20 Most Intense Movie Performances Of All Time

13. Andy Kaufman (Jim Carrey) - Man On The Moon

Intensity in performance is very much on a spectrum, and while Jim Carrey's stunning, transformative performance in Man On The Moon feels wildly at odds with the villains and monsters elsewhere on this list, it is still a remarkably intense one.

In the pursuit of crafting a perfect portrayal of Andy Kaufman, rather than just a caricature, Carrey was clearly studious, and he manages to capture the comic's weird, conscious intensity perfectly. What's more, he refuses to dampen Kaufman as a character: he never softens him or makes him less complex and the result is a performance at odds with his own usual performances. He's an extrovert, but Kaufman positively reveled in provocative, often uncomfortable bits - seeking the intrigue of when they'd go wrong. And that makes for a hell of a thing to watch.

Subsequently, the Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond has revealed the lengths Carrey went to to build his performance. He stayed in character as Kaufman at all times - including during a two hour phone call with Ron Howard about the Grinch movie - and lived Kaufman's commitment to his own characters to add authenticity. It doesn't half show.