‘He worked on his speech in French for months’: Cesar Awards boss rejects Jim Carrey clone conspiracy theories | Jim Carrey

The organizer of the Cesar Awards has sought to refute reports that a look-alike replaced Jim Carrey at last week’s ceremony.

In a statement sent to Variety on Monday, Gregory Collier, Caesars’ general representative, said the controversy was a “non-issue” and attested to Carey’s investment in the event, which has been in the planning since last summer.

“From the beginning,” Collier wrote, “he was deeply moved by the academy’s call.” “Eight months of continuous and constructive discussions. He worked on his French speech for several months, asking me about the exact pronunciation of certain words.”

Curry was so proud of the honor that in addition to bringing his partner, daughter, grandson and publicist, he was accompanied by 12 “close friends and family members.” He added: “There was his old friend Michel Gondry, with whom he made a film and two series, and they were happy to see each other again.”

“For me, this is not a problem. I just remember his generosity, his kindness, his benevolence, his elegance,” Collier added.

In a moving speech at the French Endowment on February 26, Carre paid tribute to several giants of French cinema, and also noted his lineage in the country, saying that his great, great, great, great grandfather, Marc-François Carre, was born in Saint-Malo about 300 years ago, before immigrating to Canada.

Despite this personal touch, many commentators were astonished by the obvious changes in Carrey’s appearance, especially around the eyes, cheeks and nose, leading to suspicion in some quarters that the man on stage was an impersonator.

Drag artist Alexis Stone posted photos on Instagram of various prosthetics suggesting that he was the one on stage, not the slapstick star of films like The Mask, The Truman Show and Liar Liar.

Actress Megan Fox said on Instagram: “I can’t take any more stress right now. I want to know if this is real.”

Once one of Hollywood’s most beloved and bankable comedic actors, Carrey also won acclaim for his straighter roles in the likes of Man on the Moon and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

In 2022, he told Deadline that he would “probably” retire, saying, “I really like my quiet life and I really like putting paint on canvas and I really like my spiritual life and I feel like — and this is something you might never hear a celebrity say as long as there’s time — I have enough. I’ve done enough. I’m enough.”

He added that he would return to acting if “the angels brought me a script written in gold ink telling me it would be really important for people to see it.”

Two years later, the actor agreed to reprise his role in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, telling a reporter, “I honestly need the money.” A copy of the script was duly given to the actor written in 24-carat ink.

In December 2024, Curry confirmed that instead of full retirement, his plan was to “rest power.”