Jim Carrey Worried Disney When He Played a Gay Character in a Film Before Doing ‘A Christmas Carol’
Comedian Jim Carrey was chosen to play Ebenezer Scrooge in Disney’s 2009 version of A Christmas Carol. But before that, the actor starred in the film I Love You Philip Morris, which caused a bit of concern for the studio.
Disney allegedly delayed Jim Carrey’s ‘I Love You Phillip Morris’ for ‘A Christmas Carol’
Carrey once collaborated with Star Wars alum Ewan McGregor for the film I Love You Phillip Morris. The 2009 comedy picture saw Carrey playing a cop that decides to reveal his true sexuality after an accident. McGregor portrayed his love interest in the film, and wasn’t shy about the movie ultimately being a gay feature.
“I’m very keen that it’s a gay movie,” McGregor once said according to NBC DFW. “There was quite a lot of talk at Sundance [in 2009] that ‘Well, it’s not a gay movie. It’s a film about guys who happen to be gay.’ And I was thinking, it’s nothing but a gay movie. It’s about a gay couple, about a man’s sexuality, and he comes out. It’s not the point of the film, but let’s not pretend it’s not a gay film.”
But according to McGregor, Disney might have had a slight concern with Carrey’s role in the film. A Christmas Carol was supposed to be released around the same time as I Love You Phillip Morris. But Disney ended up changing Phillip Morris’ release date since they were afraid audiences would think Carrey’s Scrooge was gay.
“There was talk that Disney fended off the release [of I Love You Phillip Morris] until after A Christmas Carol came out,” McGregor said. “They didn’t want kids thinking Ebenezer Scrooge was a bender.”
Jim Carrey once shared that his circle was worried about him playing a gay character
Seeing as Phillip Morris was based on a true story, Carrey had a lot of inspiration to draw from at his fingertips. He studied the real Steven Russell, who was the character Carrey ended up portraying in his lesser known film.
“I wasn’t allowed to go to the country and meet him. So, you know, I listened to recordings and it was fascinating to learn what excited him. I listened to dialogue about the movie; he was very excited that we were making it,” Carrey once told Glamour.
However, at the time, Carrey being in a role like this generated a lot of attention from audiences and friends alike. But Carrey shared that he wasn’t as concerned with potential backlash, as much as he was concerned with doing the role justice.
“I don’t care about the reaction if it’s a negative reaction. I care about amazing people, and it’s incredible what occurred; it’s a true story, and it’s love. There were people in my circle who were concerned about it yeah, saying ‘I don’t know man – there’s some pretty edgy stuff in there’, but you need to push these boundaries,” he said.
Jim Carrey once joked that kissing Ewan McGregor was a dream come true
Carrey had no issue with being intimate with his co-star McGregor. The Mask star quipped that he might’ve actually enjoyed it, calling it a dream come true.
“I mean, look at the guy. I have to say he is a great kisser,” Carrey once said according to NECN.
Getting more serious about the scene, Carrey stated that he put his own sexuality in the back of his mind for the sequence.
“Actually, you had to put of out your mind your own sexual preference and just try to understand that you were loving another person who happens to be a guy,” he said. “It wasn’t about male or female, love is love.”
Likewise, McGregor also didn’t mind the scenes.
“I like kissing boys on screen. As a straight guy, it’s quite an interesting proposition,” he explained. “Anything on a film set that takes you by surprise like that, that gets your blood up, is good.”
