Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Larry King Live

Interview with Fran Drescher; Jim Carrey Discusses Movies, Comedy and Relationships

Aired December 15, 2008 - 21:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

LARRY KING, HOST: Tonight, it's official -- Caroline Kennedy wants Hillary Clinton's Senate seat. But so does Fran Drescher. She lifts her silence right here, right now. It's her first interview on why she thinks she's the best person for New York and the country.
And then Kerry Kennedy tells us why her cousin Caroline should be the frontrunner.

And then later, Jim Carrey...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM CARREY, COMEDIAN/ACTOR: I'm on a manic high right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: On America's next president...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARREY: It's a breath of fresh air, what can you say?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: On Jenny McCarthy, on why he can't stand to stay no.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARREY: I believe that I'm saying yes even when I'm saying no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Right now on LARRY KING LIVE.

Fran Drescher, the Emmy-nominated actress who became famous for her "Nanny" role, has thrown her hat into the ring to be selected by the governor of New York to be the senator replacing Hillary Clinton.

Why?

FRAN DRESCHER, ACTRESS: You know, Larry, ever since I became a cancer survivor, I feel like I got famous, I got cancer and I lived to help people. And I've kind of made this my life mission. I've been very active in Washington for years now. And I -- I just feel like I would represent the New York people really well.

KING: Have you thought of political office before?

DRESCHER: Well, you know, I'm a U.S. diplomat now. I was appointed by the State Department. Hillary Clinton is going to be my new boss. I just returned from a four country Eastern European tour of duty. I was very instrumental in getting an initiative passed by unanimous consent, which is more than a lot of elected officials can say. And that was the Gynecologic Cancer and Awareness Act -- the first of its kind in U.S. history.

So, you know, I am really in the mix. I'm the president and visionary of the Cancer Schmancer Movement. I've been very vocal about speaking about civil liberties and education...

KING: But why the Senate?

I mean you could do all these things without being in the Senate, which would take away from your acting career. And to give up that, you'd have to -- that's a full-time job.

Why the Senate?

DRESCHER: Well, you know, I feel like I've -- I've moved away from the acting career anyway. I mean, I dapple in it and I do things that only interest me. But I'm finding that all roads lead to Rome. And nowadays, Rome is Capitol Hill.

And I enjoy the Senate. And I like working with senators. And I feel like that branch is more bipartisan. And I've actually been encouraged by senior senators on both sides of the party lines to pursue this -- that I would make an excellent senator.

KING: So you've talked to members of the Senate?

DRESCHER: Yes. Yes, I have. And high level Democratic pundits, who said throw your hat in the ring. All the governor can do is say no. And, you know, you're already on that path, so continue it.

KING: Have you spoken to the governor?

DRESCHER: I spoke to very close staff members -- some high level staff members. I have not spoke directly to him, although I saw him at the renaming of the Triborough Bridge -- the RFK Bridge. And I thought that he gave a very eloquent speech that day. I've met him on a few occasions when I was surrogate speaking for both Hillary Clinton and then for Barack Obama during the Democratic campaign.

KING: All right. The principal opponents names, I guess, at this point, would be Caroline Kennedy and Andrew Cuomo.

How do you view them?

DRESCHER: You know, I have the utmost respect for both of them. And I'm sure that they offer good things for the state, as well. I just think that I grew up in New York. I went through the New York public school system. My dad worked two jobs when I was growing up. You know I was the victim of a violent crime... KING: Yes.

DRESCHER: ...so I'm very outspoken on violence against women and children and animals and, you know, gay rights and pro-choice.

I don't know, you know, I mean, can only speak for myself. And I think that I'm pretty authentic. And I love the State of New York.

KING: Let's...

DRESCHER: And I think I'd be probably good for New York.

KING: Let's talk about a couple of current issues...

DRESCHER: OK.

KING: ...which probably won't be in front of you if you're in the Senate, but are now.

What would you do about the auto bailout?

DRESCHER: I think that we definitely have to Scotch tape together this industry and keep the autoworkers working. It's not to say that they did a great job in management. But I think that it's a question of damage control right now.

And I think that to put so many people out of work and then the ripple effect of all of the other people that will go out of work as a result of not being able to service that industry -- you know, the workers are the ones that are caught between a rock and a hard place. The reason why this economy is where it's at is because of greed at high levels. These workers, they're not taking cruises around the world or dripping in jewels. They just need to put food on their table and clothes on their kids.

