With 2019 marking the 25th anniversary of the cult classic, Dumb and Dumber, one of the film’s stars, Lauren Holly is looking back at the comedy’s success by sharing behind-the-scenes stories and divulging how the comedy came at a crucial point in her career.
Holly, who was best known at the time as Maxine Stewart on David E. Kelley’s breakout show Picket Fences, found herself taking on a change of pace with Dumb and Dumber, where she played Mary — the object of Harry (Jeff Daniel) and Lloyd’s (Jim Carrey) affections in the 1994 film.
Videos by PopCulture.com
Speaking as if she made the movie yesterday, Holly told PopCulture.com that it felt as if “every day on that movie, we laughed so much.”
“I think it’s such a funny movie, but the stuff that didn’t even make it in is also hilarious,” Holly said. “That was just a good time had by all. We were like moving around locations in Colorado and Utah and it was just really fun.”
While Dumb and Dumber was shot in a short period of time, Holly said the cast and crew became a close-knit family while filming on location.
“I think we started in May and finished in the end of July or something, and so we shot over Memorial Day weekend and Fourth of July weekend,” Holly explained. “And the whole group of us, including the directors and everybody, would rent houseboats for the long weekend on Lake Powell in Utah. We just had the best time.”
She adds it was one of the the more fun moments shared between the cast and crew.
“There must have been 20 of us that would do that, and just barbecue and boat and swim and it was a great time,” she said.
Dumb and Dumber became a box office hit, cementing Carrey‘s star status and proving Daniels could tackle comedy. The film also helped put Peter and Bobby Farrelly on the map, as they would later direct Kingpin, There’s Something About Mary and Fever Pitch. They also reunited with Carrey and Daniels in 2014’s Dumb and Dumber To.
While Holly was not in the sequel, she was still “glad” to be in the first one.
Holly also had fond memories of working on Picket Fences. Although not all that well-known a show today, the series was anchored by acclaimed performances from Tom Skerritt and Kathy Baker, and established Kelley as a strong television writer/producer. Holly and Kelley reunited on Chicago Hope.
“That one was a great experience because the scripts were so good and I loved my part,” Holly said of Picket Fences. “And the thing that I remember the most about Picket Fences is a [production assistant] would bring a box of newly, just off the machine, printed scripts for the next episode, and we would all grab them and scatter and hide. We couldn’t wait to read what our characters were going to do. And that’s kind of unusual, but we just… we loved it.”
Holly called Beker and Skerritt “awesome,” adding the show was a “great time.”
Holly will next be seen in Designated Survivor with Kiefer Sutherland. The third season launches on Netflix on June 7.
Photo credit: Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images
