Jim Carrey went all-in with his portrayal of Andy Kaufman in Milos Forman’s 1999 biopic Man on the Moon. According to Carrey, the groundbreaking comedian not only had his hooks in Carrey during the production, but he stuck around a bit longer than that.
A new documentary looking at Carrey’s portrayal of Kaufman premiered in Venice titled Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond – The Story of Jim Carrey & Andy Kaufman Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton and it digs into the In Living Color alum going hard method for the film. (He won a Golden Globe for his performance, so there’s a case for it.) Behind-the-scenes footage shot for an electronic press kit has been repurposed for the project which has a guiding producer’s hand in Spike Jonze. A Venice dispatch from The Hollywood Reporter on the film includes the admission from Carrey that he even stayed in Andy mode while talking to Ron Howard about their How the Grinch Stole Christmas team-up.
“It was psychotic at times,” he said. “Jim Carrey didn’t exist at that time. Andy actually affected The Grinch as well.”
In Carrey’s view, Andy Kaufman was the real star of Man on the Moon.
“The true author of the project is Andy and his genius, the fact that he committed so completely to what he did, really made that possible and made it essential for me to lose myself,” he shared. “I don’t feel like I made the film at all. I feel like Andy made the film.”
Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond – The Story of Jim Carrey & Andy Kaufman Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton, which is bound to have a hell of a hashtag, heads to the Toronto International Film Festival next.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)
