Jim Carrey took off his funny mask for a moment to deliver an emotional speech at the Maharishi University of Management in Iowa on Saturday. The “Dumb and Dumber To” star has had a heartfelt message to the 2014 graduates of the school during his commencement address.

The 52-year-old comedian showed his serious side when he was addressing the graduates before him. He opened up about his own life, crediting his father for the success that he has enjoyed throughout the years.

“The decisions we make in this moment are based in either love or fear,” he told the graduates. “So many of us choose our path out of fear disguised as practicality. What we really want seems impossibly out of reach and ridiculous to expect so we never as the universe for it. I’m saying I’m the proof that you can ask the universe for it. And if it doesn’t happen for you right away, it’s only because the universe is fulfilling my order.”

He continued, “My father could have been a great comedian, but he didn’t believe that that was possible for him, and so he made a conservative choice. Instead, he got a safe job as an accountant.”

Unfortunately, his father Percy lost his job when he was 12 so the family had “to do whatever we could to survive.”

“I learned many great lessons from my father, not the least of which was that you could fail at what you don’t love, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love,” said Carrey, who appeared to be holding back tears.

Although his speech was composed of serious life lessons, he was still able to draw laughs from the audience, proving that he is a real funny man.

At the age of 28, Carrey was hit with an epiphany. He realised that his purpose in life was to “free people from concern” through comedy.

“I’ve often said that I wish people could realise all their dreams and wealth and fame, so that they could see that it’s not where they’re going to find their sense of completion,” he said. “Your job is not to figure out how it’s going to happen for you, it’s opening a door in your head, and when the door opens in real life, just walk through it.”

He ended his speech with, “Oh and uh, why not take a chance on faith? Not religion, but faith. Not hope, but faith. I don’t believe in hope.[...] Hope walks through the fire, but faith leaps over it.”

The high school dropout received an honorary degree of Doctor of Fine Arts Honoris Causa from the university.