Paul Giamatti described how bad Carrey smelled during performing, especially when he was playing the Tony Clifton character. Apparently, the comedian was eager to feel the full effect of the character, who was notoriously stinky. This is why he acted with slices of Limburger cheese in his pockets, and Giamatti could not stand it.
Giamatti continues saying, “And he’d constantly be hugging people, and he had it all over his hands and stuff. It was disgusting. He was touching people and making them shake his hands all the time. He smelled horrible, like really bad. It was just weird, and that’s the least of it.”
Becoming Andy
If you're an actor portraying your favorite comedian, there is bound to be some excitement. Unfortunately, the direction of this excitement did not exactly go into a remarkably positive direction. As the story goes, Carry found himself a little too immersed in the life of the late famous anti-comedian.
During the filming period, Carrey stayed in character and even would even having trouble coming out of the Tony Clifton character; this was an alter ego that Kaufman himself created during his career. He would incorporate the cigar smoking and foul-mouthed character into his standup performances. Needless to say, all the method acting got a little too complex for Jim Carrey to juggle, who found himself almost stuck in the mind of the late actor.
Complaints on Set
The incidents on set even became the subject of a documentary called "Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond." Many of these complaints can be seen in the footage. In fact, Paul Giamatti, in particular, found him very difficult. In an interview with E!, Giamatti revealed that acting alongside him was unusual, to say the least.
He said, “It was an extraordinary experience. It was one of the weirdest experiences I’ve had making a movie, to be honest with you. It was just wacky. Jim was wacky during it.” This was not all that Paul Giamatti had to say about Jim and his method.
Jim and Joel Schumacher
Carrey hasn't only made enemies. While Giamatti may not be such a fan of his, Carrey has made friends elsewhere. Joel Schumacher, the director of "Batman Forever," has expressed his incredibly positive experience with the actor. Schumacher took over the Batman franchise from Tim Burton in the '90s and formed a strong bond with him.
Both Schumacher and Carrey share a passion for eccentric and camp-style filmmaking, which became evident in the very original "Batman Forever." In fact, the duo had such a great dynamic on their first project together that they decided to reunite in 2007 to make "The Number 23." Carrey was very public over his grief after the director's tragic passing. Carrey took to Twitter to say that Schumacher "saw deeper things in me than most."
Breaking The Mold
Today everybody knows the extent of Carrey's acting abilities, but it took some time for the actor to recognize that. What set him apart from other comedians was his incredible range and the versatility he had within the genre of comedy. He could go from the most physically absurd style to even surreal-type humor. Of course, he demonstrated just how dark and morose he could be too. "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" was Carrey's breakthrough moment in realistic drama.
The film starred the great Kate Winslet and was written by screenwriting legend Charlie Kaufman. It told the story of a terribly difficult breakup and how a man uses a new type of memory loss procedure to erase the memory of his ex-girlfriend literally. The breathtaking scenes both dramatically and cinematically elevated Carrey into a new status.