David Alan Grier And Chris Rock Were Certain One Of Jim Carrey's Biggest Hits Would Flop

It must have been a truly surreal and exciting experience to attend the premiere of "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective." Not only was the film unlike any comedy yet released, but it also starred a true one-of-a-kind in Jim Carrey, who at the time was known only for being a part of the sketch show "In Living Color." For comedians David Alan Grier and Chris Rock, however, their experience at the "Ace Ventura" premiere was more about supporting their friend than anything else, as neither was particularly convinced that the movie was going to make any money.

Carrey was a relative unknown before 1994. That year, however, he fronted two now beloved comedies in "Ace Ventura" and "The Mask," catapulting him to superstar status. But "Ace Ventura" was particularly special because it arrived first, debuting in February of '94 and unleashing Carrey's inimitable physical comedy on the masses. It made its star a '90s box office phenomenon and shaped the comedic tastes of an entire generation of kids. Nobody, however, could have foreseen just how big a star its lead actor would become.

Grier and Rock remained unconvinced even after seeing the movie. The former, who worked alongside Carrey on "In Living Color," discussed his experience on The Howard Stern Show, where he revealed that he actually sat next to Carrey during the "Ace Ventura" premiere. "Jim was so nervous," he recalled, "he was literally crawling out of his skin, and I said, 'This is my friend, I'm going to support him today.'" The comedian went on to explain how he laughed until he was "hoarse" and his throat was dry simply to show support, but in reality, he was doubtful. "In my head, I was like, 'Again, no one's going to see this movie, because he's too crazy.'"

Even while shooting "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective," people involved with the movie didn't think Jim Carrey could pull it off. Cinematographer Julio Macat said (via The Ringer), "The stuff he was doing was so over the top I truly thought this was gonna be the biggest piece of s*** ever." There's no doubt that a yet-to-be-established Carrey's all-out performance must have seemed extreme. Anyone privy to his antics before release must have thought viewers would either fall in love or walk out of the theater. Heck, even Carrey thought audiences would either love or hate "Ace Ventura."

Thankfully, the love overpowered the hate (and there was some hate, with Roger Ebert giving the film a lowly one star in his review). Outside of the critical reaction, however, "Ace Ventura" was a box office success, making $107 million on a $12 million budget. More than that, it became a beloved comedy and an instant classic for anyone who was coming of age just as Carrey broke through.

For David Allen Grier, though, the film was just way too over-the-top. During his Howard Stern appearance, the comedian recalled a specific scene where Carrey's pet detective is sitting alongside Courteney Cox's Melissa Robinson. "There was one point in the movie where he's with his love interest, Courteney Cox, and I said, 'For this 20 seconds, Jim is going to look at her and be serious.'" But he was not serious. Grier recalled Carrey's ridiculous performance in the scene, where he makes Cox's character jump after telling her a seemingly serious story about how he got a scar. "I just went, 'He is insane, no one is going to buy this.'"

In his Howard Stern interview, David Alan Grier revealed that he was actually offered a role in "Ace Ventura" wherein he would be paired up with Rob Schneider. He turned it down, not believing the movie would do anything for his career. Little had changed after the premiere, where Grier said he caught up with Chris Rock and the pair agreed the movie was a disaster. "I see Chris Rock in the lobby," he explained, "and I go, 'Chris, who do you think ...,' Chris goes, 'David, no one will see this movie."

At least Grier can admit in retrospect that he couldn't have been more mistaken, with the comedian adding, "Again, right over my head. I was wrong. I was wrong." The extent of the film's success really hit home for him a year after its debut, with Grier recalling a specific moment. "I'm at a friend's house," he explained, "and his three-year-old, this little white kid, comes in the room, and the only thing this kid could do is, he took a VHS copy of 'Ace Ventura,' he could put in the machine and he knew how to press 'play' and then 'rewind.' He would watch it over and over again, and at that point, I realized this is a phenomenon, this is a cultural phenomenon that I have missed."

The same year Grier had his epiphany, Jim Carrey was starring in a sequel, "Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls." The follow-up failed to match the cultural impact of the original, becoming a critically panned comedy that's actually better than you might expect. It also made $212.4 million on a $30 million budget, so once again, Carrey proved the naysayers wrong.