Jim Carrey took break from Hollywood to get 'out of people's faces'

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Jim Carrey: What to know

Jim Carrey: What to know

Even Jim Carrey can tire of Jim Carrey. 

'Tis the season of the actor, with his new movie, "Sonic the Hedgehog 3," about to hit theaters. While doing press for his new flick, Carrey revealed his time away from Hollywood was to give the public a break from his face.

"I do value the rest, you know. And I also value getting out of people's faces," he told E! News.

JIM CAREY SAYS HE'S EMERGING FROM RETIREMENT BECAUSE HE 'NEEDS THE MONEY'

Jim Carrey says leaving Hollywood was a way for him to get out of people's faces. (Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images)

"I mean, some people just want to be in people's faces all the time, and I don't, so I like to give them a rest."

In 2022, Carrey stunned Access Hollywood's Kit Hoover when he expressed his plans to retire after the second installment of the "Hedgehog" franchise. Admitting he was "fairly serious" about the departure, Carrey said at the time, "I feel like - and this is something you might never hear another celebrity say as long as time exists - I have enough. I've done enough. I am enough."

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In 2002, Jim Carrey announced his intentions to retire, citing that he had "done enough" work and was content. (Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)

Now, he is back and able to appreciate the entertainment industry in a new way. "I think whenever you step away from something—even if it's something you love—you get a new appreciation for it," he told E! News. "A different angle on the whole thing."

Last week, the actor admitted his financial circumstances had also brought him back to the acting world.

"I came back to this universe because, first of all, I get to play a genius. Which is a bit of a stretch," he told The Associated Press last week. "I bought a lot of stuff and I need the money, frankly," he added. Carrey also suggested he was open to taking new roles. "Yes, I'm sure something will happen."

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Jim Carrey says his return to the "Sonic the Hedgehog" franchise was due to his financial circumstances. (Ian West/PA Images via Getty Images)

"I came back to this universe because, first of all, I get to play a genius. Which is a bit of a stretch…I bought a lot of stuff and I need the money, frankly."

— Jim Carrey on his retirement reprieve

Given the holiday season, Carrey knows his face is likely to inundate screens across the globe, but he is able to recognize how special that is. 

"When ‘The Grinch’ comes on every year, I sit back and I go, ‘Wow. Families are going to be hanging out and when the kids are old enough, they’ll see that,' and they'll go, ‘Wow, that guy's cool,’" he said of his holiday classic, released in 2000. 

Jim Carrey starred as the Grinch in the 2000 film, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," opposite Taylor Momsen as Cindy Lou Who. (Universal/Getty Images)

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"Sonic the Hedgehog 3" is out in theaters on Friday, Dec. 20.