Jim Carrey has shared the reason why he has come back to Hollywood after a long break.
The actor, who reprises his role as Dr. Robotnik (and his grandfather Professor Gerald Robotnik) in the third and latest installment of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, says that the break was needed for both himself and his fans.
"I think whenever you step away from something – even if it's something you love – you get a new appreciation for it," he told E! News during the premiere of the film on December 16.
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Jim Carrey at the UK premiere of the film Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in London on December 10. (Mina Kim/Reuters)He says it's "a different angle on the whole thing," adding that the break gives fans a chance to miss him.
"I also value getting out of people's faces," he said, "I mean, some people just want to be in people's faces all the time, and I don't, so I like to give them a rest."
The 62-year-old's last project was in 2022, in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 as Dr. Robotnik.
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While promoting Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in 2022, Carey told Access Hollywood he was "fairly serious" about retiring from acting.
"I feel like I have enough, I've done enough, I am enough... I really like my quiet life," he added, describing his new passion of painting.
"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," he said at the time.
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Jim Carrey stars as Dr Robotnik in the Sonic series. (Universal Pictures)He was reminded of this statement in a recent red carpet interview with the Associated Press, to which he responded, "That might have been hyperbole, but yeah," after laughing.
"You know, I came back to this universe because, first of all, I get to play a genius. Which is a bit of a stretch," he commented.
He then added, "It's just, I bought a lot of stuff and I need the money, frankly."
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It's hard to tell if Carrey was joking or not, given he is known for his comedy but he was more frank in a 2018 conversation with The Hollywood Reporter.
Carrey shared that he decided to retire after losing his passion for acting in films.
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Jim Carrey in The Truman Show. (Paramount Pictures)"I just didn't want to be in the business anymore. I didn't like what was happening, the corporations taking over and all that," he said.
Following his 2014 film Dumb and Dumber To, which was a critical failure, he took a step back, only appearing in smaller budget films for a couple of years.
He made something of a comeback in 2018, starring in and producing the comedy drama series Kidding, followed by his role as the villain in the Sonic movie adaptations.
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