Jim Carrey, the actor who brought the Grinch to life in the 2000 family film "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," is reflecting on the creation of one of his most iconic roles—a process that he despised to the core. The heavy green suit, elaborate facial prosthetic, and lengthy makeup process required for the part nearly pushed him to the brink of giving up on the project altogether.
"The suit was made of unnervingly itchy yak hair that drove me insane all day long," he revealed in an interview with Vulture published on December 12th. "I had 10-inch-long fingers, so I couldn't scratch myself or touch my face or do anything. I had teeth that I had to find a way to speak around, and I had full contact lenses that covered the entire eyeball, leaving me with only a tiny tunnel of vision."
While Jim, now 63, noted that the character's intricate design was "something that I asked for," the costume quickly caused him to experience panic attacks, leading to a fateful conversation with the movie's director Ron Howard and producer Brian Grazer.
"The first day in makeup took eight hours," he continued. "And I went into the trailer and asked Ron and Brian to come in, and I told them that I wouldn't be able to do the movie and I was quitting."
Fortunately, Ron, now 71, could see that Jim was "sincere" about his wish to exit the movie, noting that the comedian was "ready to give his $20 million [salary] back." The pair managed to keep Jim onboard by introducing him to U.S. Navy SEAL commander Richard Marcinko, who taught him torture endurance tactics to get through filming in the green getup.
"He gave me a litany of things that I could do when I began to spiral," Jim recalled. "Like punching myself in the leg as hard as I can. Having a friend that I trust and punching him in the arm. Eating everything in sight. Changing patterns in the room. If there's a TV on when you start to spiral, turn it off and turn on the radio."
Marcinko also encouraged Jim to "smoke cigarettes as much as possible," which created an unlikely scene behind the scenes. "There are pictures of me as the Grinch sitting in a director's chair with a long cigarette holder," he shared. "I had to have the holder, because the yak hair would catch on fire if it got too close."
Along with the survival training, Jim, who appeared in the film alongside Taylor Momsen, also developed his own method of coping with the process that made his heart grow three sizes along the way. "What really helped me through the makeup process, which they eventually pulled down to about three hours, was the Bee Gees," he revealed. "I listened through the makeup process to the entire Bee Gees catalogue. Their music is so joyful. I've never met Barry Gibb, but I want to thank him."
