Jim Carrey has shared the story of an encounter with Tommy Lee Jones, where Jones confessed to disliking him right before they were about to film their most significant scene together.
Think of Jim Carrey’s roles: Truman Burbank, The Grinch, Ace Ventura. It might seem unimaginable to dislike Carrey, yet Tommy Lee Jones apparently did not share that sentiment, and he was upfront about it.
The two actors collaborated on the 1995 film Batman Forever, with Carrey portraying the Riddler and Jones taking on the role of Harvey Dent, also known as Two Face.
During the movie’s production, tensions arose between the two actors.
Before one of their major scenes, Jones revealed his true feelings towards Carrey.
Carrey recounted this experience during a 2017 appearance on the Norm Macdonald Live show.
Carrey described finding himself in the same restaurant as Jones, with the maitre de indicating Jones was sitting in a corner.
Carrey approached him and said, “Hey Tommy, how are you doing?” Jones reportedly became visibly upset, stood up, and said, “I hate you. I really don’t like you.” Carrey asked what the issue was and decided to sit down, which he later admitted might not have been wise.
Jones bluntly stated, “I cannot sanction your buffoonery.”
Carrey speculated that Jones might not have been comfortable with the film’s style, which was not his usual preference.
He added, “I was the star and that was the problem. He’s a phenomenal actor, though. I still love him.”
Jones has also commented on the film.
While he did not address his feelings about Carrey, Jones praised the film and its director, Joel Schumacher. In an interview with ScreenSlam, he described Schumacher as ‘excellent.’
Jones remarked, “If there’s a lot of technology at work, the actor’s job is to work with it. Either use it or be used by it, whatever is called for. So, some movies are more technological than others, and your job is to do the right thing so far as you can understand it and so far as you can identify it.”
He acknowledged the challenge of getting rehearsal time due to the film’s technological complexity, which involved extensive smoke, lighting, and special effects.
Despite the tension with Carrey, Jones indicated he would consider returning for another project, though it ultimately did not happen.