Jeff daniels recalls filming 'dumb and dumber' toilet scene and fearing it would ‘end’ his career

Jeff Daniels is looking back on the scene he thought would flush his career down the toilet. The _Man in Full _star, 69, told _USA Today _that he took a big risk starring alongside Jim

Carrey in the 1994 comedy _Dumb and Dumber_ as Harry, the _"_dumber" of two friends who go on a road trip to Aspen, Colorado, to return a woman named Mary's briefcase to her.

Daniels' agents warned him against taking the role in the Peter and Bobby Farrelly film because he was a "serious actor." He also felt that he had to nail the extremely

outlandish comedy scenes because he knew that the movie studio originally wanted to cast a seasoned comedian for the role. THE PEOPLE PUZZLER CROSSWORD IS HERE! HOW QUICKLY CAN YOU SOLVE IT?

PLAY NOW! But the _Guest Artist _star admitted that he was worried the famous scene — in which Harry has a bout of extreme digestive problems on Mary's toilet after drinking tea with

laxatives in it — would "end" his acting career. "It's one thing to read the toilet scene, but then the day comes and we're actually going to do the toilet

scene," he said to _USA Today_. "I told Jim, 'This is either the beginning of my career or the end of it.' " Daniels called Carrey, 62 — who played the slightly

smarter half of the duo, Lloyd — "fearless." _The Mask_ star gave his costar a pep talk before he shot the infamous scene. "[He] told me, 'It's going to be great.

You've just got to go all the way with it,' " Daniels told _USA Today_. The actor took Carrey's words to heart. "That was a couple hours of porcelain

gymnastics," he recalled of filming. "And that close-up when they pop in tight on my red face. I had been doing it so long, I had almost passed out." NEVER MISS A STORY — SIGN

UP FOR PEOPLE'S FREE DAILY NEWSLETTER TO STAY UP-TO-DATE ON THE BEST OF WHAT PEOPLE HAS TO OFFER​​, FROM CELEBRITY NEWS TO COMPELLING HUMAN INTEREST STORIES.  His dedication paid off,

not to mention the fact that his work caught the eye of Hollywood icon Clint Eastwood, who introduced himself to Daniels at a celebrity golf tournament soon after the movie was released.

"Clint says to me, 'I just saw _Dumb and Dumber_, and you know the toilet scene? That happened to me,' " Daniels told _USA Today_. "And then he tells a story about

dating this woman that he really wanted to impress, but the shellfish hit him the wrong way from lunch." "In terms of comedic scenes, that toilet scene will probably outlive

us," he jokingly added. "It will be funny 40 years from now."