And, you know, that's what I think the taxpayers' money is for -- to help us, us Americans, when we need it. And they need it. You know, it's our money, so let's spend it on ourselves.

KING: Are you prepared for all that goes with it -- committee meetings; various committees that you would be appointed to?

I mean we have the junior senator from New York.

Are you prepared for all that?

DRESCHER: Well, I've been, you know, and...

KING: I mean there's only a hundred of you.

DRESCHER: I know. And I like that aspect of it. I've been a pretty regular staple in Washington for years now. And I know the way it works. I spoke at Senate hearings and during Black Caucus Week, I was on the panel and cancer, you know, hearings.

And I -- and, you know, don't forget, I was the creative and executive producer of "The Nanny." I mean, I have been a successful businesswoman for many years.

And I like talking to people. And I like dealing with problems and solving problems.

KING: In a couple of moments, Caroline Kennedy's cousin, Kerry, is going to be on.

DRESCHER: Yes.

KING: What...

DRESCHER: I know her.

KING: Do you know her?

DRESCHER: Yes. And I know Caroline, as well.

KING: Do you think she's qualified?

DRESCHER: Do I think Caroline is qualified?

Well, it depends. If you're -- you know, I -- I can't really answer that question. I think that she has a lot going for her and she certainly has the Kennedy name. And I'm very close with many of the Kennedys. And I've had dinner with her.

And, you know, I mean, if it -- if we're going to be judged on our families, I think she's got it hands down.

(LAUGHTER)

DRESCHER: But my dad was working two jobs when I was growing up -- one for Sears and Roebuck and one for the U.S. Post Office.

KING: You're not a...

DRESCHER: But...

KING: You're not a Kennedy?

DRESCHER: No, I'm not.

(LAUGHTER)

DRESCHER: I'm a Drescher. But, you know, I think that's for the governor to decide. And I feel like he will do diligence and evaluate everybody's qualifications.

KING: Do you expect Hillary to support anyone?

DRESCHER: I think that Hillary will probably not come out and support anyone. I did tell her that I was throwing my hat in, because we -- you know, we are close and I love her and I wanted to pay her the respect so she wasn't caught off guard.

KING: Yes. DRESCHER: But, no. I think she's going to leave it to the governor.

KING: We'll call you on again, Fran.

DRESCHER: Thank you, sir.

KING: Good luck.

DRESCHER: Thanks so much.

KING: Fran Drescher.

Kerry Kennedy, Caroline's cousin and supporter, joins us when LARRY KING LIVE returns in 60 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: Joining us now in New York, Kerry Kennedy, the daughter of Robert F. Kennedy.

Caroline Kennedy is her first cousin. She's author of a new book, "Being Catholic Now".

What do you make of Caroline being interested?

KERRY KENNEDY, AUTHOR, "BEING CATHOLIC NOW": You know, I think Caroline would be a tremendous senator for New York. She's a lawyer. She's a best-selling author. She's written a book about privacy issues and the Bill of Rights. She's raised $65 million for public schools in New York.

I think she'll be a tremendous senator, if that's the way it comes out.

KING: What is your Uncle Teddy saying about it?

KENNEDY: You know, I haven't talked to Teddy about it. But I'm sure he'd be just delighted to have Caroline as an ally. Of course, my father was the senator from New York when Teddy was Senator from Massachusetts. And they were able to accomplish a lot together in the Senate. And I think we could see a return to that, as well.

KING: Do you think -- do you feel a legacy to your father?

KENNEDY: Well, you know, I don't -- I don't think that we should choose senators based on the legacy issue, but really on the substance of the person. And Caroline has spent her entire life in public service.

She's in a unique position because she doesn't care about fame. She doesn't care about money. She doesn't care about power. And what she really cares about is public service.

And she has -- she's been involved in public service her whole life. She's on the board of American Ballet Theatre. She's worked hard on the Met here in New York. She cares about the arts.

She cares about children. I've three kids in public schools. I know how important it is to have a real advocate for education.

I don't know if you saw the...

KING: Have you...

KENNEDY: ...the front page of "The New York Times" today said that because of our economic problems in this state, that the -- the funds for schools are going to be cut.

KING: Yes, I saw that.

KENNEDY: That's going to be across our country. We need a real advocate for public education in the Senate.

KING: The surprising thing, though, Kerry, is, having interviewed her a few times and been with her on social occasions, she's a very private person.

