Jim Carrey Delivers Emotional French Speech While Accepting Honor at César Awards
jim carrey accepted an Honorary César at the 51st César Awards in Paris, delivering an emotional acceptance speech in French and tracing a family link back to Saint Malo as he thanked relatives who attended the ceremony.
Jim Carrey speaks in French to a standing audience
The actor, introduced on stage by director Michel Gondry, delivered his acceptance address entirely in French, speaking with a thick American accent and visibly moved as the audience rose to its feet at the 51st César Awards held at L'Olympia in Paris.
“As an actor, each character you play is like clay in the sculptor’s hands, which you shape to your heart’s desire, ” he said in French. He added, “How fortunate I have been to share this art with so many people who have truly opened their hearts to me. ” At the end of his remarks he asked, “So, how was my French? Almost mediocre, right? Forgive me, I didn’t speak French, but I’m just learning it. My tongue is tired. ”
Director Michel Gondry introduced the honoree
Gondry, who directed him in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 22 years earlier, brought the collaboration to the stage before the presentation of the rectangle block–shaped trophy. The Honorary César, traditionally handed to an international star, placed Carrey in a line of past honorees including last year’s Julia Roberts.
Carrey was described in the academy announcement as one of the most original voices in modern cinema and received the award at the glitzy ceremony in Paris where the French Academy underscored that his work “reminds audiences that cinema can do more than entertain. ”
Family roots, personal thanks and the full-circle moment
During his speech he recalled a family story: about 300 years ago his great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, Marc-François Carré, was born in Saint Malo and emigrated to Canada. “Tonight with this magnificent honor, this square (carré in French) has come full circle, ” he said, framing the award as a return to ancestral ground.
He attended the ceremony with his daughter Jane, his grandson Jackson and his companion Mina, and singled out family members in his thanks. “Thank you to my wonderful family, my daughter Jane, and my grandson Jackson. I love you now and forever. Thank you to my sublime companion, Mina. I love you, Mina. And finally, thank you to the funniest man I have ever known: my father. Percy Joseph Carrey who taught me the value of love, generosity, and laughter, ” he said.
Carrey, known for films such as The Mask and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, was visibly touched as other presenters and the audience acknowledged his work and his French-language effort at the podium.
The evening’s César winners also included Best Film L'attachement, Best Actress Léa Drucker for Case 137, and Best Actor Laurent Lafitte for The Richest Woman in the World, all announced during the 51st César Awards ceremony in Paris.
The ceremony closed with Carrey’s acceptance behind him and the academy’s customary roster of honorees set for the year; the presentation of the Honorary César marked his return to the public spotlight and underscored the personal connection he described between his family’s past and the recognition onstage.
