8. Jim Carrey As Dr. Evil In "Austin Powers"
Mike Myers didn't always intend to play both the International Man of Mystery and his villain counterpart Dr. Evil in the
Austin Powers trilogy (Jay Roach, 1997-2002). Originally, none other than Jim Carrey had signed up for the role. How overblown would the Blofeld inspired Doctor have become if that had been the case? My prediction is unwatchable. Obviously the character is meant to be somewhat overblown, but getting that just right is a delicate art which Myers pulls off superbly and that Carrey would most likely have got carried away with and taken to the extremes of absurdity. Needless to say, Carrey's style of comedy isn't for everybody, and that's mainly due to how predictable the outcome will inevitably be. So it's fairly safe to assume we would have seen much of his oh-too-familiar annoyances had he played the part. Mr. Carrey later dropped out due to scheduling conflicts with
Liar Lair, so I suppose there is somebody looking out for the interests of mankind after all... unless you're one of the people who had to sit through
Liar Liar.