In "The Majestic", Jim Carrey plays Peter Appleton, a Hollywood screenwriter during the McCarthy era, who loses his memory and ends up in a small town where he is mistaken for a missing soldier.

Your character gets amnesia. How good's your memory?

You know, I am not very good at names, but I do remember to eat, which is excellent.

This is a serious role. Do you find it harder than doing comedy?

People would think of it as doing nothing, but the fact is, there is so much going on that it's impossible to keep track of. I'm not creating some kind of creature or person that is in your face, designed to get attention. It's about having faith you're interesting enough that people want to see where this character goes. It's kind of scary.

The film takes place during the McCarthy era. How do you think you would have reacted to that situation?

I think I would have done something outlandish. I tend to go towards the opposite of whatever I think is the major trend in life. If they're all nuts, I'll get completely calm and if I think the world is pretty conservative, I'll be absolutely mad. That way, you get a sense of what humanity is going through.

Are you going to be sticking to serious, Oscar-worthy things in the future?

I will never do another funny thing as long as I live – [shouting] I have tasted nirvana. No, you know, for me, they're just stories, they come by and you do them – if you're allowed to do them. I still get shocked when people like Frank Darabont come along and say: "I know you’re completely insane, but you have a humanity I’m interested in." It's so shocking to me.