Though 2000’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas has become an indelible classic and holiday season staple since its premiere 25 years ago, the Ron Howard-directed and Jim Carrey-starring irreverent family comedy was nothing short of a Christmas miracle.
In a sprawling oral history for Vulture timed to the film’s anniversary, above- and below-the-line talent recalled the grueling production process and difficulty of adapting the Dr. Seuss material into a live-action, minimal CG-using movie, which required Carrey to be in painful and claustrophobic special effects makeup, prosthetics and costuming.
“The suit was made of unnervingly itchy yak hair that drove me insane all day long. 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, and I could only see a tiny tunnel in front of me,” the comedic icon recalled, adding that he was “mouth-breathing through the entire movie” due to the prosthetic nose.
While producer Brian Grazer noted Carrey’s green contacts could be added in digitally, “He didn’t want to do that. He wanted to have green eyes. They were like Frisbees in his eyes. He was in so much pain.”
The result was so detrimental that Howard said the Liar Liar alum “started having panic attacks. I would see him lying down on the floor in between setups with a brown paper bag. Literally on the floor. He was miserable.”
Though the makeup application process was eventually whittled down to around three hours, the duration of Carrey’s first experience in the chair lasted over eight. “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.” The duo confirmed that The Mask star was “ready” to not only give up his $20 million paycheck, but also “pay interest.”
Carrey was so adamant about quitting that Grazer enlisted a special ops trainer — who founded SEAL Team Six and would instruct military officers on how to endure torture — to help the actor get acclimated to the special makeup.
“Richard Marcinko was a gentleman that trained CIA officers and special-ops people how to endure torture,” Carrey recalled. “He gave me a litany of things that I could do when I began to spiral. Like punch myself in the leg as hard as I can. Have a friend that I trust and punch him in the arm. Eat everything in sight. Changing patterns in the room. If there’s a TV on when you start to spiral, turn it off and turn the radio on. Smoke cigarettes as much as possible. There are pictures of me as the Grinch sitting in a director’s chair with a long cigarette holder. I had to have the holder, because the yak hair would catch on fire if it got too close.”
Howard, who also went on to make A Beautiful Mind with Grazer, also said the crew made “concessions” in the schedule to accommodate the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind actor, who wasn’t able to be in the makeup for too many days consecutively as it was “destroying” his skin. One day, Howard also donned the makeup as a show of solidarity to Carrey, directing in costume for a whole day.
Given the film’s rewatchability, Howard admitted he has “a take that Jim gets a kick out of” with regard to a sequel, though “none of us are sure we want to really go there again.” The director noted that, if a second go-around took place, they would lean more on digital enhancements.
Carrey concluded, “Though it was a struggle, it’s such an honor to have been that character. It’s just the most beautiful story in the world, how badly we need people to open their hearts. It’s always going to get you. Many of us are walking around with a desiccated heart right now.”
