Jeff Daniels may have picked up his first Emmy win for his role as a smart TV anchor on HBO's "The Newsroom" in September, but many fans are looking forward to seeing him play dumb.

Namely, as Harry Dunne in "Dumb and Dumber To," the upcoming sequel to his monster 1994 hit "Dumb and Dumber," in which he pairs again with "comedic genius" Jim Carrey.

"I've been lucky (with) the people I get to work with," Daniels said during a visit to TODAY Thursday. "Jim's got a one-of-a-kind gift ... and to marry what I can do with him is a joy. We blend well together."

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And in the movie, expect things to be just as stupid as ever. "We're ... middle-aged and still that stupid," said Daniels. "That's a given. But it was a joy to make and I hope it's funnier than the first one."

But while he loves acting, music strikes a particular chord with Daniels.

"I've always enjoyed entertaining," he said. "I left Michigan in 1976, I was 21, and I bought a guitar just to learn how to play when I was sitting in New York trying to be an actor waiting between phone calls. ... Creatively, it's been this wonderful kind of friend."

Since then he's recorded his tunes and played with fellow musicians such as Lyle Lovett. He even shared part of a song on TODAY: "Baby, Take Your Tongue Out of My Mouth, I'm Kissing You Goodbye."



"Is this good for morning TV?" he asked with a grin.

"The Newsroom" is expected to return to HBO this summer. "Dumb and Dumber To" is slated for Nov. 14. More interested in his tunes? Daniels' live music dates can be found on his website.



