"I know this sounds strange, but as a kid, I was really shy. Painfully shy. The turning point was freshman year, when I was the biggest geek alive. No one, I mean no one, even talked to me"

In this quote, Jim Carrey is assessing his youth and how he used to be exceptionally shy. He explains it as being "painful," suggesting that his shyness caused him a lot of pain and possibly even hindered his ability to fraternize others. Nevertheless, he likewise points out a turning point in his life - his freshman year of high school. During this time, he felt like the "greatest geek alive" and was totally separated from his peers. This experience appears to have actually been a wake-up call for Carrey, as he understood that he required to break out of his shell and become more positive in order to get in touch with others.