Jim Carreyhad a year unlike any other actor in 1994 , in which he star in three number one drollery : Ace Ventura : Pet Detective , Dumb and Dumber , andThe Mask , which was sandwiched in between . InThe Mask , the malleable actor — who had antecedently been best known for his work on Fox ’s sketch hitIn Living Color — tackle the function of bank narrator Stanley Ipkiss , who finds an enchanted masquerade made by Norse god Loki that helps him unleash his i d by becoming a maniacal , unripened - look superhero who can alter reality for his own amusement .
The movie made$120 millionin the U.S. alone and , to the anguish of parents everywhere , prompted tiddler to scream “ Sssssmokin ’ ! ” at each other for months afterward . Check out some facts about the film and eccentric Carrey oncecalled“Fred Astaire on acid . ”
1. The comic bookThe Maskwas based on was much darker than the movie.
The Maskisbasedon a comic bookconceptby Mike Richardson and Mark Badger that originally appeared inDark Horse Presentsin 1987 . ( risible Divine Doug Mahnke , John Arcudi , and Chris Warner also worked on subsequent iteration of the reference . ) While the feature film wound up being a frenzied comedy , thesource materialwas considerably less humourous . Instead of a mallet , the risible Stanleymightwhip out an ax and commence chopping . That Mask was , in the words of screenwriter Mike Werb , “ very dark … Stanley ends up killing C of citizenry . ” With theater director Chuck Russell , the two remold the story so that Stanley is more wicked than homicidal . ( Richardson and Mark Verheiden alsoworkedon conscription of the handwriting . )
Werb based the fiber in part on his own puerility . “ Stanley is me , sort of , ” hetoldThe Los Angeles Timesin 1994 . “ I was pretty much a loser geek in in high spirits school . I weighed 90 pound and grew 6 inches , from 5 feet 4 [ inch ] to 5 feet 10 [ inches ] , in one year . I have stretch marks on my knees for this ! They yell me ‘ The Worm ’ because it was close to my name ; the kind ones call in me ‘ The Whip . ’ You do n’t sleep together how many time I wish I had the masquerade . ”
2.The Maskwas written for Jim Carrey.
3. Carrey may have saved the filmmakers $1 million in special effects costs.
Carrey signed on toThe MaskbeforeAce Ventura : Pet Detectivewas liberate and turned the comic actor into a Brobdingnagian box office draw . That helped hold open New Line a trivial bit of John Cash : He waspaidjust $ 450,000 for the function , far less than the $ 7 million the studio apartment give him forDumb and Dumberlater that class .
Carrey also came with an additional bargain : consort to Chuck Russell , the studio probably saved about $ 1 million in especial result expenses thanks to the actor ’s elastic face , which helped Stanley Ipkiss become the gushy and cartoon - comparable Mask .
4. Effects artists at ILM had more fun onThe Maskthan onJurassic Park.
The special gist artists at Industrial Light and Magic startedworkingon the visuals forThe Maskright after completing work on 1993 ’s groundbreakingJurassic Park . The change was obviously exactly what they take to avoid burnout . “ AfterJurassic Park , I was almost ready to pack it in , ” ILM ’s then - conductor of spiritedness Steve Williams said . “ ButThe Maskwas completely bracing … What we could do with the dinosaurs was limited by the natural law of the natural existence , butThe Maskwas textbook cartoon . We got really excited watch the daily . It was a lot more playfulness spending a year watching Jim than it was expend two long time seeing how accurately we could make the butt of a giant reptile jiggle . ”
5. The dog inThe Maskwas motivated by Fig Newtons.
Carrey ’s co - star inThe Maskwas Max , a 5 - year - old Jack Russell terrier who play Stanley ’s frankfurter , Milo . Max near steal the movie from Carrey during the culmination when he put on the masque . To get the dog tohithis marks , his trainer plied him with Fig Newtons , a treat he had hear to sleep with as a puppy .
6. The yellow suit inThe Maskwas based on one Carrey wore in real life.
As the Mask , Ipkiss is a sharp dresser and admirer of 1940s couture who favors a bright chicken zoot causa . The costume was actuallyinspiredby a suit Carrey jade during his other eld as a stand - up comic in the 1980s . His motherreportedlymade him a yellow polyester suit with hindquarters on the premise that young man were bust them . ( patently , no one was , and Carrey feel slightly foolish . )
7.The Maskwas Cameron Diaz’s first film.
Supermodel Anna Nicole Smith was one of several woman Russellconsideredfor the role of Tina , a singer who catch Stanley ’s heart . Eventually , Russell settled on Cameron Diaz , a model who had yet to have any feature acting credits . “ [ She ] was the only person for the part as far as I was touch after her first reading , ” Russell said . “ And then I see the chemistry with her and Jim . Eight callback later on , let in improvs with Jim , I finally convince producers [ to roll her ] . ”
8. The “Cuban Pete” scene was almost cut from the movie.
From the beginning , it had been Russell’sintentionto makeThe Maska form of covert melodic , including a major dance number in which Ipkiss ( as the Mask ) perform “ Cuban Pete , ” a song that was firstreleasedin 1936 and by and by popularized by Desi Arnaz on the sitcomI Love Lucy . New Line was less sure about the scene and considered reduce it until a trailer audience generate it an enthusiastic reception . The song stayed in and even became amodestBillboardhit under their Hot Dance Music category .
9. Carrey was supposed to appear in aMasksequel.
When New Line signed Carrey toThe Maskback in 1993 , the dealincludeda provision for a sequel — one that looked likely given the film ’s enormous success and Carrey ’s box power appealingness . He was to be paid up to $ 10 million for the follow - up .
It never materialize . Though Carrey has done few subsequence in his career ( 1995’sAce Ventura : When Nature call , 2014’sDumb and Dumber To , and 2022’sSonic the Hedgehog 2among them ) he has often expressed hesitancy at render to roles . New Line went ahead with a sequel anyway : 2005’sSon of the Mask , which star Jamie Kennedy , made just$17 million .
In 2020 , Carreysaidhe’d consider aMasksequel if “ some half-baked visionary filmmaker ” were call for .
10.The Maskcould have met up with Freddy Krueger or Jason Voorhees.
Before Carrey lost involvement in a sequel , New Line Cinema laminitis Robert Shaye was optimistic the case could not only engender a series but potentiallymeetthe studio ’s other iconic antihero : Freddy Krueger ofA Nightmare on Elm Streetand Jason Voorhees of theFriday the 13thfranchises . Russell , in fact , had directed 1987’sA Nightmare on Elm Street 3 : Dream warrior .
“ Universal did that kind of thing , and we ’re not blind to the possibilities , ” Shaye told theLos Angeles Timesin 1994 . “ IfUniversalcould have Abbott and Costello meetFrankensteinand theWolf Man , maybe Stanley Ipkiss could meet up with Freddy and Jason . ” That never happened , though Freddy and Jason did encounter each other in 2003’sFreddy vs. Jason .
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