Jim Carrey’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas has become a Christmas classic movie that families love to gather around the TV and watch every holiday season. Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the 2000 family comedy introduced the world to Carrey in a whole new light. He still delivered the silly physical comedy styling for which he had become known, but this time, he was in full make-up such that he was virtually unrecognizable. The movie delighted, and continues to delight fans. But a lot was going on behind the scenes before, during, and after production to make the brilliantly bright, sweet tale come to life.
The Rights Were Auctioned Off
The Grinch is a beloved character, and Audrey Geisel, wife of his creator, Theodor Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss), wasn’t willing to give up rights to the character without stipulations. Above all else, she was adamant that any movie remake of the classic Christmas story did it justice. She auctioned off the rights to How the Grinch Stole Christmas and had contractual obligations for whatever production house was willing to meet them. Along with the purchase price of $5 million, she wanted 4% of the box office gross, half of any merchandising revenue, and 70% of the profits from book deals that came from the film.
Geisel also had specific requirements for the actor who would play the surly green creature, rhyming off a few options who were her top choices, or someone of the same caliber. Interestingly, among the names she noted was Jim Carrey. In the end, Universal met her demands, and she told Time that she chose them because she had worked with the production house before and found that “their word was their bond.”
There Were Eight Script Drafts Before Approval
After signing the deal, Geisel told Time she went through eight drafts before she gave her approval. There were aspects of the original script and rewritten ones that she didn’t like, notably jokes with sexual innuendo that she didn’t feel were appropriate for the child-friendly film, even if they would go over kids’ heads.
Producer Brian Grazer says she was tough on him for a year and a half, but that he also wanted to please her and make sure she was happy with the end product. After the movie was finally made and Geisel had the chance to see it, she told him that “Ted would have loved it so much.”
‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ Has a Ton of Improv
Jim Carrey is no stranger to comedy today, nor was he back then, having already appeared in several hit comedy movies as well as the sketch comedy show In Living Color. He knew how to be funny, and he let this shine in this movie as well.
Carrey reportedly improvised many of the funniest lines in the movie, something director Ron Howard was more than happy to accommodate. For example, in the scene when he’s talking himself through his daily schedule, all those lines were made up by Carrey; they didn’t appear in the script. When he said, “6:30 p.m., dinner with me. I can’t cancel that again,” that was all Carrey’s idea. In the scene where he is trying to train Max the dog to pull the sleigh, Carrey, pretending to be a movie director, wasn’t scripted, but rather his own clever ribbing of Howard. It was so funny, though, that it made it into the movie. These are just a few of many examples.
Jim Carrey Almost Didn’t Have the Part
Geisel specifically requested Carrey as one of the options, and she adored him when they met, but he almost didn’t have the part. Others who were being considered included Jack Nicholson, another name on Geisel’s list, and Eddie Murphy. Whether they actually auditioned or had any interest is unknown. There’s no doubt either actor would have done a fine job, bringing their own unique flavor to the character, but today, after having seen the movie, we can’t imagine anyone but Carrey having played the green creature.
Whoville Could Have Been Entirely CGI
Whoville could have been recreated entirely using technology, even though CGI wasn’t nearly as impressive 25 years ago as it is today. Thankfully, the movie includes a mix of practical and digital effects, with about 40 minutes of screen time consisting entirely of special effects. Nonetheless, the digital effects are impressive for the time.
For example, according to Animation World Network (AWN), when the Grinch and Cindy are on a sleigh ride down Mt. Crumpit, that is shot using a bluescreen. While Max the dog is indeed real (and actually a female!), some shots with the pet use 3D animation at times as well. The life-size view of Whoville, however, was indeed a real-life set that occupied a total of 11 buildings at Universal Studios.
The Eyes Were a Literal Pain Point For Carrey
Carrey endured hours in costume and make-up to totally transform into the Grinch, and it was worth it as the role marks one of his best movies. One aspect of his costume, however, wasn’t always real. The yellow eyes that stared through characters’ souls were originally contacts, but they were so painful for Carrey that, eventually, the effects team had to digitally add them in some shots so he could take a break from wearing them. He told Playboy back in 2004 that it was like “knives were stuck in my eyes.” In fact, users on TikTok watching today, as cited by People, note that in some scenes, you can see Carrey’s actual brown eyes shining through versus the yellow ones.
Carrey Went Through Torture Training
After the first make-up and costume session on the first day of shooting, Carrey told Graham Norton on an episode of The Graham Norton Show, back in 2014, that he returned to his trailer and put a leg through the wall in anger, declaring to Howard that he would not be able to get through doing this on set every day for the movie. Brian Grazer had an idea that he thought would help, and he hired a man trained to teach CIA operatives how to endure torture tactics to help him through the grueling process. “So, that’s how I got through the Grinch,” Carrey declared.
The Snow Was Made of a Lot of Crushed Marble
To create the wintry scene for the movie, there were indeed some digital effects. But the snow was actually made from crushed marble, and you might be shocked to learn just how much was necessary. According to QX104 Country, a total of 152,000 lbs. were needed to make Whoville look like it was covered in the cold, powdered stuff. That’s the equivalent of about 76 tons, so about the same weight as an adult male humpback whale, an empty Boeing 737, or 25–30 male African elephants.
The Outfits Were Hand-Knit by One Company
Costumes beyond Carrey’s elaborate make-up were impressive throughout the movie, and it was one small company that made the majority of them. Suss Cousins, based in Los Angeles, worked to hand-knit every last sweater. In total, they reportedly made 250 original pieces, eight of which were the red sweaters Grinch wore.
What’s even more impressive is that the clothing was made within four months. That averages about 62 sweaters per month, or two every day. It’s attention to detail to incredible levels like this that has made How the Grinch Stole Christmas rank among the best Christmas movies of all time.
Make-up Artist Kazu Hiro Needed Therapy After
It was a tumultuous relationship between Carrey and Kazu Hiro, the make-up artist tasked with working on his make-up. While Hiro tried his best to do the make-up quickly, the process takes time, and Carrey would often get frustrated. After a reported 100 times in make-up throughout the filming of the movie, it took a toll on Hiro too, who says he went to therapy after to heal from the experience. Nonetheless, it was a rewarding venture. Hiro went on to win two Oscars for his work in Darkest Hour in 2017 and Bombshell in 2019.