KENNEDY: You know what, she is a private person. And I don't know that it's so bad to have a private person in the Senate. I think that she brings certain strengths to that position that aren't represented in the Senate right now.

And, you know, one position that's severely underrepresented is that of a mother. And Caroline is primarily a mother. And she -- she cares about kids. She brings those experiences to the Senate that only a mother can bring. And I think that's important, as well.

KING: What's "Being Catholic Now" about?

KENNEDY: This is a series of interviews with people from Bill Maher to Bill O'Reilly to Nancy Pelosi about what it means to be a Catholic today. There are -- some of them are very funny. You know, I asked Nancy Pelosi. She said that her mother always wanted her to be a nun. And when I said do you want to be a nun -- did you want to be a nun, she said, no, I wanted to be a priest.

But it really explores the struggles that people have with the Catholic Church and what's important to them in our religion and why they stay involved when others might leave.

KING: That book is out now, "Being Catholic Now".

We just heard Fran Drescher.

What do you make of her idea of running or being appointed?

KENNEDY: Well, you know, I think that Fran has been a very interesting actress. I think that that the real person who I'm here talk about is Caroline. And I think that she's just had a whole career in public service. You know, she's started the Profile in Courage Award at the John F. Kennedy Library, which focuses and rewards politicians who stand up to -- to public pressure and to other types of pressures and do the right thing for our country.

And I think that's the kind of public servant she'll be.

KING: What do you make of her chances?

KENNEDY: I think that she's got a good chance. I think that, you know, there's -- there's a wide field. There are some very strong candidates in there. We come from a great state, with millions of people.

But Caroline brings unique qualities to this. And she's beloved across the state. And she has -- she's done a lot for our country and for our kids. And I think she'd be a great public servant.

KING: Yes.

Thanks, Kerry.

Kerry Kennedy, thank you so much, the daughter of the late Robert F. Kennedy and the author of "Being Catholic Now," speaking in support of her cousin, Caroline.

Jim Carrey is...

KENNEDY: Thank you.

KING: Thank you.

Jim Carrey is here next.

Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "YES MAN," COURTESY WARNER BROTHERS)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Hey.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We had a couple of rays last night. It was totally off the (INAUDIBLE)...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, you seem a little hyper.

CARREY: I had a couple of Red Bulls.

Have you ever had a Red Bull?

I never had a Red Bull before, but I had a Red Bull last night and I really like Red Bull. I got a new necklace. It glows in the dark, but you can't really see it right now unless you do this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's really something.

Doesn't Red Bull make you crash pretty hard?

CARREY: No, no, no. No, no. I don't think so. No. No. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CARREY: Did you get the briefing...

(LAUGHTER)

CARREY: ...the questions I won't answer?

KING: Yes. I -- I got it. OK

CARREY: All right. Good.

KING: I'll stay away from that.

CARREY: I'm trying to control this thing, man.

KING: That one area. I never knew you...

CARREY: I'm trying to control it.

KING: I never knew you had that problem that I can't ask about it.

CARREY: Huh?

No, I say yes to everything now...

KING: OK.

CARREY: Yes. Except Proposition 8.

KING: I know -- you're right.

CARREY: There you go.

KING: Jim Carrey is our special guest.

Always a great pleasure to have him with us. But it's been seven years. The last...

CARREY: No.

Has it really?

KING: The last time I saw you was a private airport. You were getting off a plane and I was getting on.

CARREY: Really?

KING: Yes.

CARREY: Yes.

KING: You almost brushed me.

CARREY: It's a big plane, isn't it? (LAUGHTER)

KING: Yes. We had the same plane.

CARREY: Comedy -- I always think about that, jokes.

KING: He stars in...

CARREY: I'm on the plane going jokes...

KING: He stars in...

CARREY: (INAUDIBLE).

KING: He stars in "Yes Man," which opens in theaters on December 19th.

How do you get this project?

CARREY: Divine intervention.

(LAUGHTER)

CARREY: The lord came to me.

KING: The Lord?

CARREY: Yes, the Lord came to me and said do this one, seriously.

(LAUGHTER)

CARREY: It was good money and...

KING: That, too.

CARREY: That, too. No. You know, I think -- I think projects find me. You know, it's really interesting, everything I've done, from "The Truman Show," the "Eternal Sunshine" to "Yes Man" and "Bruce Almighty" always come into my life at the perfect time, when I'm in the mode to do them and in the mode to say that thing. So...

KING: So have you turned down anything you regretted?

CARREY: Well, no. I never regret. I never regret.

