Jim Carrey Nearly Starred in The Timeless Christmas Classic 'Elf'

Hollywood is no stranger to having talented actors with unique traits that set them apart. Having gained recognition in 1990, Jim Carrey has continually thrilled movie lovers with his genius improvisation in films, delivering an unforgettable performance every time he appeared on the silver screen.

Fans fell in love with the actor through his roles in the late nineties' flicks "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective," "The Mask," and "Dumb and Dumber." Although he has grown older, he continues to perform at his best outshining other stars, and seems unlikely to retire anytime soon.

With almost every film feature the A-lister has starred in turning out to be a hit, it makes one wonder how much success Carrey would have added to one of the best Christmas movies of this generation.

Over the years, Carrey has played the leading man in numerous comedy-filled Christmas films. However, one well-known classic almost starred the icon, but it did not pan out in the end.

The timeless comedy film "Elf" was initially planned for production in 1993. The showrunners had agreed to cast Carrey, and the only thing left was to start shooting on set. Then, several bureaucratic decisions stopped the film from being produced.

At that time, Carry was at his prime, featuring in hit roles left, right, and center. Not wanting to waste his time in the spotlight, the comedy icon dropped out of the project, which still had unresolved issues. It took a decade more for the movie to hit the big screen.

For the lead role of Buddy, the Elf, director Jon Favreau and the co-producers picked a relatively unknown star, Will Ferrell. The movie turned out to be a smashing success, grossing a worldwide revenue of $224 million against a production budget of $33 million. Fortunately for Ferrell, "Elf" skyrocketed him into international stardom and placed the spotlight on him as an actor fit for any leading comedy role.

Although fans missed out on seeing Carrey star in the "Elf," the actor has delivered stellar performances in other iconic Christmas movies.

In 2000, the comedy actor portrayed the lead part in the live-action adaptation of Dr. Seuss's classic children's holiday tale, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." Carrey played a revenge-seeking grinch who planned on ruining Christmas for the folks of Whoville.

Ultimately, the Ron Howard-directed film received much critical acclaim when it hit the cinemas and grossed a massive $345 million worldwide.

Nine years after, the Canadian-born starred in "A Christmas Carol." The movie drew its script from a Charles Dickens story of the same title. The holiday flick got produced using 3D animation, and like the previous one, it amassed a beyond average revenue globally.

Both films are available for purchase in Blu-ray format.

For fans who have followed the actor since he rose to fame, it is easy to affirm that Carrey's best performances have come in dramatic works.

After his breakout role in "In Living Color," the comedy maestro starred in the classics "Bruce Almighty" and "Yes Man." He followed it up with features in movies such as "Kidding" and "The Number 23" but got his first two Golden Globe Awards for the best actor in the "Truman Show" and "Man on the Moon," with both movies debuting in 1998 and 1999.

His role in the 2004 sci-fi romantic drama film "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" garnered him immense critical acclaim and is arguably one of his most important films to date.

It earned him numerous award nominations, including the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role and another Golden Globe Award.

Whether in comedy films or drama movies, Carrey is sure to deliver excellently and add his own spice to the feature.

Sadly, the actor has mostly chosen to avoid doing a sequel regardless of the success the body of work ultimately achieves. Case in point, Carrey has starred in less than four sequels across his storied career and has grown a reputation for this habit.

Luckily, the tide is changing, and it appears that fans will see him feature in another sequel. In 2020, Carrey starred in the live-action adaptation of "Sonic the Hedgehog." He played the antagonist Dr. Robotnik and thrilled fans with his energetic slapstick performance.

Carrey will reprise the role when the movie hits the big screen sometime in 2022.