Toronto comedian Chris Locke is at the top of his game, constantly providing finely tuned standup sets and myriad hilarious side projects. You'd think he'd be on top of the world, but there's one thing tearing away at the very fibres of his soul — he's desperate for Jim Carrey to paint his portrait.
As you're likely aware by now, Carrey has moved on from comedy to spend his time creating politically charged artwork. He's gone viral with his unflattering depictions of Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Donald Trump, among others, and Locke wants in on the action.
Earlier this week, Locke called out for Jim Carrey to paint his portrait on Twitter, using the above image as source material. Using the hashtag #JimPaintChris, the tweet racked up some decent engagement and launched a flurry of other messages of support from throughout the comedy community.
Still, Carrey has yet to respond. As such, we thought we'd do our due diligence and give Locke a platform to discuss his dream. Read our interview with the comedian below.
What inspired you to launch this campaign?
I've been a fan of Mr. Carrey's comedy since I was a kid, watching him on In Living Color way back in 1990, when we all knew him as James Carrey. His comedy and behaviour was mind-blowingly insane and he was Canadian! That was a huge point of pride and inspiration for me — a misfit, trapped growing up in a suburb of Toronto. Obviously his career has been absolutely wild, personal life ups and downs, and now we are seeing this new version of him walking around fashion shows in NYC and telling the world that we are a "field of energy dancing for itself."
He's developed an obsession with colour, and a passion for expressing himself through painting. It really struck me how deep he was into this new painter's life when I watched his episode of Comedians Getting Coffee In Jerry Seinfeld's Fancy Cars and he took Seinfeld to his studio. There's an aspect of his behaviour now that is very fascinating to me; the combination of him rejecting celebrity and the shallow pursuit of fame, the emotional pain, and this constant output of politically and spiritually motivated art. There's a part of me that thought, well, if there's a time where I could possibly have some crazy connection to this comedy hero of mine, this Hollywood outlier, it's now, while he's so open and receptive to non-linear modes of being.
What is it about Jim Carrey's portraiture that speaks to you?
They're brash, bold, busy, and bonkers. Very curious. But let's be honest, it's mostly cause they're made by Ace Ventura.
Do you have a favourite piece that Jim Carrey has done?
I think we can all agree that "Electric Jesus" is the best.
Based on his previous work, there's a chance that, should Jim Carrey follow through with your request, he may not paint you in the most flattering light. Is that a concern?
No. If Jim Carrey painted my likeness at all it would be so incredible that I'd never take a photograph of myself again. That portrait would become my passport photo. I don't care if it depicts a pipeline going up my ass and puke is shooting out of my mouth, or there's tons of wrinkles on my forehead — it would be magical.
There is a serious amount of support for this Twitter campaign. What has been the most surprising person who has spoken out in support?
A staunch supporter since the beginning has been the incredible comic book writer, artist and friend, Chip Zdarsky. Everyone reading this, tweet "One Love" to Chip Zdarsky ASAP. And sub the word "love" with a heart emoji when you tweet it. Thanks. I was very happy that my old friend, now famous HQ Trivia host, Scott Rogowsky retweeted the original tweet. That was a kind gesture that will never be forgotten. I've had support from famous actors like Ennis Esmer, Aaron Eves, and another comedy legend, Scott Thompson. But all of my love goes to anyone and everyone who is trying to help. I feel the love and support from amazing people and I feel that it would mean something to them as well. But also keep in mind — I'm still under 200 RTs on my pinned tweet. HELP ME, EVERYONE!!!
Surely you must have a connection to someone who knows Jim Carrey. Do you think he knows about the campaign yet? Can't you just get Nathan Fielder to email it to him or something?
I definitely don't think Mr. Carrey knows about this campaign. I love picturing him considering it though, alone by a fireplace in a satin robe, stroking his chin like, "Hmm, I wonder if I should paint this man that keeps bugging me on Twitter." Nathan does not know Mr. Carrey but I can tell you that we're both big fans of his art and have had fun discussions about it.
On the flipside, what if Jim Carrey draws a portrait of you and then all of this momentum ends? How do you plan to cope after it's all done with?
Listen, if Jim Carrey paints my portrait then I'm literally nothing. I don't exist. Just clusters of tetrahedrons flowing through all things. You know?
As you're likely aware by now, Carrey has moved on from comedy to spend his time creating politically charged artwork. He's gone viral with his unflattering depictions of Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Donald Trump, among others, and Locke wants in on the action.
