Recruiting, applying for grad programs, and building a business are all tough and grueling processes. When you are on cold email number 400 and you still haven’t landed a job yet, things start to take a toll on you. I remember getting frustrated with the process. The purpose of the Rags to Riches section is to remind us of the struggles successful people have faced. Things don’t come easy and these short stories are to remind us to keep pushing. How Jim Carrey overcame homelessness:
Jim Carrey’s Journey
If you have ever watched some of his comedy movies like; “Dumb and Dumber”, “The Mask”, and “Bruce Almighty”, then you will take some convincing to accept the fact that behind the smiley, comic face of Jim Carey lies a troubled past and a present full of struggles with depression.
Born James Eugene Carrey (January 17, 1962), Carrey is a Canadian-American comedian, actor, comedian, author, artist, and producer.
The Struggles (Rags)
It wasn’t a rosy childhood for young Carrey as his family struggled financially and he grew up watching his mother struggling with depression. He has undiagnosed dyslexia which made him struggle at school.
As a teenager, he had to work eight-hour shifts with his brother after school. They worked as security guards and janitors at their father’s workplace, a tire factory. Carrey was always fascinated by the comedy world, so much that he dropped out of school at the age of sixteen to pursue his dream of becoming a comedian. In between performances, he worked with his father at the factory. At one point in time, the family became homeless. They were forced to live together in a Volkswagen van.
His Big Break (Riches)
Carrey’s father, Percy Carry, a “would-be’” comedian helped Carrey with his script for his first gig in Toronto’s Yuk-Yuk Comedy club. It was a flop that got him booed off the stage!
Carrey never gave up though and he went back on the stage, but this time, with his material. The audience couldn’t get enough of him! It was so good that he was tasked with being the opening act for successful comedian Rodney Dangerfield.
Carrey left Canada for Las Vegas with Dangerfield. However, he soon decided to move to Hollywood. He performed at the Comedy Store. In 1982, he appeared on the stand-up show, “An Evening at the Improv”.
His tentative break came when he was cast in the comedy television series, “In Living Color”, which unfortunately was also short-lived. However, thanks to his time on the television series, he landed his big break as a lead actor in “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” in 1994. He also starred in “Dumb and Dumber“ and “The Mask” in the same year. Thanks to his role in “The Mask”, he earned a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor.
1994 was a bitter-sweet year for him as he also lost his father.
His 1994 films pushed him to the international limelight, earned him millions of dollars, and made him one of the most sought-after comedians in the 90s. The 1997 comedy “Liar Liar” earned him his second Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor.
He struggles with depression which he used to take anti-depressants for but now copes with it through his spirituality.
Jim believes in self-affirmations and one of the affirmations he made to himself was on Mulholland Drive where he wrote himself a $10 million check in 1992 dated for 1995. Carrey found out he would be paid $10mm for “Dumb and Dumber,” just before Thanksgiving of ’95. He also made affirmations that ”Movie offers are out there for me, I just don’t hear them yet.”
Our Favorite Quote
“Life opens up opportunities to you, and you either take them or you stay afraid of taking them.”
Jim Carrey
How Jim Carrey Overcame Homelessness? He always bet on himself.
Need some more motivation? Check out Sylvester Stallone’s story, you’ll feel like Rocky afterward.
