If you were creeped out by Paul Dano’s performance as the Riddler in The Batman, then you weren’t alone. Jim Carrey was also disturbed by Dano’s Zodiac Killer-inspired take on the Batman villain … despite not seeing the movie. It’s okay Jim, trailers scare me too. In an interview with UNILAD, Carrey said “I’ve not seen it. It’s a very dark version. I have mixed emotions about it. To each his own and all that. I love him as an actor, he’s a tremendous actor.” Carrey continued, “There’s a spot of worry in me over gaffer-taping people’s faces and encouraging people to do the same. Some sickos out there that might adopt that method.
He added, “I do have a conscience about the things I choose. Robotnik has cartoon bombs and no one gets hurt. I know there’s a place for it, and I don’t want to criticize it, but it’s not my kind of thing … it’s very well done, those movies are very well done.” Carrey of course played his version of the Riddler in Joel Schumacher’s 1995 film Batman Forever. His performance is peak 90s Carrey: a living cartoon with plenty of mugging and physical humor that worked well with Schumacher’s campy, cartoonish style.
But Matt Reeves’ The Batman is a decidedly different beast, a gritty, adult take on the caped crusader. And Dano’s grounded serial killer is a well-matched villain for the tone and scope of the film. For his part, Dano is a fan of Carrey’s performance as the Riddler, which he indicated in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter.
This isn’t the first time that Jim Carrey has spoken out against violence in comic book movies. In 2013, Carrey starred as Colonel Stars and Stripes in Kick-Ass 2, which was filled with plenty of violence and gore. After the Sandy Hook shooting, Carrey tweeted “I did Kickass a month b4 Sandy Hook and now in all good conscience I cannot support that level of violence. My apologies to others involved with the film. I am not ashamed of it but recent events have caused a change in my heart.”
Carrey’s recent press tour has had no shortage of controversy. He slammed Will Smith’s behavior at the Oscars and Hollywood itself for giving Smith a standing ovation for his Oscar win. But critics quickly pointed out Carrey’s own history of awards show misbehavior, like the time he forcibly kissed Alicia Silverstone at the 1997 MTV Movie Awards. Remember when actors forcibly kissing presenters at awards show was a thing? The 90s were insane.
Carrey also indicated that he may be done with acting, telling Access, “I feel like—and this is something you might never hear another celebrity say as long as time exists—I have enough. I’ve done enough. I am enough.”
(image: Warner Bros.)
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