Earlier this week, Locke called out for Jim Carrey to paint his portrait on Twitter, using the above image as source material. Using the hashtag #JimPaintChris, the tweet racked up some decent engagement and launched a flurry of other messages of support from throughout the comedy community.
Still, Carrey has yet to respond. As such, we thought we'd do our due diligence and give Locke a platform to discuss his dream. Read our interview with the comedian below.
What inspired you to launch this campaign?
I've been a fan of Mr. Carrey's comedy since I was a kid, watching him on In Living Color way back in 1990, when we all knew him as James Carrey. His comedy and behaviour was mind-blowingly insane and he was Canadian! That was a huge point of pride and inspiration for me — a misfit, trapped growing up in a suburb of Toronto. Obviously his career has been absolutely wild, personal life ups and downs, and now we are seeing this new version of him walking around fashion shows in NYC and telling the world that we are a "field of energy dancing for itself."
He's developed an obsession with colour, and a passion for expressing himself through painting. It really struck me how deep he was into this new painter's life when I watched his episode of Comedians Getting Coffee In Jerry Seinfeld's Fancy Cars and he took Seinfeld to his studio. There's an aspect of his behaviour now that is very fascinating to me; the combination of him rejecting celebrity and the shallow pursuit of fame, the emotional pain, and this constant output of politically and spiritually motivated art. There's a part of me that thought, well, if there's a time where I could possibly have some crazy connection to this comedy hero of mine, this Hollywood outlier, it's now, while he's so open and receptive to non-linear modes of being.
What is it about Jim Carrey's portraiture that speaks to you?
They're brash, bold, busy, and bonkers. Very curious. But let's be honest, it's mostly cause they're made by Ace Ventura.
Do you have a favourite piece that Jim Carrey has done?
I think we can all agree that "Electric Jesus" is the best.
"Jesus Electric" by Jim Carrey, Painting, 2017 https://t.co/zuTXEOW2DO https://t.co/J7Cq1bqRXM pic.twitter.com/c8WWik2gWw
— LemmeBlog (@LemmeBlogNow) September 20, 2017
Based on his previous work, there's a chance that, should Jim Carrey follow through with your request, he may not paint you in the most flattering light. Is that a concern?
No. If Jim Carrey painted my likeness at all it would be so incredible that I'd never take a photograph of myself again. That portrait would become my passport photo. I don't care if it depicts a pipeline going up my ass and puke is shooting out of my mouth, or there's tons of wrinkles on my forehead — it would be magical.
There is a serious amount of support for this Twitter campaign. What has been the most surprising person who has spoken out in support?
A staunch supporter since the beginning has been the incredible comic book writer, artist and friend, Chip Zdarsky. Everyone reading this, tweet "One Love" to Chip Zdarsky ASAP. And sub the word "love" with a heart emoji when you tweet it. Thanks. I was very happy that my old friend, now famous HQ Trivia host, Scott Rogowsky retweeted the original tweet. That was a kind gesture that will never be forgotten. I've had support from famous actors like Ennis Esmer, Aaron Eves, and another comedy legend, Scott Thompson. But all of my love goes to anyone and everyone who is trying to help. I feel the love and support from amazing people and I feel that it would mean something to them as well. But also keep in mind — I'm still under 200 RTs on my pinned tweet. HELP ME, EVERYONE!!!
It would be my dream for @JimCarrey to paint my portrait. Please RT so he can see this and make my dream come true. Thank you! One love to the world. ❤️ 🌎 pic.twitter.com/lWuImpbBfg
— chris locke (@chrislockefun) April 8, 2018
Surely you must have a connection to someone who knows Jim Carrey. Do you think he knows about the campaign yet? Can't you just get Nathan Fielder to email it to him or something?
I definitely don't think Mr. Carrey knows about this campaign. I love picturing him considering it though, alone by a fireplace in a satin robe, stroking his chin like, "Hmm, I wonder if I should paint this man that keeps bugging me on Twitter." Nathan does not know Mr. Carrey but I can tell you that we're both big fans of his art and have had fun discussions about it.
On the flipside, what if Jim Carrey draws a portrait of you and then all of this momentum ends? How do you plan to cope after it's all done with?
Listen, if Jim Carrey paints my portrait then I'm literally nothing. I don't exist. Just clusters of tetrahedrons flowing through all things. You know?
