Martin Freeman Slams Jim Carrey's Method Acting as 'Narcissistic Bollocks'
The British actor unleashes a scathing critique of Carrey's extreme commitment to playing Andy Kaufman, questioning the entire culture that celebrates such behavior.
Method acting splits Hollywood down the middle. Some swear by it, others can't stand working with actors who refuse to break character between takes. The technique has produced legendary performances from stars like Daniel Day-Lewis and Christian Bale, though it often comes at a cost to everyone else on set.
Day-Lewis famously had crew members carry and feed him during filming of My Left Foot. Robert De Niro drove a taxi around New York to prep for Taxi Driver. These leading men somehow get away with demanding behavior in the name of art. But not everyone buys into the mystique.
Freeman's Brutal Assessment
Martin Freeman holds nothing back when discussing Jim Carrey's transformation into Andy Kaufman for Man on the Moon. The Lord of the Rings star appeared on the Off Menu podcast and delivered a withering takedown of Carrey's approach, which was documented in Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond.
"He's not only doing this, he's brought a fucking camera with him, you know? And music. For me, and I'm sure, genuinely sure, Jim Carrey is a lovely and smart person, but it was the most self-aggrandising, selfish, fucking narcissistic, bollocks I've ever seen," Freeman told hosts James Acaster and Ed Gamble.
The Reality Check
Freeman questions why anyone would celebrate such extreme commitment. "And the idea that anything in our culture would celebrate that or support it is deranged. I mean, literally deranged?" he continued.
The actor argues that losing yourself completely defeats the purpose of professional acting. "'I became the character', no, you didn't. You're not supposed to become the fucking character. Because you're supposed to be open to stuff that happens in real life, you know, because somehow at some point, someone's gonna say cut."
Professional Standards
Freeman sees method acting as fundamentally unprofessional. "It's no good going, what does cut mean? Because I'm Napoleon. It's like, shut up, man. You know, you need to keep grounded, I think, in reality."
He suggests Carrey should have been "sectioned" for losing his grip on reality rather than praised for artistic dedication. "I think it's highly amateurish. It's essentially an amateurish notion. Because it's not perfected, you know what I mean? Like, it's not, for me, it's not a professional attitude, you know, get the job done, man, fucking do your work, you know?"