Jim Carrey channels Andy Kaufman in 'Jim and Andy' documentary trailer

Oct. 20 (UPI) -- Jim Carrey detailed the struggles of portraying Andy Kaufman in the trailer for the Netflix documentary Jim and Andy: The Great Beyond.

Carrey said he was consumed by the role in the 1999 Kaufman biopic Man on the Moon, channeling the actor on and off the set and wondering where he should draw the line between reality and performance.

"I was thinking 'How far should I take this?'" Carrey said. "How far would Andy take it?"

The documentary directed by Chris Smith and produced by Spike Jonez features behind the scenes footage which Carrey said was withheld by Universal to protect his reputation.

It features scenes of Carrey shouting at cast mates and wearing a paper bag on his head while maintaining the character of Kaufman between scenes.

"When I heard I had the part I was looking at the ocean and that's the moment when Andy came back to make his movie," Carrey said. "Andy felt it was necessary to stay in the character and this crazy melodrama started happening all over the place."

Jim and Andy: The Great Beyond will be available for streaming on Netflix beginning Nov. 17.