He constantly has to give birth to himself, Ayer said of Letos methods in an interview withYahoo.
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Does something as potentially ephemeral as a comic book movie really need such fierce commitment?
Which again begs the question: why bother?
Incredibly, Carreys on-set behavior was captured in detail by a documentary film crew.
We see the initial bemusement and fascination shared by his co-stars, among them Danny DeVito and Paul Giamatti.
Later, Kaufman so enraged professional wrestler Jerry Lawler that the two almost come to blows.
Was there any way of getting the old Carrey back?
I dont know what to do, Forman reportedly said.
Ive never dealt with anyone like Andy.
No, Forman said glumly, breaking a long pause.
I dont want to stop it.
I just wanted to talk to Jim.
Is Carrey being entirely serious when he talks in zen terms about the universe, telepathy and dolphins?
Gradually, however, the documentary begins to suggest that theres more to Carreys method acting than mere eccentricity.
This isnt real this is a story, Carrey says to the camera.
And at some point, you have to peel it away.
Its not who you are.
By transforming himself into Kaufman, Carrey realised how mutable his star persona was.
In playing Kaufman, he essentially eliminated Carrey and got to experience the world through somebody elses eyes.
They get to do something most of us can never do: try on different masks, new personas.
