Scott Davis chats with Dumb and Dumber To star Brady Bluhm…
Twenty years after the original grossed over $240 million, Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels and The Farrelly Brothers are back with a bang. Dumb and Dumber To was released to huge box office takings this last weekend, landing straight into the No.1 spot in the States with a huge $36million bow. But Carrey and Daniels aren’t the only people reprising their roles from the original, as actor Brady Bluhm returns to the Dumb-verse as Billy in 4C, the “blind kid” who Lloyd so famously sold Harry’s dead parakeet to in the original.
In an exclusive interview with Flickering Myth, Staff Writer Scott J. Davis was able to talk with Brady about all things Dumb, and what it was like to be back two decades later….
Scott Davis: What have you been up to in the two decades since Dumb and Dumber?
Brady Bluhm: That’s something I ask myself all the time! Where has the time gone? From 11 to 31 and it flew by at an incredible rate. I have continued my pursuit of acting through the years and have recently taken a stab at producing and some directing. In between there, I have moved all over the place (Chile, Alaska, Texas, New Jersey, Minnesota) and ended up right back where I started in California. 5 years ago I met the most beautiful girl in the world, Abbie, and persuaded her to marry me and we now have 2 beautiful children, Faye (2 ½) and Grahama (4 months). So currently, I am enjoying being a husband and father, working, acting, and even playing the drums in my band Migraine Season (migraineseason.com).
SD: How did you get the part in the first one? Did you have to audition, were you plucked from school?
BB: I grew up as a professional actor (not one of the crazy ones, luckily. (Thanks Mom!) so prior to Dumb and Dumber I had already acted in a lot of television shows, a few feature films and had done a lot of voice acting. I was sent on the audition for Dumb and Dumber and got a callback. They only brought back me and one other kid for the callback. I remember walking into the room with the Farrelly brothers and the producers and sitting down in the chair with eyes on me. As soon as I got into character and started saying the lines “Pretty bird. Pretty bird,” everyone in the room began cracking up laughing. If I remember right, they had me say the lines 3 times through and each time was the same hilarious reaction. I was just a kid, so I didn’t really get why it was so funny, but I knew it was a good sign.
SD: What did your friends make of you acting alongside Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels back when you were at school? Were you big fans of the guys prior to filming?
BB: While growing up, people always ask me what it was like to work with Jim Carrey. I was a HUGE Jim Carrey fan! We filmed Dumb and Dumber right after Ace Ventura and The Mask had hit it big so he was… smokin’. (couldn’t resist a lame “The Mask” pun). On set, one of the ADs took my mom and me to Jim and Jeff’s trailers to meet them. We talked with Jeff for a little while. I didn’t really know who he was at the time, although I’m a huge fan of his work now. When Jim opened his door, though, it is one of the few times in my life that I was starstruck. My jaw dropped and I completely froze up and couldn’t say anything, so my mom ended up doing all the talking.
SD: Did you get to keep the be-headed Petey when you finished on the film? Or your awesome puffer jacket?
BB: I’ve always wondered why I didn’t get to keep the actually “Petey” from the first film. I remember asking on of the crew what the bird was made of and the whole thing was just wire and feathers. All I ended up getting to take with me from filming was a lot of really great memories, unfortunately. If anyone gets ahold of a sweet jacket like that though, reach out to me on Twitter @bradybluhm so I can buy it off of you!
SD: You made the film whilst still quite young. Did you enjoy the recognition and fame that went with being in the film, or was it tough at such a young age? Did it start to annoy you at all if people would quote your lines in the film back to you?
BB: I tweeted the Farrelly’s before I knew I was going to be in #DumbTo saying “Thank you for casting me as Billy in 4C in Dumb and Dumber. It cemented the words “Pretty Bird” into my life forever. Honestly, I think I have probably had to say those words close to 100,000 times so far in my life, but it still hasn’t ever gotten old for me. There were times growing up, in High School for example, when it got kind of annoying to hear people everyday call out “Pretty Bird” to me in the halls, but other than that I really love how excited people get when they find out that I am Billy in 4C. Dumb and Dumber has the best fans in the world!! After 20 years, people get just as excited as they did right after it was released because it is a cult classic and people have seen it hundreds or thousands of times. So I have a lot of fun when people ask me to take a picture with them because I am also such a huge fan of the movie and can quote every line just like so many of our incredible fans!
