Actor, performance artist and “anti-comedian” Andy Kaufman’s latest documentary produced by Hollywood star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson just debuted on the Tribeca Film Festival. “Andy Kaufman Is Me” covers the behind-the-scenes lifetime of the “Taxi” star, outlining his creativity, kindness and love for his family when the cameras weren’t rolling. On Tuesday, The Rock took to Instagram to thank the Tribeca Film Festival after the premiere of “Andy Kaufman Is Me,” where he expressed how he was personally inspired by the late entertainer.
“Andy Kaufman was a daring artist and took big committed swings to make people FEEL something. Laughter, anger, joy, and immediately could create chaos that wildly juxtaposed the gentle kindness behind his eyes. And the thing I loved essentially the most about Andy’s artistry is that it was at all times from the gut. Never “told jokes” just real and from the gut. This documentary was a pleasure to assist produce. Big thanks to the @tribeca film festival and everybody for his or her support.” Johnson also told Vanity Fair that he refers to Kaufman as being “the epitome of humanity in that it takes guts to go down the road that Andy went down.”
Within the early Eighties, Kaufman brought his entertainment skills to skilled wrestling, along with his heated rivalry with Jerry “The King” Lawler within the Memphis territory being his most memorable work within the business. Kaufman was presented as a heel who would only conform to wrestle women, with Lawler heroically difficult the actor who declared himself because the Intergender Heavyweight Champion. Despite many fans buying into the feud between Kaufman and Lawler, each men were close friends behind the scenes. Kaufman was inducted into the 2023 WWE Hall Of Fame by legendary manager Jimmy Hart, though Lawler was unable to attend in person as a result of going through medial issues on the time.
