James Eugene Carrey (born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, writer, and artist. He is known for his energetic slapstick performances. Carrey first gained recognition in America in 1990 after landing a recurring role in the sketch comedy television series In Living Color.
His first leading roles in motion pictures came with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), Dumb and Dumber (1994), The Mask (1994), and Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995), as well portraying the Riddler in Batman Forever (1995) and the lead role in Liar Liar (1997).
He gained attention starring in serious roles in The Truman Show (1998) and Man on the Moon (1999), with each garnering him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor.
Christopher Nolan Forced Studio Execs to Watch Cillian Murphy’s Batman Audition So They’d Agree With Casting Him as Scarecrow Instead
variety.comZack Sharf Digital News Director Cillian Murphy and Christopher Nolan’s working relationship started nearly 20 years ago when Murphy sought the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne in Nolan’s “Batman Begins.” In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, both men admitted to knowing that Murphy was not going to be the new Batman as early as their first conversation together about the role.
But that didn’t stop Nolan from wanting to screen test Murphy anyway. “When we had our first conversation I think both of us knew that you weren’t going to wind up playing Batman,” Nolan said. “But I really wanted to get on set with you, I wanted to get you on film.
We did those screen tests very elaborately, on 35mm, with a little set. There was just an electric atmosphere in the crew when you started to perform.” Although Nolan did not intend to cast Murphy as Batman, he set up a screen test for the role with the intention of getting studio executives on board with the idea of casting Murphy in the villain role of the Scarecrow. “We did two scenes — there was a Bruce Wayne scene and a Batman scene — and I made sure that executives came down and watched what you were doing on set,” Nolan said. “Everybody was so excited by watching you perform that when I then said to them, ‘Okay, Christian Bale is Batman, but what about Cillian to play Scarecrow?’ there was no dissent.
All the previous Batman villains had been played by huge movie stars: Jack Nicholson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Carrey, that kind of thing.
Read more on variety.com