At the Tribeca Festival, Matthew Broderick and Judd Apatow reminisced about their time working on The Cable Guy. The 1996 film starring Jim Carrey was envisioned as another major hit following his successes in Ace Ventura, Dumb & Dumber, and The Mask. Remarkably, Carrey received a $20 million paycheck for this Columbia Pictures project.
The film, directed by Ben Stiller, marked a notable point in Apatow’s career, being where he first met his wife, Leslie Mann. Apatow humorously shared:
I met my wife on ‘The Cable Guy.’ It took all these years because I thought she was married… I just figured she had two last names.
Reflecting on their distinct roles, Broderick played the straight-faced Steven Kovacs opposite Carrey‘s eccentric cable technician, Chip Douglas. This stark shift from Carrey’s familiar gross-out comedy routine to a darker, more nuanced character was significant. Broderick humorously quipped:
I got a Swiss cheese sandwich
about the pay disparity with Carrey’s hefty salary. Apatow added:
Jim went so hard at you every day. I remember one day, he was so in your face… you said to me in between takes, ‘I don’t know how to react anymore! I’ve run out of reactions to this!’
During the shoot, Carrey’s $20 million paycheck stirred much attention. Reflecting on this, Broderick commented:
Nice as it is to make all that, it put a lot of pressure on him in a way…
Brodereck expressed sympathy for the pressure that accompanied such sudden success.
Apatow recounted some filming difficulties including an Ichabod Crane scene where both actors ended up with mud in their eyes. This scene did not make the final cut but left memorable experiences.
You were so mad at me… I never did it to anyone else again. You were the person who taught me to pay attention to wasting an actor’s time.
This insight into production challenges revealed moments of learning and respect behind the scenes.
Furthermore, Bernie Brillstein’s take on Carrey’s character brought an amusing perspective. Apatow shared Brillstein’s criticism of the lisped persona:
I said he was doing this character with a lisp. Nobody knew what I was talking about.
Apatow laughed about Brillstein’s confusion despite knowing his work well.
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