Taylor Momsen began her career as a child star, who went from portraying squeaky-clean roles to the rebellious Jenny Humphrey in Gossip Girl. After quitting acting in 2012, she made a triumphant comeback as the frontwoman of the rock band The Pretty Reckless. Yet How the Grinch Stole Christmas is arguably still her most iconic role even nearly 25 years after its release. Momsen is now getting real about how she finally came to accept her recognition for playing Cindy Lou Who after being teased as a kid.
It’s honestly hard to forget Momsen’s big-screen debut as Cindy Lou Who in Ron Howard’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Momen discussed her time working on one of the best Christmas movies of all time during a conversation on the Call Her Daddy podcast. As a whole, it sounds like she enjoyed the experience making the movie:
I went back to the very beginning, and Grinch, to me, was always great. I don’t have any bad memories with Grinch. Everything about it was awesome, it was super fun. I was super young. It was such an incredible project to be a part of that was so upper echelon [for me] at such a young age. To see actors of the caliber and Jim Carrey and Molly Shannon, etc. – Ron Howard. And then it was also my first experience in a recording studio.
It’s so poetic that working on Grinch allowed Taylor Momsen to have her first experience in a recording studio, a location that would eventually become commonplace for her as a performer. She sang the well-known holiday tune “Where Are You, Christmas?” in her sweet, innocent voice. And, when the Spy Kids 2 actress did a new take on the same song this year, it made for the perfect way for Momsen to meld her child star roots with the rockstar edge she has now.
While How the Grinch Stole Christmas has long been an entertaining Christmas movie for families, it hasn’t always had the best effect on Taylor Momsen’s life as she’s explained. The best-selling artist previously spoke of how the Jim Carrey movie was an “alienating” experience for her, with kids in her school constantly referring to her as “Grinch girl.” It would appear, however, that Momsen’s perspective on all of this has changed a great deal:
When the movie came out and stuff and I was in school, you’re teased relentlessly for it. [Kids said,] ‘You’re Grinch girl.’ I moved around a lot. All of that kind of stuff was hard for me as a kid. But, when I got older, and looking back on it, I go, ‘No, all of those things that happened, all of those experiences of making this film [were] wonderful. So why am I shunning this?’ I am Cindy Lou Who. I am that girl, I’m still that girl.
It’s sad to hear that Momsen experience teasing as a result of her link to the beloved movie. However, I love that instead of trying hard to shed her 2000 film role, Momsen now welcomes Cindy Lou as part of her story.
Despite Momsen’s edgy, rock musician persona, her performance as Cindy Lou remains iconic. As a child, she brought a sincerity to the role, and she effectively served as the audience’s eyes and ears amid the fantastical tale.
Taylor Momsen has certainly come a long way — both as an actor and as a person. She deserves all her flowers for her role in How The Grinch Stole Christmas, and I hope she continues to appreciate the experience filming it and being linked to Cindy Lou Who. Watch Momsen’s Cindy Lou save Christmas with The Grinch by streaming the classic holiday flick with a Peacock subscription.