Jim Carrey may best be known as an amazing comedian and his range is absolutely exemplary when it comes to both humor and dramatic roles. From roles like The Mask to that of his work in The Truman Show; his range has been amazing. There has never been a moment where he has failed to show the audience just how great of an actor he is.
Although some roles aren’t as impactful, many leave a mark on the actor. When it came to playing the titular role in The Mask the actor found himself rather lost in the process. He was unable to find himself for a long time. However, this was not the only time his work took a toll on his identity.
Jim Carrey Lost Himself In His Character
When Jim Carrey first got the role of Andy Kaufman in Man on the Moon he was not ready for the outcome it would have. Getting lost in their roles is a trick method actors often use. The roles they play and the people they are, become one, a blurred line between who is what. Kaufman offered something similar to Carrey.
“It was a choice. And when I finished with that, I took a month to remember who I was. ‘What do I believe? What are my politics? What do I like and dislike?’”
The actor let his character completely engulf him. He saw the world through Kaufman’s eyes. He discovered an entirely new way of acting that let him live through his character. He became his character instead of playing his character. He enjoyed those couple of months where he could be outside of the celebrity he came to become. He saw how things were for the world outside of him and he rather grew fond of it.
Jim Carrey Saw His Reality As Fiction
What Carrey experienced could very well be compared to method acting. Absorbing yourself completely into your character is perhaps exactly what method actors do. He somehow lost himself completely in his character. So much so, that ‘Jim Carrey’ became fiction and Andy Kaufman became his reality.
“It took me a while, and I was depressed going back into my concerns and my politics. But there was a shift that had already happened. And the shift was, ‘Wait a second. If I can put Jim Carrey aside for four months, who is Jim Carrey? Who the hell is that?’”
It took him an entire month to find himself again. In a similar method of how he became Kaufman, he touched back on his own personality. Finding interesting in the character of ‘Jim Carrey’ and essentially absorbing his personality instead.
Source: Far Out Magazine