KING: You don't?

CARREY: But, yes. I mean, you know, "Meet the Parents" was something that I was developing...

KING: You turned that down?

CARREY: ...with Steven Spielberg. Yes. I actually created the Fockers in a -- in a creative meeting. Yes. But, it was perfect that Ben Stiller did it. When I saw it, I went that's the way it's supposed to be done. KING: You didn't get kicked?

CARREY: No, not at all.

How could I, man?

I'm at a banquet table.

(LAUGHTER)

KING: Yes, all right.

CARREY: It's like, you know, what am I going to say?

KING: Life isn't bad for you.

CARREY: Life isn't bad.

KING: All right. This was...

CARREY: Life isn't bad.

KING: This was a book, wasn't it...

CARREY: Yes, it was.

KING: ..."Yes Man?"

CARREY: Yes, it was. It was a gentleman in England, Danny Wallace, who -- who, you know, actually tried this for a year. And (INAUDIBLE)...

KING: So it was a real life occurrence?

CARREY: Yes, it was a real life occurrence. And when we -- I saw the concept, I just went this is -- this is just such an amazing concept, I can't leave this one alone. It's -- as far as comedy goes, you know, the idea of committing to things that -- that are outlandish, you know?

KING: Having to say yes?

CARREY: Having to say yes, no matter what it is, yes.

KING: Are you a yes person?

CARREY: I am. I am. You know, I go -- I go in and out. But I believe that I'm saying yes even when I'm saying no. So I never say no unless I'm saying yes to something positive by saying no.

Do you get that?

KING: No.

CARREY: Do you understand that?

(LAUGHTER)

KING: All right, give me...

CARREY: Well, for a...

KING: Wait. Wait...

CARREY: ...you know, if I...

KING: Give me an example.

CARREY: If I say, you know, yes to answering a question...

KING: Right.

CARREY: ...or no. If I say no to answering something that I don't -- I don't want to answer, I'm saying yes to my own self-worth, you know what I'm saying?

KING: Oh. It's positive for you.

CARREY: But that's a bad example. You would never ask me a question, probably, that I would never want to answer.

KING: Not me.

CARREY: Yes. Except for my communist background. Leave that on the table.

KING: You're revealing things here tonight.

CARREY: You know...

KING: "Meet the Fockers," communism. We haven't done five minutes...

(LAUGHTER)

KING: The premise is what?

CARREY: The premise is, it's a gentleman who -- by the name of Carl Allen, who has kind of stopped living. He got hurt in a relationship and he just kind of went into his shell and he decided to say no to life.

And he decides that, at a certain point, that he's kind of losing touch with everything. And he runs into a guru -- a new age master named -- that's played by Terrence Stamp -- named Terrence, because I can't remember names, so I had to do that same name.

(LAUGHTER)

CARREY: And -- everybody is named their actual name in the movie just for me.

And he makes a covenant with this man that he will say yes to everything no matter how ridiculous it is.

KING: Isn't no the hardest word to say?

It is.

CARREY: It is hard for me. It really is hard for me.

KING: It's hard for me. It's hard for...

CARREY: I mean...

KING: It's hard for me.

CARREY: Yes. Especially, you know, when you've got money. It's like, you know, there's so many people, man.

(LAUGHTER)

CARREY: It's just like, dude, seriously, it's been a bad week, you know, kind of thing.

(LAUGHTER)

KING: How about an old...

CARREY: I've had a -- I've had a tough time and I know we're not related in any way.

(LAUGHTER)

KING: How about...

CARREY: You do have to say no at a certain point, you know?

KING: By the way, there are people standing around. You can laugh.

CARREY: Yes. They're all going to...

(LAUGHTER)

KING: It's allowed.

How about an old friend who needs a favor?

I got this group, Jim...

CARREY: Yes?

KING: I knew you back when.

CARREY: Yes. Yes. It's really difficult to say no. So, you know, I basically -- I have a gauntlet of people that they have to get through to get to me.

KING: And they say no? CARREY: That's right. They say no for me, so I can stay the nice guy that everybody believes in.

(LAUGHTER)

CARREY: No, I -- honestly, I mean I did have to kind of set up a system that I have to say -- you know, if it does, if the script that you're talking about actually is, you know, entertaining to these maybe two or three people, then I'll -- then I'll do it. I'll read it, you know. But I can't just take the solicitation off the subway train.

KING: "Yes Man" opens December 19th.

