Why Jim Carrey is Being Overlooked by Hollywood

Jim Carrey's career took a hit following his intense portrayal of Andy Kaufman in the 1999 biopic “Man on the Moon.”

Despite receiving acting opportunities post that film, there were unsettling anecdotes about his method acting during the production that could deter studios from casting him.

In a Buzzfeed interview, Paul Giamatti, who portrayed Kaufman's friend Bob Zmuda, revealed that Carrey remained in character as Kaufman's abrasive alter ego Tony Clifton.

This commitment led Carrey to pull pranks like placing Limburger cheese in his pockets and smearing it on people's hands when shaking them.

Additionally, Giamatti mentioned Carrey inexplicably brought a group of Hell's Angels to the set.

Carrey's dedication to his role was so profound that, as per his own admission to Deadline, he defied director Miloš Forman's instructions while embodying Clifton, causing annoyance among his co-stars.

Universal Studios had been capturing behind-the-scenes footage for promotional use but opted not to feature it in fear of tarnishing Carrey's image.

The studio missed a chance to capitalize on marketing the film as “the project that pushed Jim Carrey to his limits” due to apprehensions about the potential repercussions on his career.

Interestingly, the footage that was shelved by Universal Studios resurfaced in the form of the 2017 Netflix documentary titled “Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond – With a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton.”

The documentary sheds light on Carrey's immersive experience while portraying Kaufman,