Jeff Daniels keeps collections of hundreds of newspapers slamming his ‘Dumb and Dumber’ movie
Reflecting on how the much-loved cult classic was originally hated, Jeff Daniels has admitted he keeps collections of hundreds of newspapers slamming his ‘Dumb and Dumber’ movie.
Jeff Daniels keeps collections of hundreds of newspapers slamming his ‘Dumb and Dumber’ movie.
The actor, 69, has been reflecting on the 1994 comedy to mark its 30th anniversary, and recalled the film’s early screenings and the critical backlash it initially faced after he starred alongside Jim Carrey, now 63, in the Farrelly brothers’ slapstick road trip film despite him being renowned for dramatic roles.
He told The Guardian: “I still have a scrapbook of 200 newspapers panning the movie and wishing it never existed.
“Then we were the box office No 1 for six straight weeks. That’s when it hit me that we’d done the impossible.
“I was sat next to my parents and when we got to the toilet scene (in the movie), (and) my father hung his head in his hands and said: ‘No, Jeffrey…’.
“Meanwhile 5,000 people fell out of their chairs laughing. The reviews were horrible though!”
Directed by Peter and Bobby Farrelly, ‘Dumb and Dumber’ follows two clueless friends who drive from Rhode Island to Aspen, Colorado, to return a briefcase full of ransom money.
The film, now regarded as a comedy classic, almost didn’t happen as Jim, then a rising star, had to fight for Jeff to be cast.
Jeff added: “My agents didn’t want me to do the film. They said, ‘There’s a chance Jim Carrey will wipe you off the screen’.
“I said: ‘Maybe – but not if I work with him.’ And that’s what I did.”
The Farrelly brothers credited the late John Hughes with first developing the idea for ‘Dumb and Dumber’, before they took over.
Its success spawned a prequel, ‘When Harry Met Lloyd’ in 2003 and ‘Dumb and Dumber To’ in 2014, which reunited Jim and Jeff.
In a 2024 interview with USA Today, Jeff admitted concerns the infamous toilet scene in the original film – where his character is caught in severe gastrointestinal distress – might derail his career.
He said: “Jim encouraged me to go all the way with it.
“In terms of comedic scenes, that toilet scene will probably outlive us. It will be funny 40 years from now.”