We'll be right back with Jim Carrey.

Don't go away.

CARREY: I'm not going away.

I'm not going!

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(VIDEO CLIPS)

KING: "Yes Man" is very funny. It opens December 19th. The star is Jim Carrey.

The -- by the way, do you have a preference, serious to funny?

CARREY: I don't. I don't.

KING: Because you've played some really weird and serious people.

CARREY: Yes. Yes. Well, I'm a weird, serious person.

(LAUGHTER)

KING: Is that harder?

What's harder?

CARREY: I don't want to say one is harder than the other. They're all born out of the same place. You know, people make movies for people to transcend their life in some way or another, either through drama -- you allow an audience to identify with pain that they have or to look at someone else's pain and say well, that pain is a lot worse than I've ever experienced and how did he get through it or how did they get through it.

And comedy is the same thing. It helps you transcend whatever state of pain you're in. Now, everybody has a little bit of something going on. So I believe that movies are made by people in pain for people in pain.

KING: Why do some actors have a lot of difficulty with comedy? CARREY: Because they suck.

(LAUGHTER)

CARREY: No. I mean if I were to be diplomatic about it.

No...

KING: That was diplomatic.

(LAUGHTER)

CARREY: No. I...

KING: Because there are, you know, we know.

CARREY: Well, I think that some people -- I guess, according to -- you deal with your pain in different ways. You know, some people decide to put a smile on it and make something creative and funny out of it. And some people decide to go all the way down that road into -- into just expressing that emotion.

It's a difficult thing. And, you know, when I've done drama, I definitely feel for people that are in the heaviest of that mode -- you know, people like Sean Penn and, you know, people who kind of live their life in most of the parts they do in that -- in that mode. It's a very difficult mode to be in, you know?

KING: I'll bet.

CARREY: But it may be the most familiar thing for him.

KING: Are you the most comfortable with comedy?

CARREY: No. I love it. I love it all, honestly. I love -- I love being creative.

KING: OK...

CARREY: And I feel so lucky to be given all of these opportunities, to be able to do a movie like "Ace Ventura" and then do "The Truman Show" and "Eternal Sunshine," and to be able to do the "Yes Man," which is flat out comedy and that has a little something to think about and the movie I just did called, "I love you Phillip Morris," which is, you know...

CARREY: You play a gay person.

CARREY: Yes, I do. Yes. I don't just play...

(LAUGHTER)

CARREY: It's not play for me.

KING: Is playing gay...

CARREY: (INAUDIBLE).

KING: How do you find that?

How do you find that?

CARREY: Come here.

(LAUGHTER)

CARREY: Come here. Playing gay -- I mean, basically all I did was love another person, you know what I mean?

I mean that's...

KING: It didn't matter, man or woman?

CARREY: No. No, it didn't matter. It's not my preference in life. But, you know, it's not hard to imagine that you're attracted to what you're attracted to. And, you know, I could just -- I just basically thought about Jenny -- if this was, you know, if she was a man or whatever, those things went through my head. And then actually...

KING: Oh, you used that?

CARREY: Yes, I used that. And actually, you know, use the real feeling you have for the person. When I look at Ewan McGregor, I admire him and I like him. Hopefully, when you're in love with somebody, those qualities are paramount.

KING: We're taping Jenny later today.

CARREY: Yes, I know.

KING: You're not going to play the same night, but she is some kind of girl. How did you and her -- how did that happen?

CARREY: It's funny how that happens when you're in a place that's really wonderful. I had already gotten to a place in my life where I felt at peace and I was invited to David Spade's birthday party, actually, at the Buffalo Club. And I went out there that night and I was just in a zone. And I just felt wonderful. It was one of those times when you don't have to be anywhere but where you are.

KING: And had no girlfriend?

CARREY: I had no girlfriend at the time. I mean, I was just knocking them off one after another. It was just sick. But -- so I went to the party. And I just stood there in the middle of the room and kind of had that feeling like I was everything I felt. And she looked at me, and she said, you just looked so peaceful that I had to come and talk to you.

KING: What did you think when you saw her?

CARREY: I went -- well, I mean, I'd seen her a bunch of times, never in person. But I just thought -- well, she's nothing like the persona, like the "Singled Out" person that I met -- or that I knew, that I had seen. Because I don't think I wanted to go out with that person. You know? She was brilliant, but that wasn't the choice I would make. She was completely different than that. She was really sweet.

KING: Did you start going out right away?

