Jim Carrey‘s portrayal of the Grinch in the 2000 live-action adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” remains a defining role in his career. For the actor, it was an uphill battle to even give life to the iconic character. Carrey had an extremely difficult first day, spending eight hours in makeup. There was even a time when he threatened to pull the plug on the film entirely.
See, on his very first day on set, Carrey had to spend a torturous eight hours getting this makeup put on. The complex costume called for an itchy full body suit and 10-inch nails. Enlarged orbits with contact lenses that wrapped around his whole … eyeball … didn’t help us at all. Regardless of these challenges, Carrey’s performance was a feat worthy of critical acclaim, ultimately earning him a Golden Globe nomination.
Carrey opened up about this experience on a 2014 episode of “The Graham Norton Show.” He even confessed that the pain caused by the suit had him doubting whether or not he could go on with the project. He didn’t like it, so he shared his concerns with director Ron Howard and producer Brian Grazer. He remembers his first day in makeup taking eight hours. I stepped into the trailer and brought Ron and Brian in with me. I actually called them after a few days and said I couldn’t work on this movie anymore and that I was dropping out.
Besides thinking about his leaving the picture, Carrey promised to return his salary. Not only was he deeply invested in the position. It’s no wonder he didn’t want to film a performance that didn’t do right by the character. To cope with the psychological stress that came with his assignment, Carrey turned to esoteric training. He previously worked with a specialist who had trained CIA officers in how to survive torture.
In an interview with Business Insider, Carrey explained some of the techniques he’s since picked up to deal with stress. He provided me with a whole list of things that I should do for myself when I started to spiral,” he said. The guidance varied from stuff your face with grub to shifting dynamics in the ballroom. Some of the ideas were quite drastic, such as “punch myself in the leg as hard as I can” or “have a trusted friend punch me in the arm.”
Yet against all these odds, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” was a commercial hit. It went on to earn more than $347 million at the global box office. Carrey’s amazing take on the character has even more recently become known as one of the most cherished adult features of the holiday movie world.
