Subject: Jim Carrey
Portrays mostly:
- Innocents/Idiots/Fools
- The Insane, especially those with Split-Personalities and Alter-Egos (Unstable Sense of Identity)
- The Displaced (Unstable Sense of Reality)
- Chosen Ones (Communication with/Manipulation by/Powers Received from Higher Forces)
Jim Carrey, a Partial Filmography:
Ace Ventura Pet Detective (1994): Innocent/Idiot/Fool with Power of communication with animals. Like the Fool of the Rider-Waite Tarot, is accompanied by dog.
The Mask (1994): Innocent/Idiot/Fool with Split-Personality and Alter-Ego (Unstable Sense of Identity), Manipulated by and receives Power from Higher Force. Like the Fool of the Rider-Waite Tarot, is accompanied by dog. Alter-Ego is Insane.
Dumb & Dumber (1994): Innocent/Idiot/Fool. Rides in vehicle in the form of a dog.
Batman Forever (1995): Innocent/Idiot/Fool with Split-Personality and Alter-Ego (Unstable Sense of Identity), Manipulated by and Receives Power from Higher Force. Alter-Ego is Insane. Holds wand like Tarot's Magician. Assumes Criminal Alter Ego.
The Cable Guy (1996): Innocent/Idiot/Fool with Split-Personality and Alter-Ego (Unstable Sense of Identity). Alter-Ego is Insane. Assumes Criminal Alter Ego. Like Tarot's Magician, wields wand/conductor of energy (cable/electricity).
Liar Liar (1997): Innocent/Idiot/Fool Manipulated by Higher Force.
The Truman Show (1998): Innocent/Idiot/Fool Manipulated by Higher Force and Displaced (Unstable Sense of Reality).
Man on the Moon (1999): Innocent/Idiot/Fool (Latka character) Manipulated by Higher Force (genius). "Insane," with Split-Personality/Alter-Ego (Unstable Sense of Identity) Tony Clifton. Manipulator of Reality. See: Tarot card The Moon (indicating split personality of dog/Fool/Latka and Wolf/Tony Clifton.
Me, Myself & Irene (2000): Innocent/Idiot/Fool with Split-Personality and Alter-Ego (Unstable Sense of Identity). Alter-Ego is Insane. Assumes Criminal Alter Ego.
How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000): Assumes Alter-Ego (Santa Claus). Assumes Criminal Alter Ego (robs Whos). Like the Fool of the Rider-Waite Tarot, is accompanied by dog.
The Majestic (2001): Innocent/Idiot/Fool with Split-Personality and Alter-Ego (Unstable Sense of Identity). Displaced (Unstable Sense of Reality).
Bruce Almighty (2003): Innocent/Idiot/Fool Manipulated by and Receives Power from Higher Force.
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004): Innocent/Idiot/Fool who is Displaced (Unstable Sense of Reality).
Lemony Snicket's A Series Of Unfortunate Events (2004): Actor who assumes Alter-Egos.
Fun With Dick And Jane (2005): Displaced, assumes Criminal Alter Ego.
The Number 23 (2007): Innocent/Idiot/Fool in Communication with Higher Force and is Displaced (Unstable Sense of Reality). Alter-Ego is Insane. Assumes/Resumes Criminal Alter Ego.
Horton Hears A Who (2008): Innocent/Idiot/Fool in Communication with "Higher Force" (the invisible Whos).
Yes Man (2008): Innocent/Idiot/Fool Manipulated by Higher Force.
I Love You Philip Morris (2009): Innocent/Idiot/Fool with Split-Personality and Alter-Ego (Unstable Sense of Identity). Assumes Criminal Alter Ego.
A Christmas Carol (2009): Displaced, in Communication with & Manipulated by Higher Forces.
Jim Carrey has played similar, interrelated characters for most of his career. On one hand, he is far from pigeon-holed as an actor. Take his performances in the wacky comedy Ace Ventura and the thoughtful drama Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. On the other hand, the overwhelming majority of his roles concern unstable identities, unstable realities, and contact with Higher Forces (whether it be the Judeo-Christian God, Loki, microscopic Whos, or a self-help guru).
Perhaps every actor and actress is, in essence, a shaman, temporarily taking on another identity and leading the audience into a mass catharsis/exorcism through his or her performance. But never was this so literal and striking as in the case of Jim Carrey, who seems to play nothing but people with Shaman characteristics.
The Shaman...
...communicates with animal spirits:
...is initially thought insane by his/her tribe for talking to invisible beings:
...can access other worlds/dimensions:
...is often initially thought of as the village idiot:
...is often initially thought to be mentally ill:
...is often the village outcast:
...talks to spirit-guides:
...talks to "God":
...can be "possessed" during ritual:
...can wear a mask during ritual:
...can have special abilities:
...can be compelled to say out-of-place words by the gods:
...has his/her life turned upside-down by contact with the gods:
...can bring catharsis/exorcism to the village:
...returns from vision quest and brings the village valuable new information on the true nature of reality:
Carrey also resonates with the archetypal figure known as the Green Man:
As well as a figure related to the Green Man & Shamans, The Trickster:
Carrey's Riddler in "Batman Forever"...
...is very reminiscent Mark Hamill'sTrickster in the Flash TV series...
...but they all come from the same mythic place. You have to wonder what effect playing characters with the same "energy" over and over and over again has on Mr. Carrey. Is he fully aware that he serves as the Shaman/Fool/Green Man/Trickster for our pop-culture? – our pop-culture serving as the current era's mythic generator/repository.
The most difficult character in comedy is that of the fool, and he must be no simpleton that plays that part.
--Miguel de Cervantes
Very interesting. There's a website linked in my name that gets a little into this sort of thing but takes it to the level of prophecy. But it deals more with making relatively vague predictions on the future using what's prominent in current events.
ReplyDeleteJust thought you might be interested. Thanks for the post, Val.
Your brain and the way it works amazes me. Your posts are fantastic to read.
ReplyDeleteI love the way you do what you do.
ReplyDeleteI've never thought of Jim Carrey that way, but after reading this I'm definitely seeing Hero with a Thousand Faces connections. Perhaps this could be a neat series of posts illustrating some of the other archetypes.
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