The Rock Thanks Tribeca Film Festival Following Premiere Of Andy Kaufman Doc

Actor, performance artist and "anti-comedian" Andy Kaufman's new documentary produced by Hollywood star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson just debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival. "Andy Kaufman Is Me" covers the behind-the-scenes life 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 bold artist and took big committed swings to make people FEEL something. Laughter, anger, joy, and in an instant could create chaos that wildly juxtaposed the gentle kindness behind his eyes. And the thing I loved the most about Andy's artistry is that it was always from the gut. Never "told jokes" just real and from the gut. This documentary was a pleasure to help produce. Big thank you to the @tribeca film festival and everyone for their 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." 

In the early 1980s, Kaufman brought his entertainment skills to professional wrestling, with his heated rivalry with Jerry "The King" Lawler in the Memphis territory being his most memorable work in the business. Kaufman was presented as a heel who would only agree to wrestle women, with Lawler heroically challenging the actor who declared himself as the Intergender Heavyweight Champion. Despite many fans buying into the feud between Kaufman and Lawler, both men were close friends behind the curtain. Kaufman was inducted into the 2023 WWE Hall Of Fame by legendary manager Jimmy Hart, though Lawler was unable to attend in person due to going through medial issues at the time.