Dumb & Dumber: Jim Carrey Got Paid HOW Much More Than Jeff Daniels?!

A new interview with Peter and Bobby Farrelly, the writer directors of ‘Dumb and Dumber’, has shed new light on the insane payday Jim Carrey negotiated for the classic 1994 comedy off the back of his breakthrough hit ‘Ace Ventura: Pet Detective’.

They also revealed the incredible wage gap between the rubber-faced Canadian comedian and his co-star Jeff Daniels.

Are you sitting down?

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Farrellys told students at Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and Television that Carrey bagged a $7m (£4.4m) pay packet making him the highest paid comedy actor ever, while Daniels settled for just $50,000 (£31,500).

That's less that 1% of what Carrey was earning for the picture.

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Peter Farrelly told the assembled students: “[The studio offered Carrey] $350,000 to do the movie and he passed. He wanted like [$]400,000. And they held off. And then ‘Ace Ventura’ came out, which was his first movie and it was number one.”

Above: L-R: Bobby Farrelly, Jeff Daniels, Peter Farrelly, Jim Carrey

"So then, you know, they said, ‘Okay, we’ll give you the 400.’ He said, ‘No, I want 500.’ And then they said, ‘No, you’re not getting 500.’ And another week passed, Ace was number one again. And they said, ‘We’ll give you five.’ ‘No, I want 750.’ Long story short, it got up to seven million [dollars] and that’s what he got paid. The whole budget was 16 million and Jim got seven [million dollars], which was the most ever for any comedic actor."

Bobby Farrelly says it was Daniels’ performance in ‘Something Wild’ that brought the actor to their attention. The ‘Newsroom’ star was not the studio’s preferred choice of comedy foil, but Carrey insisted they choose Daniels after a script reading together.

"We fought for [Jeff Daniels], and then when Jim [Carrey] read with him, they read together, Jim realised that he was pushing, Jeff was pushing him in places that no other actors were pushing him…. Jim understood. He was elevating him so he fought for him.

"And then the studio didn’t want him, they said, ‘Please, anyone but [Jeff Daniels]. Get a comedic actor.’ So they offered him, if I recall, [$]50 grand, which was, you know, Jim’s getting seven mil, they offered him 50 figuring he’ll say, “No, I’m not taking that”, but he took it."

The film went on to make $250m at the global box office spawning a short-lived animated TV show, an awful prequel ‘Dumb and Dumberer’, and the forthcoming sequel ‘Dumb and Dumber To’, but it seems the studio were still not sure about the script, demanding the brothers shoot a different ending to the one we know.

They wanted Harry and Lloyd to get on the bus with the Swedish bikini team to give the pair a happy send off, however Carrey refused to play ball.

"We told Jim Carrey, ‘Jim, well [the studio is] also asking us to have a scene where you guys get on the bus.’ And he basically said, ‘I am not stepping foot on that bus. I won’t do it.’ And we’re like, ‘Okay, well we agree.’", Peter Farrelly explained.

"So we never did shoot it the other one, we went back and told the studio we ran out of daylight and we couldn’t do it."

The brothers said they continued to clash with the studio right up to the premiere when Bob Shaye, the head of the film’s distributor New Line, nearly caused a fight with their father after making a dismissive remark about the finished film.

"[Bob Shaye] gave a toast or a speech up front [at the premiere] and he said, ‘By the way, this isn’t why I got into the movie business.’" Peter Farrelly shared.

"I swear, he pointed at the screen, he goes, ‘I went to Columbia University, I just want everybody to know that.’ And it was supposed to be a joke. It was supposed to be a joke, but nobody laughed. Particularly, not our father.

"He was like,’I’m going to get this mother f*****.’ He goes, ‘No, this f****** mother,’ I said, Calm down.’ I said, ‘He’s the only guy that let us make a movie. Would you just appreciate that?’ He was so angry at that."

To read more from the Farrelly brothers’ university talk head to The Hollywood Reporter.

'Dumb and Dumber To' is coming to UK cinemas on 19 December, 2014.

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Image credits: New Line/Rex Features/Press Association