconic 'rubber legs' dance.
But later, he carried out one of his most iconic impressions, more or less becoming Clint Eastwood for just a few seconds.
As the impressions went on, the crowd become more and more roused by Carrey, erupting into laughter at almost everything he did.
Fans took to the comments to share what they thought of the old clip, which was posted to YouTube, as one said: "All of his impressions are good, but the way he literally transforms into Eastwood right in front of your eyes is amazing."
Another added: "Carrey didn't do impressions, he did caricatures. Such a genius"
A third wrote: "Jim is the only person I’ve ever seen in my life who can completely look like a different person just by moving his face."
A different user pointed out: "Imagine no one knows who Jim Carrey is at the time. This performance is so much tougher when you are an unknown to the audience."
Carrey announced himself with this performance, going on to star in some of the most popular films of the 90s, such as The Mask and The Truman Show.
To this day, there aren't really any other comedians that can use their facial expressions as freely as Carrey did.
Topics: Jim Carrey, Film, TV, YouTube, Social Media
Joshua Nair