26 Years Ago Today, Jim Carrey’s Best Movie Was Released (But the Making of It Was Wild)

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Jim Carrey became a huge star faster than almost anyone in the 1990s. In 1994 alone, he appeared in three blockbuster films – Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber – which all opened at number one and earned over $300 million domestically in under a year. He continued this success with sequels to Ace Ventura and films like The Cable Guy, Liar Liar, Batman Forever, and The Truman Show. The decade was incredibly successful for him, but it ended in an unexpected way as the new millennium approached.

Twenty-six years ago today, the film Man on the Moon, a biography of Andy Kaufman starring Jim Carrey, was released. It’s one of only two times Carrey has portrayed a real person in a movie (the other being his role as Steven Jay Russell in I Love You Phillip Morris). The film showcased a more serious side of Carrey’s acting talent, going beyond his brief dramatic appearance in Simon Birch. It also revealed his playful, sometimes challenging, on-set behavior, which has become a recurring theme throughout his career – and reportedly made filming Man on the Moon quite difficult.

Man on the Moon Showed off Jim Carrey’s Full Range

The documentary Man on the Moon follows Andy Kaufman’s career, from his early days performing stand-up to his time on Saturday Night Live, Late Night with David Letterman, and the sitcom Taxi. It shows how his growing fame never quite matched his artistic vision. The film portrays Kaufman as a performer who constantly pushed boundaries, challenging the very nature of comedy by keeping his audience guessing and never confirming when he was intentionally being humorous.

Playing Andy Kaufman allowed Carrey to honor one of his heroes while also demonstrating his full range as an actor. While The Truman Show hinted at his dramatic skills, it still relied heavily on his comedic timing. Man on the Moon, however, truly showcased both the extent of his comedic talent and his ability to portray deeply personal and vulnerable moments. The film needed Carrey to be funny, accurately recreating Kaufman’s iconic routines and mannerisms, but it was really about the quiet moments between performances and Kaufman’s unwavering commitment to his humor, which ultimately led to personal struggles. Carrey excelled in portraying all aspects of this complex character.

While Man on the Moon didn’t receive rave reviews or sell many tickets when it came out, Jim Carrey’s performance was still widely praised. Critics particularly loved his portrayal of Kaufman, and he even won a Golden Globe for it – his second nomination.

Making Man on the Moon Wasn’t Easy (Because of Carrey)

Jim Carrey’s performance in Man on the Moon had a lasting impact on his public image. For years, people believed he fully immersed himself in the role of Andy Kaufman, even staying in character off-camera and after filming. This wasn’t just a rumor – the 2017 documentary Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond features footage proving it, along with Carrey’s own recollections of the experience.

While it’s fascinating to watch old footage of Jim Carrey filming Man on the Moon, the most compelling part of the Jim & Andy documentary is how Carrey describes the experience. He suggests he felt possessed by the spirit of Andy Kaufman, claiming he lost control of his actions both during and after filming. This creates a strange impression of Carrey, who seems to believe he was powerless to influence his own behavior.

The documentary Jim & Andy features interviews with people who knew the real Andy Kaufman, offering insight into how accurately Jim Carrey captured his mannerisms in Man on the Moon. Danny DeVito, a producer of the film and a former co-star on Taxi, initially described Carrey’s performance as “bizarre,” but ultimately praised it, saying Carrey “was exactly the way Andy was.” Judd Hirsch, also from Taxi, found the portrayal “creepy.” In contrast, Kaufman’s siblings, who visited the set, were all impressed, with his brother expressing pride in Carrey’s work.

Watching the documentary Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond significantly alters your perspective on Man on the Moon, though the latter still stands out as a particularly unique film in Jim Carrey’s career. Seeing both films one after the other provides a fascinating glimpse into Carrey’s creative process during his 1990s peak, and it might even change how you view the original movie compared to typical behind-the-scenes content.

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2025-12-22 23:44