Jim Carrey is known for his iconic comedic roles in films such as Ace Ventura, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber. With a career spanning over 50 films, he has portrayed a wide range of characters, from the sublime to the utterly ridiculous. Despite his diverse body of work, Carrey has revealed that there is one film he deeply regrets making.
The Regretful Film: Kick-Ass 2
In 2013, Carrey starred in Kick-Ass 2, where he played Colonel Stars and Stripes, a vigilante who uses a baseball bat to fight crime. The film, a sequel to the popular 2010 movie Kick-Ass, follows Dave (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Mindy (Chloë Grace Moretz) as they try to lead normal lives but are eventually drawn back into a world of violence and superhero antics. Carrey’s character was part of a team of amateur superheroes fighting against a rising villain.
While Kick-Ass 2 garnered some positive feedback and was seen as a fun, over-the-top action film, Carrey soon distanced himself from it, citing a major event that caused him to reassess his involvement in the project.
A Change of Heart After Sandy Hook
Carrey’s regret over Kick-Ass 2 comes down to one pivotal moment in history—the tragic Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012. The mass shooting, which took place in Newtown, Connecticut, resulted in the deaths of 26 people, including 20 children. The event shocked the nation and led to widespread debates about gun control and violence in media.
Shortly after the tragedy, Carrey took to Twitter to announce that he could no longer support the film. “I did it a month before Sandy Hook and now, in all good conscience, I cannot support that level of violence,” he wrote. He went on to apologize to others involved in the movie, stating that while he wasn’t ashamed of his performance, the events of Sandy Hook had deeply affected him and caused a shift in his perspective.
The Backlash: Mark Millar’s Response
Carrey’s decision was met with criticism from several individuals, including Mark Millar, the Scottish comic-book author who wrote the graphic novel that Kick-Ass 2 is based on. Millar expressed his bewilderment in a blog post, stating that Carrey was fully aware of the film’s violent nature before agreeing to the role.
Jim Carrey has his regrets about the film. Credit: Alamy
“Nothing seen in this picture wasn’t in the screenplay 18 months ago,” Millar wrote. “A sequel to the picture that gave us Hit-Girl was always going to have some blood on the floor, and this should have been no shock to a guy who enjoyed the first movie so much.”
Millar defended the film’s portrayal of violence, arguing that it was meant to highlight the consequences of violence rather than glorify it. He emphasized that Kick-Ass 2 was a fictional story and not a documentary. “Our job as storytellers is to entertain, and our toolbox can’t be sabotaged by curtailing the use of guns in an action movie,” he wrote, referencing the works of directors like Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese.
The Fallout from Carrey’s Change of Heart
Carrey’s regret over Kick-Ass 2 sparked a wider conversation about the responsibility of actors and filmmakers when it comes to violence in media. His stance also shed light on the growing conversation around gun violence in the U.S. and how it intersects with Hollywood’s portrayal of violence.
In 2013, Carrey starred in Kick-Ass 2 as the unhinged, baseball bat-wielding vigilante Colonel Stars and Stripes. Credit: Universal
While Kick-Ass 2 is still remembered by fans for its wild, bloody action, Carrey’s decision to step back from supporting the film resonated with many who saw it as a moment of personal growth and reflection. The actor had long been an advocate for gun control, and the Sandy Hook tragedy seemed to solidify his belief that certain portrayals of violence should not be celebrated.
Conclusion: A Difficult Decision in a Violent World
Jim Carrey’s regret over Kick-Ass 2 is a reminder that even the most seasoned actors are not immune to the societal impacts of their work. The tragedy of Sandy Hook forced Carrey to confront the influence that films, particularly violent ones, can have on the public, and he made the difficult decision to withdraw his support.
While Kick-Ass 2 continues to have a place in pop culture for its outrageous violence and dark humor, Carrey’s change of heart serves as a powerful example of how art and personal values can intersect in unexpected ways. In the end, it’s a decision that Carrey will carry with him as a testament to his growth as both an actor and an individual.
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