Jim Carrey<\/a> a “loser” when they worked together on Doing Time on Maple Drive.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Actor William McNamara<\/p>\n
The actor, now 61, did not think the then-unknown comedian, now 64, had potential to become a star because he showed up to a read-through for the 1992 TV movie looking “really shabby” compared to the polished, well-known stars around him. <\/p>\n
Appearing on the latest episode of the Media Path podcast, William recalled: “They’re all really established, good and well-dressed – and this guy comes in late – tall, gangly, thing guy with messy hair wearing a beat-up black t-shirt and torn black jeans and Keds.”<\/p>\n
He added: “He came in and right away I was depressed. I’m like, ‘God, I thought we’re gonna have a great cast except for this one loser.’<\/p>\n
“I didn’t know he was. I said to myself, ‘This guy is a loser. What’s he doing here? Why is he in with us?'”<\/p>\n
\nDuring the cast read-through, William felt that Jim’s performance was “not good”.<\/p>\n
\nWilliam said: “And I’m just sitting there going, ‘Wow, I was going to be in this great TV movie, and this guy is going to ruin it,’ because one person can ruin a whole thing, of course.<\/p>\n
\n“It’s a show about a family. It’s the dynamic. You\u2019ve got to have the family dynamic, or everybody’s going to fail. And so I was very disappointed with this guy.<\/p>\n
\n“He was a total – in my opinion – loser. I shouldn’t say that, but he just came off as a loser.”<\/p>\n
\nWilliam stayed away from Jim during a cast bonding tennis session, organised by Ken Olin, the director of Doing Time on Maple Drive.<\/p>\n
\nHe remembered: “I ID this guy as a loser. Am I going to keep my distance from the loser because I don’t want to catch whatever he’s got?<\/p>\n
\n“And so I tried to stay away from him. He kept following me around, and I’m just like, ‘Why is this guy…this always happens to me, the losers always like me. Maybe I’m a loser because the losers always hang out with me.<\/p>\n
\n“And so I kind of felt sorry for him.”<\/p>\n
\nIt turned out that Jim was trying to speak to William for acting advice.<\/p>\n
\nAfter he “globbed on” to William, the pair went for lunch, and William realised he got Jim completely wrong.<\/p>\n
\nWilliam explained: “I’m sitting there, and he’s sitting there, and people are looking over the table. And I’m like, ‘Oh, wow.’ <\/p>\n
\n“And people are starting to get up, and I see them like going over and getting like paper and pencils from the waitress. And I say to Jim, ‘These people … they’re gonna get my autograph, they’re gonna line up and get my autograph.<\/p>\n
\n“But I see the people getting ready and they start lining up like an autograph convention [and] they’re like ‘Jim, Jim’, and I’m like ‘Jim?'”<\/p>\n
\nWilliam soon realised the group of people wanted to meet Jim, following his success In Living Color.<\/p>\n
\nHe said: “So at this point I’m like, ‘OK, this guy is somebody famous \u2026 there was 20 people that wanted his, not one person knew who I was.”<\/p>\n
\nFrom then on, the pair “started hanging out” and William knew Jim was “going to be a superstar” when the latter made a speech on the first day on set of Doing Time on Maple Drive.<\/p>\n
\nAccording to William, Jim told the cast and crew: “‘Listen, I’m not a great dramatic actor, and I know that. And I’m gonna try really, really hard to be good. I wanna be good … <\/p>\n
\n“If you think I’m doing a lousy job, or anything I do wrong, and you have advice, just come right up to me and tell me, ‘Jim, you’re not good, do something different.’<\/p>\n
\n“I was just like, wow, this guy is crazy, but in those 20 days, he became a phenomenal actor.”<\/p>\n
\nJim went on to find success in the likes of Bruce Almighty, The Mask and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.<\/p>\n
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