Jim Carrey thought he was praising the talents of Margot Robbie during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show Friday, but his comments were criticized online for appearing to suggest her career is only successful because of her looks. Carrey has been busy promoting the second season of Kidding and Sonic the Headgehog, while Robbie is celebrating her second Oscar nomination. Robbie also stars as Harley Quinn in Birds of Prey, which opens Thursday night.
“I wanted to talk to you because you’re amazing and I’m so excited for you,” Carrey told Robbie, who was on the show with him. “It’s incredible that you’ve gotten as far as you have with your obvious physical disadvantages.”
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While Robbie and the audience laughed, Carrey added, “That’s just pure talent there.”
The comments were quickly met with cringing from viewers on Twitter.
“Don’t put creepy [Carrey] on again!” one fan tweeted to Norton. “Poor [Margot Robbie]! Jealous Jim! Margot is a talented, intelligent woman and her beauty has nothing to do with her success! Shameful moment! I cringed but Margot handled the idiot with grace and poise!”
“[Carrey] just told a fellow guest she’s only successful because of her looks what a huge f— d—,” another tweeted.
“So condescending of Jim Carey to suggest Margot Robbie’s success is down to her looks…she’s a good actress and clearly lovely and funny,” another wrote.
“Jim Carey is difficult to watch,” another chimed in. “Not keen on his insinuation about Margot Robbie’s looks being her talent. She is a bloody Oscar nominee!”
“Jim Carey basically telling Margot Robbie her career is based on her looks,” another tweeted. “To her actual face. What?! She looked a bit blind-sided.”
Robbie just earned her second Oscar nomination thanks to her supporting role in Bombshell. She plays a fictionalized character serving as an amalgam of women who accused former Fox News founder Roger Ailes of sexual harassment. The film also earned Charlize Theron an Oscar nomination fo her performance as Megyn Kelly.
Robbie also starred as Sharon Tate in Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood. She reprises her Suicide Squad role Harley Quinn in Birds of Prey. She plays the role again in 2021’s The Suicide Squad.
As for Carrey, he stars in Showtime’s Kidding, which returns for Season 2 on Feb. 9. He also plays the villain Dr. Robotnik in Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog, which will finally hit theaters on Feb. 14.
Photo credit: Isabel Infantes/PA Images via Getty Images
