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Before Dumb and Dumber was introduced to Jeff Daniels, he established himself as a dramatic actor. You’d see him in a lot of serious movies like the box office weekend hit Terms of Endearment, Arachnophobia, Speed and more. When Daniels took on the role of air-headed Harry Dunne in Dumb and Dumber, he was afraid the buddy comedy’s infamous toilet scene would put his own career in the shitter (ignore the pun), that is, until he caught Clint Eastwood’s reaction.
Dumb and Dumber may already be one of Jim Carrey’s best movies, but USA Today reported that Jeff Daniels also had to get himself into some comedy hijinks in order to stand out in the film as well. When Daniels read in the script that his character would have an explosive intestinal purge in the toilet after drinking laxative-spiked tea, he admitted being afraid this particular scene would destroy his career. As he recalled:
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.’ Jim, who is fearless, told me, ‘It’s going to be great. You’ve just got to go all the way with it.’ … 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.
It’s true that Jeff Daniels really did go all out in his hilarious scene moving his pelvis around and making that animated facial reaction while uncomfortably doing his business. Especially since I’m assuming the sound effects were placed in post-production, I’m sure the Fly Away Home actor had to stick with his imagination on how bad his character’s bodily functions were without knowing what sounds were going to be put in place. It makes the scene all the more hysterical when it’s revealed the toilet was broken!
It’s comedic moments like exploding in someone else’s toilet why Dumb and Dumber is one of the best movies of the ‘90s. It’s a situation that could sadly be relatable to any of us, because when you gotta go, you gotta go.
Just when Jeff Daniels thought the toilet scene would be his own career down the toilet, he discovered a fan of the Peter Farrelly comedy flick. Clint Eastwood, known for starring in the best Western movies, introduced himself to Daniels at a celebrity golf tournament and went raving about his legendary toilet scene:
Clint says to me, ‘I just saw ‘Dumb and Dumber’ and you know, the toilet scene? That happened to me.’ 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.
What did I tell you? Audiences can watch this scene in Dumb and Dumber and look back to their own humiliating moment on the toilet in full laughter. It’s all the more reason why Dumb and Dumber is a good comedy to watch when you need some cheering up. With the toilet scene and the great improvised film moment of what the most annoying sound in the world is, it would be impossible not to feel good after.
It’s hard to believe that New Line Cinema originally wanted no part of Jeff Daniels because of his reputation as a dramatic actor. Even Daniels’ agents discouraged him from going in the direction of Dumb and Dumber, afraid of what it would do to his career. But the Man in Full actor wanted to challenge himself with a comedy and work with Jim Carrey. To think that the studio offered Daniels a ridiculous salary of $50,000 to Carrey’s $7 million thinking he’d turn it down, only to go on accepting it.
Fortunately, the Emmy Award winner’s career is still alive and well 30 years later. While Jeff Daniels may have initially had fears doing Dumb and Dumber’s toilet scene, he made sure to mention how grateful he is for it now.
I did my job, beyond my job. In terms of comedic scenes, that toilet scene will probably outlive us. It will be funny 40 years from now.
Just when Jeff Daniels thought an embarrassing collaboration with a busted toilet in Dumb and Dumber would ruin his acting career, Clint Eastwood commended him for portraying a moment similar to what the Dirty Harry actor went through. It proves you really do have to “plunge” right in and take risks in your comedy with the hopes it’ll be celebrated by fans.
30 years later, Jeff Daniels has a prominent acting career with Season 2 of the crime drama American Rust just released in March on your Amazon Prime subscription. You can also watch his new drama miniseries A Man in Full with your Netflix subscription and take a look at our 2024 movie releases for any cinematic projects of his.