Jim Carrey Reveals His Father's Failure Inspired His Comedic Dreams

Carrey gave an impassioned speech about his late father.

ByABC News
May 27, 2014, 12:04 PM

May 27, 2014— -- Jim Carrey is a comedic legend.

But the "Ace Venture" star revealed that it was his father Percy that inspired him to follow his dreams. Otherwise, who knows what would have happened in his life.

Carrey spoke at the Maharishi University of Management's class of 2014 commencement over the weekend and gave an inspiring address to the students.

After explaining that most people don't believe they can ask the universe for what they want, their dreams, he gave a poignant tale about his father.

Read: Jim Carrey Pens Children’s Book Partly Based on His Childhood Fears

"So many of us chose our path out of fear disguised as practicality," he said in a video posted by Daily Mail. "My father could have been a great comedian, but he didn't believe that was possible for him. So, he made a conservative choice and instead he got a job as an accountant."

Then Carrey reveals the moral of the story.

"When I was 12 years old, he was let go from that safe job," he added. "Our family had to do whatever we could to survive. I learned many great lessons from my father, not the least of which is that you can fail at what you don't want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love."

Carrey's father died in 1994.

Well said!