More than three decades after breaking into show business, Jim Carrey is still one of the most recognizable comedians on the planet, but the 55-year-old funnyman got serious during a recent speech to former gang members in Los Angeles.
In an emotional and spiritual address to members of the charity Homeboy Industries, Carrey expressed his admiration to the men and women for turning their lives around.
“I want to speak to the fact that I believe that this room is filled with God,” Carrey said, adding: “I admire you because when you step through these doors and you decide to part of this family, you made a decision to transcend and to leave darkness behind. It takes a champion to make that decision.”
The actor then gave a rare glimpse into his personal struggles and how faith and forgiveness helped heal him.
“I’ve had some challenges in the last couple of years, myself,” said Carrey, whose ex-girlfriend Cathriona White committed suicide in 2015.
“Ultimately, I believe that suffering leads to salvation…We have to somehow accept, not deny, the feel of our suffering and feel our losses.
“We decide to either go through the gate of resentment, which leads to vengeance and self harm… or we go through the gate of forgiveness, which leads to grace.”
Carrey also touched on meditation and God and the important roles they can play in everyone’s daily life.
“They talk about omnipresence in church and nobody really thinks about what that means. What it means is every cell of your body is God. Everything is God. Everything is divine,” Carrey said.
According to its website, Homeboy Industries is a nonprofit organization that “provides hope, training, and support to formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated men and women allowing them to redirect their lives and become contributing members of our community.”
“When you do good things, when you decide to transcend the negativity and attempt to do something positive for you, for your family…you are the heart of God,” he added.
Check out Carrey’s full speech below.
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