10 Overly Committed Actors Who Took Their Parts Way Too Seriously

8. Jim Carrey - The Man On The Moon

Watching Jim Carrey in comedy mode and it's always seemed as if he slips into his rubber-faced antics with ease. For his more serious roles - of which he has justifiably earned himself recognition as being more than capable of pulling off dramatic parts - a different approach is sometimes needed, and this was most apparent in his performance off the late, great comedian Andy Kaufman in Man on the Moon. Directed by Milos Foreman, Man on the Moon charts Andy Kaufman's rise from his early years performing in nightclubs through his ascent onto Taxi and Saturday Night Live, depicting his increasingly eccentric and erratic behaviour. Kaufman frequently eschewed conventional humour - he didn't see himself as a comedian in the first place - in favour of pranks and ruses, with a unique performance style which often baffled audiences and his colleagues alike. To get into the role, Carrey effectively assumed Andy Kaufman's personality for the duration of filming, all but alienating his co-workers and his girlfriend in the process. Seemingly taking his dedication to the role well beyond the point of professionalism and towards obsession, the end result might well have been a fine performance, but it wasn't enough to transform Man on the Moon into a great film, and it bombed at the box office.