Jim Carrey Lost Himself Playing Andy Kaufman in ‘Man on the Moon’

Jim Carrey is a versatile and talented actor. The star has been in several critically acclaimed movies, and his performances have repeatedly received praise. During the height of his fame in the ’90s, Carrey portrayed comedian Andy Kaufman in Man on the Moon. While his performance was stellar, Carrey revealed later that he lost himself playing the role.

The Jim Carrey movie ‘Man on the Moon’ was based on Andy Kaufman

In Man on the Moon, Jim Carrey traces Andy Kaufman’s steps from his childhood to his time at comedy clubs and his journey through fame and stardom. The movie highlights Kaufman’s struggles to become the comedian he was, including always playing pranks on the audience with his style.

Kaufman caught the eye of George Shapiro during one of his performances, and Shapiro got him a gig in the sitcom, Taxi, which shocked the comedian since he didn’t like sitcoms. He nonetheless accepted the role and turned his popular ‘foreign man’ character into the widely loved mechanic Latka Gravas.

Kaufman, however, secretly hated the show, and through his other characters, he sabotages his job on the sitcom and eventually gets fired. Man on the Moon paid attention to the highlights of Kaufman’s career, including his memorable appearances on Fridays, Late Night With David Letterman, and his time on Saturday Night Live.

It also focuses on the scams, inside jokes, and put-ons for which the comedian was famous, including his long-running feud with Jerry Lawler, who was actually his best friend. Man on the Moon was a flop at the box office earning $47 million against a reported budget of $82 million. It also received mixed reviews. However, Carrey’s performance received praise and a Golden Globe.

Jim Carrey was a menace on the set of ‘Man on the Moon’

Jim Carrey is one of the many Hollywood actors who sometimes employs method acting. Some actors argue that method acting is important as it helps them become one with their characters. Actors like Shia LaBeouf and Jared Leto are the best examples of actors who believe in going method for a role.

Carrey has done his fair share of method acting, but his decision to stay in character off-screen while filming Man on the Moon took its toll on the actor and those around him. Paul Giamatti, who appeared alongside the actor in the movie, narrated to BuzzFeed in 2013 how Carrey’s method acting caused chaos on set.

The actor told the outlet that Carrey would stuff his pockets with Limburger cheese and would then hug everyone on set in his bid to get into character. “It was disgusting. He was touching people and making them shake his hands all the time. He smelled horrible,” Giamatti said. Other accounts of the time noted that Carrey would hurl insults at the crew and director.

Jim Carrey lost himself playing Andy Kaufman in ‘Man on the Moon’

In 2017, Netflix did a documentary using the behind-the-scenes footage from Man on the Moon. The documentary specifically followed Carrey as he got into character as Kaufman. That same year, the Los Angeles Times spoke to those involved, including Carrey, who revealed that although the movie was career-defining, he lost himself playing the comedian.

The actor stated there were times he broke character, “but pretty much from when I woke up to when I went to bed, the choices were all [Kaufman’s].” Carrey further shared that Universal Pictures shelved the footage to protect his persona due to his behavior at the time. However, Carrey reached a point where he realized that “none of this is who I am. None of this matters.” “That’s liberation,” he said.