Jim Carrey’s Mr. Pickles hair is no joke.
Carrey dished on the story behind his ‘do (see above) while discussing the new Showtime series, “Kidding.” He appeared alongside his co-stars and the creative minds behind the dark take on a children’s show host’s life during the Television Critics Association press tour on Monday.
“I wanted to make it as hard as possible for myself to look attractive to anyone near me,” Carrey said, joking, when asked about how they decided on his chin-length bob.
“He has long hair and I thought, ‘It would be perfect,’” director and executive producer Michael Gondry, added.
“His struggle was to say, ‘Don’t touch him!’” Carrey said. “‘Cause you wanna change yourself when you get a part and you wanna do some things.”
And while you may think Carrey’s hair is a little nuts, he said he doesn’t “feel crazy at all” while rocking the long locks. “I think it’s good,” Carrey said. “To me it’s juvenile, kind of — like a children’s hairdo.”
“We were trying to find something that felt like it had been your hair for that long,” executive producer and writer Dave Holstein said.
“Yeah, exactly. Like an arrested development-type situation, where you’re being something for them,” Carrey added.
The Showtime dramedy follows Carrey as Jeff, a.k.a. Mr. Pickles, a beloved children’s entertainer who sees his own life upended as his personal relationships begin to implode.
Throughout the season, Carrey’s character begins to push back against the limits of the well-oiled machine of his show, led by executive producer, Seb (Frank Langella). Seb fears Jeff’s mental state could ruin the branding empire they’ve built, and thus begins preparing the show for a life after Jeff.
Carrey also discussed his self-proclaimed “crass” political art, which you can read about here.
“Kidding” premieres Sunday, September 9 on Showtime.