"Everything was ripped apart" — When Jim Carrey almost quit playing the Grinch due to the intense makeup and costume process

Jim Carrey's portrayal of the Grinch in How the Grinch Stole Christmas involved a significant transformation. The actor was covered in a full-body suit and facial prosthetics and looked completely unrecognizable. Grinch's costume and look were carefully designed so as not to restrict Carrey from performing his signature physical comedy while bringing the beloved Christmas character to life.

However, the makeup and prosthetics took their toll on the actor, who frequently directed his anger out on the crew, including the special effects artist Kazuhiro Tsuji. In 2017, Tsuji described Jim Carrey's behavior in the film by telling Vulture:

"After two weeks we only could finish three days’ worth of shooting schedule, because suddenly he (Carrey) would just disappear and when he came back, everything was ripped apart. We couldn’t shoot anything."

Tsuji also recalled how he left the project midway and sought therapy to deal with the mental stress, and he only returned after Carrey promised to change his behavior.

The holiday classic film is directed by Ron Howard and written by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman. Carrey plays the titular recluse who is determined to ruin the ongoing holiday celebrations in the fictional town of Whoville. But, the grumpy Grinch has a change of heart following a chance encounter with the six-year-old Cindy Lou Who. The film was released on November 17, 2000, and was met with a lukewarm response.

Jim Carrey's challenging transformation into Grinch explained

The Grinch costume consisted of a heavy, full-body prosthetic green suit covered in green Yak fur, facial prosthetics, and enlarged contact lenses. The tedious process of applying the makeup and prosthetics took about two and a half hours daily, according to the head makeup artist, Rick Baker. It also took one hour to remove everything at the end of the day's shoot.

The filming of How the Grinch Stole Christmas spanned 92 days, requiring Jim Carrey to wear makeup and prosthetics daily for over three months. During his appearance on The Graham Norton Show in 2015, Carrey compared the excruciating process of becoming Grinch to "being buried alive every day." He recalled:

"The first day was eight-and-a-half hours and I went back to my trailer and put my leg through the wall."

Carrey revealed that he decided to quit the film at one point, but the producer Brian Grazer convinced him to continue. The award-winning producer shared in his 2015 book, A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life, that he enlisted the help of a CIA agent to help Carrey endure the grueling process of turning into Grinch.

"One of the CIA people I’d talked to years before specialized in training US agents to survive torture if they were captured. We had an actor being held prisoner by his costume - he was being tortured by his makeup."

The CIA specialist taught Carrey useful distraction techniques, which he detailed during his appearance on the talk show.

"If you’re freaking out and spiraling downward, turn the television on, change a pattern, or have someone you know come up and smack you in the head, punch yourself in the leg, or smoke - smoke as much as you possibly can."

Jim Carrey spent his time on the makeup chair chain-smoking through a long cigarette holder to prevent his Yak hair from catching on fire. He also listened to the Bee Gees on loop, as it was the only music that made him feel calm and happy during the ordeal.

Carrey said that he had mastered the art of patience by the end of the grueling filming schedule and remarked that:

"By the end, you could literally hit me in the face with a baseball bat and I would have gone… 'Good morning. Nice to see you.'"

In 2001, How the Grinch Stole Christmas won the Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, recognizing the work of Rick Baker and Gail Rowell-Ryan.

Jim Carrey is basking in the success of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in 2024

Jim Carrey's latest film appearance is in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, released on December 20, 2024. Directed by Jeff Fowler, it follows Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles on their latest mission to prevent the evil Shadow from destroying humanity and planet Earth. Jim Carrey plays the eccentric scientist Ivo Robotnik as well as his grandfather Gerald Robotnik, who has a history with Shadow.

The film is a sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2, released in 2020 and 2022 respectively. Its screenplay is written by Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington and is based on Casey and Miller's story.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 features a mix of voice cast and live-action cast members. The film's live-action cast is led by Jim Carrey and includes James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Krysten Ritter, Natasha Rothwell, Lee Majdoub, Adam Pally, and others in supporting roles.

Its voice cast features Ben Schwartz, Colleen O'Shaughnessey, and Idris Elba as the central trio and Keanu Reeves as the antagonist, Shadow the Hedgehog.

Made on a budget of $122 million, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has earned $69 million (as of this writing) in box office collections, according to Box Office Mojo.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is currently playing in theaters all over the United States.

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