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Question: What was it like to work with Jim Carrey on "The Mask"?
JCO received the following post from Christopher Green ([email protected]) about his experiences working on "The Mask." Mr. Green's stint on the production was brief (3 days) but fun and he sent me his recollections to pass along to the FAQ readers.
"Thanks for your response. Yes, I worked with Jim Carrey on the set of "The Mask" performing balloon animals. I also made a special balloon sculpture that resembled the Mask character which Mr. Carrey placed [straddled] on top of the camera while the balloon sequence was being shot. I stood just to the side of the camera's view creating the three balloon shapes that appear as though Jim's hands are doing all the business when in fact he was miming the whole event with a continuous feed of various shapes and stages of completions of the forms coming from my assistance. I was also hired to coach him on the artform of my craft and spent three days on the production in all. It was certainly the highlight of my career in the variety arts. Jim Carrey was absolutely the best to work with on a film production."
In the second post I had asked Mr. Green for any stories, or pictures or such that he could share about working on the set of a movie.
"I don't have any pictures but I do have a couple of souviners from the set of the mask. I could take photos of these items and then send them to you. The first item is a phony money bill that was used for the scene where the giant piggy bank was blown up. I originally collected the bill in hopes that Mr. Carrey would autograph it for me but I was much too shy to ask and missed the opportunity. Go ahead and kick me! The other item I have is a pair of boxer shorts that were given to all the crew and cast as a way of saying "Spank ya very much!" Jim Carrey is very thoughtful that way! Ya gotta love em. On the front is a cartoon face of the Mask character with the initials "I P" which I get as a double entendre first meaning Important Person (Hollywood lingo) and the second meaning of course is the basic biological function of the urinary tract. On the back of these same shorts is the word "KISS" which is again Hollywood lingo and loosely translates as "thank you" or "love ya, Babe!" The second meaning would be "Kiss my @%$!!!!". That is how I got the jist of the joke but then I am a bit twisted to begin.
When the boxers were rolled out I assumed that I was to help myself to a pair like everyone else was doing but I ended up being intercepted by Jim's personal assistant who notified me that the boxers were intended for the original crew and cast that had been contracted from the start of the production. I was terribly embarrassed to have been caught acting so unprofessionally and promptly went off to a dim corner to sulk because of feeling so left out! "Somebody shoot me!" A few moments later the assistant came back and apologized for her mistake and said that Mr. Carrey would like me to have a pair of his underwear! Perhaps not in those exact words but then a story is supposed to be funnier each time you recant."
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