50 Fun Facts About The Mask

What is the name of Jim Carrey's timid bank teller in The Mask?

Carrey based the character on his own father, 'a nice guy, just trying to get by'.

Where is The Mask set?

Son of the Mask moved the action to Fringe City.

Where does Stanley find the mask?

He jumps in thinking a person is drowning, only to find a pile of garbage with the mask in it.

According to psychiatrist Arthur Neuman, which Norse god may have created the mask?

Neuman, played by Ben Stein, wrote the book The Masks We Wear and notes the powers only work at night.

Which actress made her acting debut as nightclub singer Tina Carlyle?

She was a model with no acting experience; the part was rewritten to make Tina genuinely good after she was cast.

Who was the director's first choice for Tina, before she dropped out to do Naked Gun 33 1/3?

A costume designer then recommended Cameron Diaz.

What is the name of the nightclub where Tina sings and the finale takes place?

Its dance sequence was inspired by the 1943 Tex Avery short Red Hot Riding Hood.

Which 1943 MGM cartoon inspired the nightclub dance sequence?

Tex Avery's wolf, eyes popping and jaw dropping, is the template for the Mask's reaction to Tina.

What is the name of Stanley's dog?

He was played by a Jack Russell terrier named Max, and he swims off with the mask at the end.

What breed is Milo?

When Milo wears the mask he becomes aggressive and mischievous but stays loyal to Stanley.

How does Milo help Stanley escape from jail?

Stanley then takes Lieutenant Kellaway hostage to get out of the station.

Which song does the Mask perform to distract the police in the park?

The number, along with 'Hey Pachuco', later showed up in the trailer for Disney's Flubber.

Who plays the gangster Dorian Tyrell?

When Tyrell wears the mask, the hulking creature is played by pro wrestler Jeep Swenson.

Which pro wrestler played the masked Dorian Tyrell?

Swenson later played Bane in Batman & Robin.

Which reporter betrays Stanley to Tyrell for a $50,000 bounty?

Amy Yasbeck plays her; she is trying to escape the advice column.

Which comedian plays Stanley's best friend and co-worker Charlie Schumaker?

Charlie tries to grab the mask at the very end, only for Milo to swim away with it.

Who plays the police lieutenant Mitch Kellaway, obsessed with catching the Mask?

He identifies Stanley from a scrap of the Mask's suit that reverts into a piece of pyjama.

How does the Mask finally dispose of Dorian Tyrell?

He also swallows the time bomb just before it detonates.

Which comic publisher created The Mask, from which the film was loosely adapted?

Founder Mike Richardson created the character; the comic is far darker and more violent than the film.

What was the green-headed character called in the early comics, before the films renamed him?

The comic's title referred to the mask itself, and the character was inspired by the Joker, the Green Goblin and Freddy Krueger.

What genre was the film originally intended to launch before Chuck Russell pushed for comedy?

Russell had worked on A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Blob but found the comic's violence off-putting.

Which two actors were kept in reserve for the lead in case Jim Carrey turned it down?

Rick Moranis, Martin Short and Robin Williams were suggested earlier; a tape of Carrey on In Living Color won him the role.

Which sketch show was Jim Carrey starring in when he was cast?

A New Line executive sent a tape of one of his sketches to Dark Horse founder Mike Richardson.

How long did Jim Carrey's daily makeup session for the Mask take?

He learned to talk while wearing the fake teeth that were meant only for silent scenes.

Which effects house handled the film's computer animation, supervised by Wes Takahashi?

ILM said Carrey's own elastic face saved them about a million dollars in planned effects.

Roughly how much did The Mask gross worldwide against a budget under $25M?

It was the fourth-highest-grossing film of 1994 and the most profitable comic-book movie until Joker in 2019.

Which film beat The Mask for the Best Visual Effects Oscar?

Carrey earned a Golden Globe nod for the role and, oddly, a Razzie nomination for Worst New Star.

