Jim Carrey took huge gamble on Yes Man role and wasn't paid a salary for doing it
Jim Carrey once announced that he was planning on retiring from the world of showbusiness, saying he'd probably only return if he was handed a script that was 'written in gold ink that says to me that it’s going to be really important for people to see'.
Then a couple of years later, it was announced he was returning for Sonic 3, and Carrey admitted his past comments about retiring 'might’ve been hyperbole' and that he needed the money after he 'bought a lot of stuff'.
He's been in a lot of successful movies over the years, but back in 2008 he took a gamble on the success of the film Yes Man as he didn't actually get paid a salary for the movie.
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Instead, Carrey banked on the movie making a profit and agreed to take a 36.2 percent cut of the movie's profits as his payment, and for that to work out, the movie would have to be a success.
Based on the Danny Wallace memoir, where he recorded how six months of his life turned out when he started saying 'yes' to everything after chatting to someone on a bus, Yes Man follows Carrey's character decided that he will say 'yes' to everything as a way of turning his life around.
By 2008, Jim Carrey was a big comedy star who could have commanded a salary in the millions, but instead gambled on the fact that there would be a decent amount of profit he could take his payment from.
Back when the movie released, New York Magazine reported that a Hollywood insider described the deal as 'a new kind of stupid', but it turned out to be a pretty decent call from Carrey as Yes Man raked in $223.2 million (£176.7 million) at the box office against a $70 million (£55 million) budget.
According to Forbes, with the movie releasing at the end of 2008 the earnings led to the comedy actor raking in about $30 million (£23.7 million) from the success of the movie.
All in all, it turned out to be a pretty successful decision from Carrey so perhaps that's a reason in the merits of saying 'yes' to things, unless of course the idea came from the man himself.
As for his next cinematic endeavour, Sonic 3 releases in cinemas on 21 December, and Carrey plays the villainous Dr Robotnik, often nicknamed Dr Eggman.
In the movie, he's actually acting for two, as he also plays Eggman's grandfather Gerald Robotnik.
Speaking on his return to the franchise, he said: "I came back to this universe because I get to play a genius, which is a bit of a stretch. And you know, I bought a lot of stuff and I need the money, frankly.
"At the same time, it had heart, and that's why I did it the first time. There was something beautiful about the heart of the piece."
Here's hoping Carrey gets paid enough that he can retire for real this time, should he so desire.
Topics: Jim Carrey, Money, Celebrity, TV and Film
Joe Harker