Jim Carrey allegedly threw glass bottle at WWE wrestler Jerry Lawler on set of Andy Kaufman biopic

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Kelly Rissman

US News Reporter

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WWE wrestler Jerry “The King” Lawler has claimed that Jim Carrey threw a glass bottle at him while on the set of the Andy Kaufman biopic Man on the Moon.

Carrey played the avant-garde comedian Kaufman in the 1999 film, while Lawler played himself. 

The Truman Show star’s intense method acting during the film’s production has been the subject of much discussion in the past, and formed the basis of the 2017 Netflix film Jim and Andy:  The Great Beyond.

Lawler spoke about his time making the film with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin on the WWE Network series Broken Skull Sessions.

“[Carrey] was the top name in Hollywood,” he said. “And he got it in his head, I don’t know if you call it method acting or whatever, he was going to channel Andy Kaufman."

Lawler, who appeared as himself in the film, said that the alleged bottle-throwing incident happened when he first arrived on set.

“The very first time I saw him, we’re walking on the set, I’m like a kid in a candy store, the kid from Memphis, I’m in Hollywood, on the set of Universal Studios."

He continued: "We’re walking along and I’m looking around, walking over to this trailer and all of sudden I see this – bam! This big glass bottle of orange juice or something flying through the air, almost hits me, splashes all over, there’s juice all over the place.

"I’m like, “What the heck?” And I look over, and there’s Jim Carrey dressed as Andy Kaufman: ‘I’ll get you Lawler! I’ll get you Lawler!’ And then he runs inside the trailer. And that was my first introduction to making a movie!"

Although Kaufman and Lawler engaged in a staged public feud – one of many elaborate practical jokes that the late comedian was known for – the real-life pair enjoyed a fond friendship.

“Jim Carrey went wrong with that, if you ask me,” he said. "He obviously thought we really didn’t like each other.

"At one point in time, I called the director off, Milos Forman, and I asked, ‘Milos, has this guy not read the script? Surely, does he not realise Andy and I actually in real life were friends?’”

The Independent has contacted Jim Carrey’s representative for comment.