Jeff Daniels reveals the scene he feared would “end” his career
Renowned actor Jeff Daniels, known for starring in the likes of Steve Jobs and the TV series The Newsroom, has revealed the scene that he feared might end his career before it had even begun.
The 69-year-old Godless star was launched into the public eye after his appearance alongside Jim Carrey as the hapless Harry in the iconic comedy caper Dumb and Dumber. The film was released in 1994, and while Daniels’ screen career had began in 1980, it was his tomfoolery with Lloyd that made him a household name.
While scenes such as a police officer yelling, “Pullover,” and Harry replying, “It’s a cardigan but thanks for noticing,” hinted at sure-fire success, there was one scene that Daniels was less certain about. In fact, just as Gettysburg had raised his profile, he feared the moment might ruin everything he had built up.
Daniels told USA Today: “It’s one thing to read the toilet scene, but then the day comes and we’re actually going to do the toilet scene. I told Jim, ‘This is either the beginning of my career or the end of it’.” The scene in question features Daniels suffering from explosive defecation after accidentally consuming an enormous quantity of laxative.
Daniels was not particularly known as a comic actor at the time so the scene was out of the ordinary for him. Nevertheless, his co-star instructed him that everything would be fine. “Jim, who is fearless, told me, ‘It’s going to be great. You’ve just got to go all the way with it’.”
Remembering how the scene played out, Daniels commented: “That was a couple hours of porcelain gymnastics. 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.”
At the time there were genuine fears that such scatological stupidity would kill off his serious career. “I had agents, who weren’t wrong, telling me, ‘You’re a serious actor. This is not the direction you need to be going. We’re going to stop this and get you off this movie’,” he recalled. “But I wanted to shake it up with a comedy. And I wanted to work with Jim Carrey.”
In the end, pretending that his bottom had temporarily been rendered a dirty dragon’s nostril was the best thing he has ever done for his career. As he comically concluded: “In terms of comedic scenes, that toilet scene will probably outlive us. It will be funny 40 years from now.”