In 2022, Jim Carrey announced that he was retiring from acting, effective after Sonic the Hedgehog 2’s release. His last role was that of villain Dr. Robotnik in that film series. At the time, Jim told Access Hollywood that he would only come out of retirement for a script “in gold ink” that was hand-delivered by angels. (Which, IMO, would be the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind script, which is one of my all-time favorite movies.) Well, two years later, Jim is back for more Hedgehog action and sadly, it’s not because angels showed up with tidings of a great script. Rather, his accountant showed up with a reality check. At the London premiere of Sonic 3, Jim ‘fessed up that he’s making movies again because he needs the money.
Jim Carrey said he came back from retirement because he needed the money.
Carrey announced in 2022 that he’d retire after the release of “Sonic the Hedgehog 2,” in which he played the villain Dr. Robotnik.In an interview with Access Hollywood in April 2022, Carey said, “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.”
That break was short-lived. Less than two years later, Variety confirmed in February that Carrey was coming out of retirement to star in “Sonic the Hedgehog 3.”
In the film, premiering on December 20, Carrey plays Dr. Robotnik and his grandfather, Gerald Robotnik.
Speaking to the Associated Press at the London premiere of “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” on Tuesday, Carrey said, “I came back to this universe because, first of all, I get to play a genius, which is a bit of a stretch. And I just, I bought a lot of stuff, and I need the money, frankly.”
Carrey’s salary for the previous two films isn’t public knowledge, but “Sonic the Hedgehog” and its sequel were surprise box-office hits — a rare occurrence for video-game adaptations. The first film grossed $319 million, and the sequel made $405 million in ticket sales.
In February 2023, Carrey also put a Los Angeles home he’s owned for 30 years up for sale. The mansion was originally listed at $29 million, but after nearly two years on the market, the price has now been cut to $19.75 million.
Welcome back, Jim. I saw the first two Sonic movies with my kids. I liked the first one and thought the second one was…well, it was a thing that happened with some fun moments but an otherwise messy plot. I never got around to taking my older son to see Red One (oops, not sorry!), but both of my kids want to see Sonic 3, so there’s probably no getting out of that one.
As far as Jim’s confession that he needed the money, I respect the honestly here. Hopefully, he’s working with a financial advisor or someone who can help him get back on track and learn to curtail his spending. Other actors, most famously Nicolas Cage and Al Pacino, have also had to take roles simply because they were broke or in heavy debt. Movie stars, they’re just like us! Only, they can turn around and get paid millions of dollars to film a family-friendly movie sequel which is guaranteed to make them even more money on the backend. We have to sell sh-t on Facebook Marketplace and donate plasma. Potato, pot-ah-to.
Jim Carrey explains his return to playing Dr. Robotnik in “Sonic the Hedgehog 3”: “I bought a lot of stuff and I need the money, frankly.” pic.twitter.com/pIFJPuAyRM
— AP Entertainment (@APEntertainment) December 10, 2024
Photo note by CB: I included bonus pics of Keanu Reeves at the Sonic 3 premiere! He’s Shadow. photos credit: James Warren/Bang Showbiz/Avalon.