Which superhero film was the only one to have out-grossed The Mask worldwide at the time?

Its return on budget made it the most profitable comic-book adaptation for 25 years.

The Mask's soundtrack is credited with helping revive which musical style in the 1990s?

Royal Crown Revue cameo on screen; the album also features Harry Connick Jr. and Vanessa Williams.

Which real swing band appears on screen at the nightclub?

Their appearance is credited with kick-starting the decade's swing revival.

Which unused idea had a mask-maker turning teenagers into zombies with corpse-face masks?

Mike Richardson recalled the concept from the years the project spent stalled at New Line.

Which pair of film critics were written into an early draft as fourth-wall-breaking cameos?

The real Siskel and Ebert later gave the finished film two thumbs up.

On what date was The Mask released in US theatres?

Ace Ventura came out that February and Dumb and Dumber that December, completing Carrey's breakout year.

Who plays Tim Avery, the animator whose baby is born with the mask's powers, in Son of the Mask (2005)?

Carrey declined to return; the film flopped, grossing under $60 million on a budget near $100 million.

Which actor plays Loki in Son of the Mask?

Bob Hoskins plays Odin, who orders Loki to recover the mask; Ben Stein returns briefly as Dr. Neuman.

Which voice actor played the lead bank clerk in The Mask: Animated Series?

He was also Yakko in Animaniacs and Pinky in Pinky and the Brain.

The Mask: Animated Series had a two-part crossover with which other cartoon based on a Jim Carrey film?

Three Carrey-inspired cartoons launched in 1995: The Mask, Ace Ventura and Dumb and Dumber.

How many episodes did The Mask: Animated Series run for?

It ran three seasons from 1995 to 1997 and spawned its own comic, Adventures of The Mask.

Which Cartoon Network talk-show parody's episode 'The Mask' was included on the film's 1995 VHS?

The Mask was the UK's most rented title of 1995 with 3.8 million rentals.

Which two 1994 films bracketed The Mask in Jim Carrey's breakout year?

He was 'virtually unknown' when cast, and studio executives worried the film couldn't succeed without established stars.

Which writer-artist team created the 1991 comic book series the film is loosely based on?

Dark Horse founder Mike Richardson first pitched a film adaptation to New Line in 1989, having already fielded offers from other studios.

Screenwriter Mike Werb wrote his first draft of The Mask in less than how long?

Chuck Russell had tapped Werb after reading his script for a Curious George adaptation, and the film was green-lit less than two months after that draft.

Who composed The Mask's orchestral score, recorded by the Irish Film Orchestra?

It was recorded at Windmill Lane Studios in Ireland and issued separately from the swing-heavy song soundtrack on Chaos Records.

Which deadpan actor plays Dr. Arthur Neuman, author of The Masks We Wear?

He was the only film cast member to reprise his role in The Mask: Animated Series, which otherwise recast the leads.

According to the psychiatrist's deduction in the film, when are the mask's powers active?

The animated series quietly dropped this limitation, letting the mask work during the daytime in its alternate continuity.

Who provides the uncredited singing voice for Tina Carlyle?

Tina was originally written as a good girl who turns out bad, but the part was rewritten to make her genuinely good after Cameron Diaz was cast.

What is the name of the crime boss Dorian Tyrell plots to overthrow?

In an early 1991 draft the gangsters were called Scully and Vitelli before evolving into Tyrell and his boss; Tyrell murders him at the charity ball.

Besides a Golden Globe nod, Jim Carrey was nominated for which Razzie for The Mask?

The same performance earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, a rare double for one role.

Which 2019 film finally beat The Mask as the most profitable comic book movie ever?

Measured by global gross against budget, The Mask held the title for 25 years on a production cost of roughly $18-23 million.

Which magazine ran a sweepstakes offering a cameo in the planned Jim Carrey sequel?

When Carrey walked away from the project, the magazine had to pay the winner the cash value of the cameo instead.