Jim Carrey has his reasons for coming out of retirement to make Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
“I came back to this universe because, first of all, I get to play a genius, which is a bit of a stretch. And, you know, it’s just… I bought a lot of stuff and I need the money, frankly. Yeah,” he said with a smile while speaking to the Associated Press at the film’s U.K. premiere in London on Tuesday, Dec. 10.
The actor reprises his role as the villain Doctor Robotnik in the newest sequel in the video-game-to-movie franchise.
It was back in 2022, while promoting Sonic the Hedgehog 2, that Carrey said he was planning on retiring from his acting career.
“I’m being fairly serious,” he told Access Hollywood at the time of retirement, adding, “It depends. If the angels bring some sort of script that’s written in gold ink, that says to me that it’s going to be really important for people to see, I might continue down the road. But I’m taking a break.”
When AP asked Carrey about those remarks on Dec. 10, he said with a laugh, “That might have been hyperbole.”
Related: Jim Carrey Confirms He Shaved Off His Real Hair While Filming a Scene in ‘Sonic 3’
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Idris Elba, Jim Carrey and Keanu Reeves on Dec. 10, 2024
In that 2022 interview, Carrey, who got his start on In Living Color before launching a popular film career, said he “really” likes his “quiet life” and painting passion.
“I feel like — and this is something you might never hear another celebrity say as long as time exists — I have enough,” the Dumb and Dumber actor said. “I’ve done enough. I am enough.”
Carrey has multiple roles in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, also portraying his villain’s grandfather, Gerald Robotnik. Director Jeff Fowler told SFX magazine, “For him to create a whole new character within the world was certainly an exciting opportunity, and he just went all in.”
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Paramount Pictures and Sega of America, Inc.
Jim Carrey in “Sonic the Hedgehog 3”
“No detail was too small,” he added of Carrey’s involvement. “He helped design the prosthetics and everything. Talking about things to wrap your head around, having made three films with Jim Carrey, that’s a real mind-bender.”
The new movie also counts among its cast Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba, James Marsden, Ben Schwartz, Tika Sumpter, Natasha Rothwell, Shemar Moore, Adam Pally and Krysten Ritter.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 zooms into theaters Dec. 20.
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