Jeff Daniels Recalls Filming “Dumb and Dumber” Toilet Scene and Fearing It Would ‘End’ His Career
The actor remembers costar Jim Carrey telling him to "go all the way" on the day he shot the famous scene
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Jeff Daniels; Daniels' character Harry in 'Dumb and Dumber'Jeff Daniels is looking back on the scene he thought would flush his career down the toilet.
The Man in Full star, 69, told USA Today that he took a big risk starring alongside Jim Carrey in the 1994 comedy Dumb and Dumber as Harry, the "dumber" of two friends who go on a road trip to Aspen, Colorado, to return a woman named Mary's briefcase to her.
Daniels' agents warned him against taking the role in the Peter and Bobby Farrelly film because he was a "serious actor."
He also felt that he had to nail the extremely outlandish comedy scenes because he knew that the movie studio originally wanted to cast a seasoned comedian for the role.
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But the Guest Artist star admitted that he was worried the famous scene — in which Harry has a bout of extreme digestive problems on Mary's toilet after drinking tea with laxatives in it — would "end" his acting career.
"It's one thing to read the toilet scene, but then the day comes and we're actually going to do the toilet scene," he said to USA Today. "I told Jim, 'This is either the beginning of my career or the end of it.' "
Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images for Netflix
Jeff Daniels attends Netflix's special screening of 'A Man in Full'Daniels called Carrey, 62 — who played the slightly smarter half of the duo, Lloyd — "fearless."
The Mask star gave his costar a pep talk before he shot the infamous scene. "[He] told me, 'It's going to be great. You've just got to go all the way with it,' " Daniels told USA Today.
The actor took Carrey's words to heart. "That was a couple hours of porcelain gymnastics," he recalled of filming. "And that close-up when they pop in tight on my red face. I had been doing it so long, I had almost passed out."
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His dedication paid off, not to mention the fact that his work caught the eye of Hollywood icon Clint Eastwood, who introduced himself to Daniels at a celebrity golf tournament soon after the movie was released.
"Clint says to me, 'I just saw Dumb and Dumber, and you know the toilet scene? That happened to me,' " Daniels told USA Today. "And then he tells a story about dating this woman that he really wanted to impress, but the shellfish hit him the wrong way from lunch."
"In terms of comedic scenes, that toilet scene will probably outlive us," he jokingly added. "It will be funny 40 years from now."
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