The “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” star also think’s it’s “a little strange” that the Comedy Store memorial to Bob Saget is becoming a Netflix special.
He dropped it in the middle of an interview with such subtlety, the interviewer wasn’t even sure he was being serious at first. “Well, I’m retiring,” Jim Carrey said in the middle of a discussion about Dolly Parton’s upcoming biopic.
Apparently, the “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” star was unaware that Parton had named him her dream casting choice for the film in the role of her longtime music partner, Porter Waggoner. He learned about it during a chat with Access Hollywood that aired Thursday.
There was no denying the smile that lit up his face as he revealed he hadn’t heard that, but was immensely impressed with the entertainment legend. “I love Dolly Parton,” he shared.
“We were born in different eras and it’s a shame,” he continued. “‘Cause I’d have chased her.” Further, he was pretty confident, “I’d have caught her.”
It was just about a week ago that Parton was talking about the long-gestating project she’s been working on for the past two years with Mr. Nashville Talks. The project began as a Broadway concept, but after Covid, she started thinking about maybe starting on the big screen — and then Broadway.
While acknowledging that she’d like to see different woman portray her throughout her legendary career, she name-dropped Kristin Chenoweth as her top choice to portray her through her middle years.
And then, without hesitation, she shared that she thought Carrey would be the perfect person to portray Waggoner. Carrey thought the very idea Parton would be interested in him “a lovely thing,” but said he was “fairly serious” about retiring.
“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,” he qualified. “I might continue down the road, but I’m taking a break.”
Mainly, he said that he’s just really enjoying his life right now. He likes the quiet, he likes focusing on his painting and his “spiritual life.”
“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.”
That said, perhaps that “gold ink” project is closer than he thinks, because he quickly conceded, “I would always speak to Dolly. Dolly’s just, to me, an otherworldly talent who’s just bigger than you can imagine.”
Another recent project he took on was one that he didn’t even realize was a project. Carrey was part of the Comedy Store memorial that was recently put on after the shocking and tragic death of Bob Saget, who Carrey had nothing but wonderful things to say about as a person.
But the news that their intimate memorial celebration was coming to streaming was a little odd to him. “He was an important guy and I was glad to be a part of that night, it was a very lovely night,” he said before adding, “I’m not sure why everything has to turn into a Netflix special– I think that’s a little strange.”
He did not, though, that he believes all proceeds from it “are going to the family and to [Saget’s] causes, so that’s nice.”
As reported by TMZ, the January event that was filled with Saget’s famously funny friends, is coming to Netflix in June. Carrey was joined in one clip that’s already been shared around by John Stamos, Jeff Ross, John Mayer and Chris Rock.
