Jeff Daniels thought 'Dumb and Dumber' could end his career

Jeff Daniels has revealed his agents tried to talk him out of one of his most iconic comedy roles.

They feared that he would be completely eclipsed by his wildly energetic co-star Jim Carrey in Dumb and Dumber.

Speaking about the 1994 slapstick hit, the 71-year-old actor admitted he was keen to try his hand at comedy, but his team were far from convinced. 

“I wanted to do comedy, and my agents tried to talk me out of it,” he said, recalling how nervous they were about him stepping into such an outrageous project alongside Carrey, who was rapidly becoming Hollywood’s biggest comedy force.

Despite the warnings, Daniels pushed ahead and the gamble paid off in ways nobody expected. 

Dumb and Dumber didn’t just perform well, it exploded at the box office, staying number one for six weeks and eventually earning more than $247 million worldwide against a modest $17 million budget. 

Critics, however, were far less kind at the time, something The Newsroom star still remembers with a wry smile.

“We knew 12-year-old boys would think it was Citizen Kane,” he joked, “but we weren’t prepared for the number one movie for six weeks. 

I still have the scrapbook of 200 reviews… and there’s not one good one.”

One moment that nearly derailed him entirely was the now-infamous toilet scene, which he feared could “end” his career. 

But the 64-year-old actor encouraged him to go all in, telling him to commit fully. 

Daniels did exactly that, enduring what he jokingly called “porcelain gymnastics” for hours.

RELATED: Dave Grohl shares 'universe' sign that inspired his post-Nirvana career