CARREY: No, because we just kind of had a brief get together and then she went away to deal with Evan, whom I had never met at that point. She was dealing with him and his illness. She came back a little while later.

KING: And that's magic when it hits?

CARREY: Yes. Beautiful.

KING: You can't predict it?

CARREY: No. You're just lucky while it's there, you know. That's all, just lucky.

KING: Right back with Jim Carrey. The movie opens December 19th. It's "Yes Man." Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: We're back with Jim Carrey. He's one of my favorite people. He stars in "Yes Man," out in theaters everywhere on December 19th. We were talking a little bit -- not a little -- about relationships, the meeting with Miss McCarthy and sensitivity and that. Do you believe in fate?

CARREY: I believe that everything happens to you is the greatest thing that could ever happen to you.

KING: You fall down a man hole.

CARREY: Everything. Mugged in an alleyway, hit with a brick in the face; everything is the greatest thing that could ever happen to you.

KING: Explain that.

CARREY: Because I believe that's how the universe works. It gives you exactly what you're in alignment with, what you're expecting. It works. It's all designed to work on the weakest link you have.

Here's what I've learned --

KING: Tell us.

CARREY: What I've learned so far, in my opinion, is that creation is a common experience that everybody's sharing. And yet, it speaks individually to every single soul. That's the genius of it. But just like I can't imagine Einstein's brain, you know. I don't know how that brain happened or how that could be, you know, or Steven Hawking, or those types of people. There's a level of intelligence, you know, in this. And I'm not talking about the world was born 6,000 years ago either. I'm talking about there's a level of intelligence behind everything, from the flowers to the bees to the whatever to whatever it is. Everything has a purpose.

So I really believe in that purpose. And I believe I'm being talked to directly by everything.

KING: Didn't you suffer from depression?

CARREY: Yes, yes. I'm on a manic high right now. Can't you tell?

KING: How did you get through that to this?

CARREY: Well, that's another thing. You know at the risk of like opening up the whole Tom Cruise Prozac argument, you know, I don't disagree in many ways. I think Prozac and things like that are very valuable to people for short periods of time. But I believe if you're on them for an extended period of time, you never get to the problem. You never get to see what the problem is, because everything is just kind of OK. And so, you don't deal. And people deal when they get desperate.

KING: So how did you do it?

CARREY: I take supplements.

KING: Vitamins?

CARREY: Yes -- well, it's not -- well, it is vitamins. But it's also certain elements of the brain like Tyrocine (ph) and hydroxy tryptophan that they're treating depression with now. It is a natural substance that's in your brain. Instead of being a Serotonin inhibitor, which just uses the serotonin you have and Prozac and things like that -- it just uses the Serotonin you have and it doesn't allow it go back into the receptor. It metabolizes your serotonin after a while and you have to keep taking more and more to feel good.

This actually creates dopamine and creates serotonin. It's a wonderful thing. It's amazing. I'm going to talk a lot about it in the near future.

KING: You're going to write about it?

CARREY: Yes.

KING: Has coming through this made you a better performer, do you think?

CARREY: I think all experience -- if you're a performer, if you're an artist, you ought to be able to take this table and make it into something. You know, you ought to be able to make something out of anything. And, so, you know, actors are just more emotional artists. They take -- the paint is the emotion and the pain and the buttons that are pushed. Mine was you will never be enough, you know. So when I go to that place of never enough, something happens to me.

KING: Was stand-up comedy acting?

CARREY: Oh, yes, for me it was. It's just a different kind of acting, a different kind of acting. Yes, it's very, very difficult to be up alone in front of a bunch of people on a stage. It's a challenge, for sure. But it's its own kind of fun. It's its own kind of medium. It's just being a painter. You're being a painter.

So what happens to me is between the movies and between the little creative, you know, media things I do, is that I become a painter. I paint. And because it has to come out, because if it didn't come out, you know, it's John Wilkes Booth. You know, it's like a danger to society.

KING: Were you a funny kid?

CARREY: I was. I was. I was like always doing shows for the company. I kind of exaggerate sometimes. My parents used to wake me up and say, put your tap shoes on. But it was every time somebody came over. In the class, I was the class clown. I was the entertainment for the company, for Christmases and special occasions. I did a full-on show in my living room. I threw myself down flights of stairs and did Clousseau impressions.

KING: What age?

CARREY: I was maybe from seven -- six, seven years old.

KING: You knew you were going to do this?

