French actor Benjamin Lavernhe revealed a deeply personal connection to Jim Carrey, sharing how the comedic star inspired his own career path. Lavernhe discussed the impact Carrey had on him during an appearance on Canal+’s Super Plan, following the emotional tribute he delivered at the 51st César Awards.
“He made me want to do this job. I think I was inspired by him, that my face, maybe today, moves in a certain way and he’s not unrelated to that. There’s a lot of the unconscious at play,” he confessed.
Lavernhe explained he was overwhelmed with emotion realizing his idol was “four meters” away from him, fully grasping the significance Carrey held in his journey and life.
The actor also touched on the potential pitfalls of meeting those you admire: “It’s sometimes even dangerous to meet them. You can be disappointed, you can desacralize them. But I love him from the bottom of my heart. I feel like he’s someone from my family.”
“He took me in his arms ten times…”
The two actors even had dinner together the day after the César ceremony. “It was crazy,” he recounted. “So I’m telling you, it was him,” he insisted with a playful smile, addressing rumors that had circulated on social media questioning whether the Jim Carrey in attendance was the real deal.
Lavernhe assured that the star was genuinely touched by the tribute paid to him during the ceremony: “He was highly surprised. He said, ‘It was a surprise!’ (…) He was really very happy and honored. He took me in his arms ten times… I’m still pinching myself. It’s insane.”
Jim Carrey received an honorary César Award recognizing his entire career at the 51st César Awards on February 26 in Paris, celebrating his range from slapstick comedy to dramatic roles and iconic films like The Mask, The Truman Show, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
