Jim Carrey Plots Return to Role That Drove Him ‘Insane’
The actor is in talks to bring an iconic furry green creature back to the big screen.
Jim Carrey is set to reprise a role that he says drove him “insane.”
The 64-year-old actor is in talks to return as the Grinch for a sequel to the iconic 2000 film How the Grinch Stole Christmas, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Ron Howard, who directed the live-action Dr. Seuss adaptation, would also return to direct the untitled sequel.
The original was the highest-grossing film of 2000, and it’s held up with kids revisiting it every holiday season.
The live-action film has ranked among Nielsen’s top 10 most-streamed holiday movies over the past five years.
Archive Photos/Getty Images
For Carrey, the reminiscing is less pleasant.
He revealed to Vulture last year that he almost quit the production and gave up his $20 million payday, all because of the costume he had to wear to play the furry green creature plotting to steal Christmas.
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“The suit was made of unnervingly itchy yak hair that drove me insane all day long,” Carrey told Vulture for a retrospective on the classic. “I had 10-inch-long fingers, so I couldn’t scratch myself or touch my face or do anything.”
The live-action film has ranked among Nielsen’s top 10 most-streamed holiday movies over the past five years.
Dr. Seuss Enterprises / Universal Pictures
Carrey also had to wear contact lenses he described as “frisbees” and a silicone mask that left him mouth-breathing for hours on end. Added together, the seasoned actor began having “panic attacks” while filming.
“I would see him lying down on the floor in between setups with a brown paper bag,” Howard revealed. “He was miserable.”
He was ready to give it all up on the first day of filming, after his initial makeup session lasted eight grueling hours.
“He was ready to give his $20 million back! I mean, he was sincere,” Howard added.
A make-up face cast from the Jim Carrey movie 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' is displayed with other movie memorabilia at the Heritage Auction Gallery in Beverly Hills.
MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images
It seemed unsolvable until the production decided to hire a CIA consultant whose résumé included teaching special operations agents how to resist torture.
“I found out that the gentleman that trained me to endure the Grinch also founded SEAL Team Six,” Carrey said.
They asked their star to give the consultant a chance over the weekend and, if it didn’t work, to quit on Monday.
Before long, the movie was back on track.
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