CARREY: Yes. But it comes from also -- I've said this to other comedians, and everybody goes, yes, it's true. I had a sick mom, you know. I had a sick mom. Generally, what happens is you try to fix things. I had alcoholic grandparents. So when they left and they had humiliated my father and my mother and had been completely dysfunctional, I would kick into my impression of alcoholic grandpa and mother. I did it on "In Living Color." We did the Dysfunctional Home Show. And I was playing my grandfather. (INAUDIBLE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARREY: Are you ready for dysfunction? Great. I'm all dead inside.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARREY: Come on, Larry, just read the copy, for God's sake. You got to learn how sometimes.

KING: Let me get a break. We'll be right back with Jim Carrey. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: We're back with Jim Carrey. Don't forget, "Yes Man" opens December 19th. Are we talking about a mother complex here, or the affect that mother has?

CARREY: Yes, for me, my mother was in pain all the time. I wanted to fix her. She was depressed, so I wanted to make her laugh. But I remember when I was eight years old actually having the thought that I want to make my mother believe she gave birth to a miracle. That was the conscience thought I had, is that I want my another to feel like her life was worth something, that she did something special. And I was going to be that something special.

KING: A conscious thought at Eight?

CARREY: Conscious thought at eight years old.

KING: Did you help her?

CARREY: I did in certain ways and I couldn't in certain ways. What I've learned as I've gone along is that people are in a certain vibration. And they either -- they are able to assimilate that and move on to a different place, or they kind of stay in -- using that kind of vibration, you know.

KING: Did your mom get to see you succeed?

CARREY: Oh, yes, yes. She did. And my father did. And that was very cool. When I made my check out for 10 million dollars, my little visualization, put it in my father's pocket when he passed away --

KING: You did that?

CARREY: Oh, yes. It was his dream as much or more than it was mine. You know, he was a sax/clarinet player, and he never came down to the states and really went for it. He had an orchestra in Toronto. But he, I don't think, believed that he could make it. You know? So when I did it --

KING: Sure.

CARREY: I learned from his example in good ways and ways not to follow.

KING: Ball players who made the minor leagues kvell (ph) over sons who make the majors.

CARREY: Absolutely. That may be your place. If you don't make it yourself, maybe you're the coach.

KING: Yes.

CARREY: That's the way to look at it.

KING: What was your biggest break? What was your break? How did we get to know you?

CARREY: My femur just before I came in here. Yes, snapped like a twig. KING: Yet, you were able to stand up --

CARREY: I was try doing that Connor thing on the wall.

KING: But your philosophy worked. You broke the femur but continued on?

CARREY: Exactly.

KING: In fact, you were happy about the broken femur.

CARREY: I did break three of my ribs in this movie. Yes, in the scene in the bar where I took the fall, when I hit the waitress tray. I always see the acme blueprint of how I can do it. And I know exactly what I can do. But the blueprint went out the window halfway through the fall and I decided, you know what, I'm going to make this really good. I am going to put -- I went X-Games in my mind. Suddenly, I'm like, Devil may care, forget it, caution to the wind. And I thought, can I get all of my limbs up into the frame at the same time. That was the challenge. So I did it. You see it in the movie.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARREY: No time. There's a time crunch. Time is of the essence. Whoa! Oh.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARREY: Cracked three of my ribs, finished the scene, stuck the landing. Went to my chair, said, let's look at the playback. And all I cared -- everybody was going, are you OK? That broke something, man. We heard things snapping over here, stuff like that. Get some ice. Jim, seriously, do you want to take a moment. And all I cared about was what it looked like. When I saw it, I went, that rocks, man. That rocks. It's just like the X-Games, you know. If you get a good shot, who gives a damn.

KING: Our guest is Jim Carrey, who looks at the world a little differently than most. He stars in "Yes Man," opening December 19th. Back after this.

CARREY: The day the Earth said yes.

KING: Leave those things in.

(NEWS BREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: I have blue cards here. I have them at every show. They're prepared by producers and the like, and they're little tips of what I might talk about. I don't have to follow it. Sometimes I follow it. Sometimes I don't. Through half of this interview, I followed it. Through the other half, I haven't.

CARREY: Mind if I check it out? KING: Want to look?

CARREY: No, I didn't study. OK.

KING: That's OK?

CARREY: Yes.

KING: You don't object to anything?

CARREY: Yes, glad. I'm glad this thing is multiple choice.

KING: Back to this first break. Was it the television show?