SD: Is it true you had to be tracked down through Facebook by Bobby and Peter Farrelly to return for the sequel? What are they like to work with?
BB: The casting team from the movie DID have to reach out to Facebook to find me. At the time, I didn’t have any representation for acting so they had no other way to contact me. The message they sent me was in my ‘other’ box on Facebook (which WHO ever checks their other box? Really?) and randomly I was on Facebook and my wife noticed the number next to ‘Other’ so I opened it and low and behold, I received the news that Billy was back! I was still brought in to audition for the role with the Farrellys and the producers. They were cracking up again as I went through the sides with them. After we were done, I asked we got to talking and I asked when filming would start and if they could tell me if I got the role. They said they would let me know soon, so I replied, “I have to say, that there is no one out there that looks as much like me as I do.” They laughed and I left and began walking out to my car. They had one of the casting people run after me and bring me back into the room where the Farrelly’s told me, “Let’s do this! You’re back as Billy in 4C.” They are such talented and funny directors. Being an adult this time around, I was able to talk with them and get to know them a lot more and they both so down to earth and welcoming. If I had to compare them to anyone it would be the favorite uncle that everyone has. Always joking, always happy and always making you feel at home.
SD: Has Billy changed much since we last saw him? Does he now live alone in 4C with a family?
BB: Billy has come in to his own after 20 years. He has his own apartment now in the same complex in Rhode Island and his fascination with birds has brought him to become a rare bird collection. In fact, “he has the largest collection of rare birds in Rhodie” according to Harry. I have one bird who is my best friend names “Siskel” who is able to quote and act out scenes from movies. Fun fact, the bird who plays that role is actually the same bird that Jim Carrey had in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls.
SD: Now that you’re a little older and wiser, are there any big plans in the pipeline to return to acting full-time? Or do you have any other aspirations outside of Hollywood?
BB: I would love to have more opportunities to act moving forward. Acting has always been a passion for me and throughout my life I have always pursued it to one degree or another. I have a film that is being released with digital distribution in January 2015 named “The Last Mans on Earth” in which I am the lead character and I also produced and did most of the post production on the film. It is an epic action zombie comedy and very zany and fun! (lastmans.com). It would be great if #Dumbto opens up some other opportunities for me to act in other comedies and films in the industry. Other than acting, my greatest aspirations are to be a great husband and father. There is nothing more important to me than those 2 callings in my life and I’m so grateful for the support I get from my loving wife, Abbie.
SD: What was your favourite thing about returning for Dumb and Dumber To?
BB: I would say my favorite thing about returning to Dumb and Dumber To is being an adult this time around and being able to really create some relationships with the crew and cast members that I was fortunate to work with. It’s different as a kid, but this time I was just so impressed with the Farrelly’s, Jim and Jeff, the producers Joey McFarland and Riza Aziz and so many of the crew members too. The film had such a great spirit around it while filming and I think that comes off in the finished product as well. It has been great to see Jim and Jeff step back so easily into their characters as well. Its fun to have Lloyd and Harry make us laugh again with this new story.
SD: What can people expect from the sequel?
BB: I think Dumb and Dumber fans will not be disappointed at all. There are so many sequels out there that fail to capture what makes the original so great, but I think Dumb and Dumber ToTo hits the mark perfectly. People I have seen it with have cried or been unable to catch their breath because they are laughing so hard! Expect to have a new cult classic that you can come back to time and again, just like the original!
SD: If you could have been in any other Farrelly Brothers film, what would it be and why?
BB: Oh man, they have so many iconic movies! I would love to be in ANY Farrelly Brothers movie to be honest! To narrow it down to 2 other movies though, it would have to either be There’s Something About Mary or Kingpin. They are both absolutely hilarious and some of the greatest comedies. All in all though, my absolute top pick would be to play the blind kid in Dumb and Dumber! It really doesn’t get more iconic than that role or that comedy, so I feel very blessed to be Billy in 4C!
Thanks to Brady Bluhm for taking the time to do this interview.
Be sure to check back at Flickering Myth for our thoughts on Dumb and Dumber To when the film opens in UK cinemas on December 14th.
Scott Davis
