Jim Carrey's gray beard is officially reaching Santa Clause level: It's 'a bigger star than me,' Carrey says

Jim Carrey is barely recognizable under his massive swath of gray beard hair -- and he knows it.

"Everywhere I go, people talk about the beard. They go, 'What are you doing? Why are you growing a beard? They can't really think about anything else," Carrey told Jimmy Kimmel on Monday. "And wherever I show up, it becomes this story. It's a bigger star than me at this point. It has its own Twitter."

The actor has taken a pretty significant break from the spotlight in recent years, which he discussed with Kimmel: "How's life?" Kimmel asked.

"It's so beautiful, it really is, especially when i'm absent from it," he said, adding, "Jim Carrey was a great character, and I was lucky to get the part, but I don't think of that as me anymore."

Carrey's last big movie role was in 2014, when he reprised his "Dumb and Dumber" character Lloyd alongside Jeff Daniels' Harry. Since then, he's been largely absent from the Hollywood circuit. He's also dealt with some rocky personal trials, including the suicide of his girlfriend, Cathriona White, in 2016.

Given his step back from the limelight, fans were shocked when Carrey, 55, posted a rare selfie over Easter weekend with his shockingly different appearance. (About a month later, it's noticeably bigger -- and looks more gray than white!)