Movie mogul who DOESN'T want to be paid millions: Ace Ventura director insists on taking minimum fee for new movie as he shows off the tiny trailer he calls home



A filmmaker who once commanded millions in box office dollars with such hits as Ace Ventura: Pet Detective has shunned a seven-figure salary with his latest film - taking the minimum required by the director's guild.

Tom Shadyac changed his life dramatically after a bicycle accident in 2007 left him hyper-sensitive to light and noise, opting out of a lavish Hollywood lifestyle in favor of a simpler living situation.



The director moved out of his 17,000-square-foot mansion in Pasadena and into a 1,000-square-foot mobile home at a trailer park in Malibu.



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Downsizing: Director Tom Shadyac found a new kind of success seven years ago, when he began giving away much of his money and possessions

Luxurious: He moved out of his 17,000-square-foot mansion in Pasadena and into a 1,000-square-foot mobile home at a trailer park in Malibu

Sufficient: After Tom divorced from his wife - they have no children - he realized he didn't need to live in anything bigger than his 1,000 sq ft mobile home

He also traded his private jet for a bicycle and began to give away much of his possessions and money.

His movies - which also include The Nutty Professor, Patch Adams and Bruce Almighty - earned more than a billion dollars at the box office - and at one stage he was able to commandeer millions as salary.

But now, in his first fictional movie in seven years - a remake of the French film The Intouchables - he will take home only $218,361.

Two years ago he made a documentary documenting his transition from a life of riches to one of giving.

In it, he speaks with intellectual and spiritual leaders about what's wrong with our world and how we can improve both it and the way we live in it.

Speaking to CBS about his new life, he said: 'I believe I was my least successful when I "had it all." I was listening to the social notes of wealth which is all these private jets mansions, a lot of stuff.



'I didn't need a private jet. It costs $44,000 to fly for an hour and a half, someone doesn't even make that in a year.'

More modest means: Shadyac now lives in this 1,000 sq foot home in Malibu after living in 17,000 sq foot mansion

He said: 'I didn't need a private jet. It costs $44,000 to fly for an hour and a half, someone doesn't even make that in a year'

Success: Tom earned millions from directing blockbuster comedies like Ace Ventura, The Nutty Professor and Liar Liar

Trade in: Now he gives away most of his money to charities and to this homeless shelter he opened in Virginia Educator: Tom is also an adjunct professor of communication and teaches screenwriting at Pepperdine University's Seaver College

So he opened a homeless shelter in Virginia, gives to charities that fight poverty, protects the environment and animals.



'The more I give away the wealthier I feel,' he said. 'For everything I "gave up", so much more was returned. The trappings of fame and fortune are exactly that - a trapping. It's called the spoils of success for a reason.'

As well as the documentary, he has a book out called Life's Operating Manual - which is all about who you are and what your life is about and a deeper truer wealth.

He said: 'No one is ever looking to have a more robust IRA when they are on their deathbed. They are saying, "I am so happy that I had the opportunity to love this family, to be a part of something.'

In The Intouchables, he will be applying what he has learned about life over the last seven years rather than focusing on comedy.



'I've grown some, so I think I'll tell more stories that have the elements that are more important to me now. Not just humor but humanity, inspiration, heart, pathos.'