Jim Carrey has proven himself as one the finest actors of all time, tasting commercial success with his comedies during the 90s and also successfully transitioning to more dramatic roles. Aside from his slapstick comedy, Carrey is notorious for his method acting antics, which have followed the actor for most of his career.
During an interview, Carrey admitted he took things too far with one 1999 biopic, which was a box-office disaster. Carrey starred in Man on the Moon, based on the life and career of comedian Andy Kaufman. The actor spoke about how he approached playing Kaufman and the different personas of the comedian, and here is what he said about going full method in the movie.
Jim Carrey Admits He Took Method Acting Too Far on Man on the Moon
Jim Carrey earned his second Golden Globe Award for his performance as Andy Kaufman in the latter’s 1999 biopic Man on the Moon. Despite Carrey’s critically acclaimed performance, the film was a commercial disaster, grossing only $47 million against a budget of a reported $82 million.
During an interview with Deadline, Carrey spoke about method acting for playing Kaufman and his other personas in the movie while also discussing the behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of Man on the Moon.
Ultimate mind-f**k.
Those were the exact words Carrey used to define the acting process, admitting that things went too far as he tried going full method for the role.
Meanwhile, Carrey also spoke about playing the comedian’s different personas. The actor admitted that it took a whole different level of commitment, describing the process as “psychotic at times.”
During a separate interview with Entertainment Weekly, Carrey admitted that he had stopped responding to his own name while filming the movie, having lost himself in the abyss of method acting.
I was so deep into it that it was scary for a lot of people around me.
Carrey made the above statement, implying that his method-acting antics while making Man on the Moon were too extreme and he wouldn’t go down a similar path for his future performances.
Man on the Moon Co-star Revealed Jim Carrey’s Weird Method Acting Antics
When Carrey admitted that he took method acting too far on Man on the Moon, to a degree that it frustrated those around him, the actor wasn’t joking. In an interview, Carrey’s co-star in the film, Paul Giamatti, revealed how Carrey’s antics went too far.
It was just wacky. Jim was wacky during it. He did this whole thing where he was Andy Kaufman all the time when he was on set.
Giamatti made the above statement, admitting that working with Carrey on the movie was one of the weirdest experiences of his career.
Furthermore, Giamatti revealed that to convincingly portray the repulsive persona of Kaufman’s character Tony Clifton, Carrey carried cheese in his pockets, which smelled disgusting. He also had his hands covered in dirt. Hence, it is easy to imagine why Giamatti did not have a pleasant experience working with Carrey on the movie.
Man on the Moon is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video.
