In 1999, Jim Carrey got to portray his comedic idol, Andy Kaufman, in the movie Man on the Moon. In order to prepare for his role as the eccentric comedic genius, Carrey not only studied Kaufman, but he became Kaufman. In one of the more extreme instances of method acting in Hollywood history, Carrey never broke character, would only answer to Andy Kaufman, and was Kaufman even after the director yelled, “Cut!” Carrey’s portrayal of Kaufman won him a Golden Globe, but also drove his co-stars, director, and crew insane. Carrey’s over-the-top depiction nearly sabotaged the production of Man on the Moon. Now, 18 years after the biopic debuted, the behind-the-scenes footage of Carrey’s shenanigans have been brought to life in a new Netflix documentary Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond—Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton.
Universal Pictures blocked any of the behind-the-scenes video from being released or included in the original movie because as Carrey explains it, “Universal didn’t want the footage we took behind the scenes to surface so that people wouldn’t think I was an asshole.” To say Jim Carrey “stirred the pot” while filming Man on the Moon would be a sincere and utter understatement. Even Danny DeVito looks annoyed and tired, but for better or worse, says, “He’s exactly the way Andy was.”
“I was thinking, ‘How far should I take this?'” Jim says. “How far would Andy take it?” By the end of filming the movie, Carrey admitted that he didn’t know who he was anymore.
Here’s Netflix’s official synopsis:
Jim Carrey earned critical acclaim and a Golden Globe for the performance, but many of the production’s most Kaufmanesque moments played out behind the scenes, thankfully captured on video by Andy’s former girlfriend, Lynne Margulies and former writing partner, Bob Zmuda. In Jim & Andy, Carrey looks back at the resulting footage 18 years later, reflecting on how he and Andy came up in oddly parallel universes, his experience channeling Andy and Tony and more broadly the spiritual journey of his career.
Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond hits Netflix on Friday, November 17th.
Here’s the trailer for Man on the Moon.