CARREY: My first break? My gosh, there's so many breaks along the way. "In Living Color" was the biggest, hugest thing for me. That was the breakthrough moment, where people went, I like that white guy. And a couple years into it, it was Jim Carrey. For the first two years, it was the white guy; I like the white guy.

KING: When you auditioned for it, did you feel like this was going to be an unusual show?

CARREY: I knew Damon, and I knew Keenan. So I know that they would do something outrageous for sure. I just -- again, it was a hallway full of people. And Damon asked me to come out and audition and I did insane things. I had no idea. I can't even remember what I did. But I just -- I guess just showed them that I don't give a dam, you know? And that's what they liked.

KING: That's the key to your success?

CARREY: That's the key to my success. I really don't give a damn.

KING: Are you going to marry Jenny?

CARREY: No. No. I am married to Jenny. I love Jenny very much and we have a great relationship. And we've both been married a couple times. And the kind of common feeling out there is this kind of human need to, like, kind of close things, you know, to have closure in things and to categorize them and put them on a shelf; OK, they're married now, and we can deal with that. But I like it the way it is, and I think she likes it the way it is. You know? And that's all we need. I really don't, at this point of my life, feel like I need to have the approval of someone in the collar or a judge to tell us that our relationship is sacred.

KING: Or the state?

CARREY: Or the state. No one can tell me my relationship is sacred.

KING: You have a 21-year-old daughter. Do you see her a lot?

CARREY: Yes, all the time. KING: Are you a good father?

CARREY: Yes, you know, it's funny, because the first child you have is always the experiment and you learn what you shouldn't do. So there were times when I was distant from her or not there enough for her. And we felt those times and we had repercussions from those times. And then we got to a point where there was no apologies needed, and there was just love and admiration. And I admire her greatly. And she saved my life on a couple of occasions, just by being there, you know? So -- and you know to -- sometimes when you're really in a spot, all you can do is grab on to like what matters. You think about what matters. And to have something that matters is good.

KING: We're going to take a break and come back with our remaining moments and we'll cover some basics. OK?

CARREY: All right. Sure. I'll steal second, you better watch out.

KING: You approve of this?

CARREY: Oh sure.

KING: We'll be back with Jim Carrey, right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: OK, time to touch some more bases with Jim Carrey. The movie is "Yes Man." It opens December 19th. Barack Obama, what do you think?

CARREY: It's all there, black and white, really. I just hope the white part doesn't screw it up, you know what I mean? Because we tend to do that.

KING: Yes. You look forward to his administration?

CARREY: Oh, yes, I'm very excited about it. It's a breath of fresh air. What can you say? It's just amazing to see the difference in one day after he was elected of the attitude toward America in the world. I mean, wow. I mean, people want to like us and we've been doing everything in our power in the last eight years to make them dislike us. You know, we've completely discounted other people for the last eight years. And I think this is a sign to them that we understand that they're there and that we have to play ball with everybody.

KING: How does your selection process work? In other words, you're shown a script. Are you the kind of guy that goes, yes, I like that, I'm doing it.

CARREY: I go with whatever I'm going through. Everything has found me. Everything so far has found me. It's not like I find them. I read a ton of scripts. But the ones that pop out are the ones that you're ready to dance with. That's it.

KING: Are you good at forecasting how your films will do?

CARREY: I'm not bad, not bad. I don't have the same expectation for every film I do. There is a kind of common misconception, is that I might think that a movie like "23" or a movie like "Eternal Sunshine" would have to perform like "Bruce Almighty." I don't have that expectation. So I do them and I let them find an audience. But I don't do anything that I think is going to be something that doesn't uplift or do something for somebody.

KING: Ever want to do Broadway?

CARREY: Sure, sure. I'll do that.

KING: Do a play?

CARREY: I would love to do it. I hope I could do it. I wonder if I would get tired of saying the same words over and over again. I ran into Matthew Broaddrick and Nathan Lane when they were doing "The Producers" and they looked like they wanted to string themselves up back stage. They were like, the jokes, the 750,00th time I've said the jokes.

KING: You would have done good in that.

CARREY: I could have done that.

KING: You would have been great.

CARREY: Yes. I want to do everything in this lifetime. I'm creative, so --

KING: Pleasure seeing you again.

CARREY: Good to see you again too. Say hi to my girl.

KING: I'll give your regards.

Jim Carrey, "Yes Man," opens December 19th.

That's it for tonight. Time for Anderson Cooper and "AC 360." Good night.