A Trainer Helped Jim Carrey During How the Grinch Stole Christmas

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Filming How the Grinch Stole Christmas was incredibly demanding for Jim Carrey, requiring him to work with a military trainer to build his stamina.

Many people fondly remember How the Grinch Stole Christmas as a cheerful holiday film. But behind the scenes, things were surprisingly difficult for Jim Carrey. In a recent interview with Vulture, Carrey, along with the film’s director Ron Howard, producer Brian Grazer, and makeup artist Rick Baker, shared how challenging the experience was for the actor, and how close he came to leaving the project.

Baker shared that Carey fully immersed himself in his roles, and playing someone as unpleasant as the Grinch was emotionally draining. The biggest challenge, however, came on the first day of filming. Instead of using digital effects to change his eyes, Carey insisted on having prosthetics physically applied – a process that took a painful eight hours. Grazer explained that Carey wanted to fully commit to the character, even if it meant enduring a long and uncomfortable makeup session.

Carey realized he’d made a terrible error, and he took full responsibility. The experience was so distressing that he suffered panic attacks while filming. Howard remembered seeing Carey lying on the floor, breathing into a paper bag, desperately trying to cope. It became so overwhelming that Carey nearly quit the project, even offering to return the $20 million he’d already been paid to Grazer and Howard.

The director, Grazer, mentioned they had discussed using digital effects to give the actor green eyes, but he insisted on having them done practically. The actor was clearly in a lot of discomfort, and his eyes appeared very wide and unnatural – almost like discs.

I got what I wished for, and I have to take responsibility for that. It’s important to be careful about what you ask for. When you see an actor portraying intense pain, remember they have to actually experience those feelings, and those feelings don’t just disappear when they finish filming.

Howard said Jim began experiencing panic attacks. He often saw Jim lying on the floor, breathing into a paper bag during breaks between filming. Jim was really suffering.

Jim Carrey said the initial makeup process took a full eight hours. After it was finished, he went to his trailer, called for Ron and Brian, and told them he couldn’t go through with the movie and was quitting.

Howard: He was ready to give his $20 million back! I mean, he was sincere.

Grazer: ‘I will give all my money back. I’ll pay interest. But I quit.’

Carey realized he’d made a significant error, taking full responsibility for it, and the fallout was incredibly difficult. It caused him to have panic attacks while filming. Howard remembered finding Carey overwhelmed, often lying on the floor and breathing into a paper bag to calm himself. The situation became so intense that Carey nearly quit the project, even offering to return the $20 million he’d already been paid to Grazer and Howard.

Grazer strongly encouraged the actor to spend the weekend with Marcinko, assuring him he could still decide to leave on Monday if he wanted. The trainer had helped him learn to manage the discomfort, sharing coping strategies like lightly hitting his leg or overeating if the pain became too much to handle.

Howard mentioned that Brian located someone who specializes in training people to survive imprisonment and torture. Apparently, Jim was on the verge of quitting, and this person was brought in to help.

Grazer: I said, ‘Listen, you can quit on Monday, but just spend time with this guy on the weekend.

Richard Marcinko, who trained CIA and special forces in surviving torture, gave me a lot of techniques to use when I started to feel overwhelmed. Things like punching myself in the leg, or having a trusted friend punch me in the arm. He also suggested things like eating everything I could, rearranging the room, and changing the media I was consuming – turning off the TV and listening to the radio instead. I even smoked a lot of cigarettes. There are photos of me as the Grinch with a long cigarette holder, which I needed because the yak hair on my costume was flammable and could catch fire if a regular cigarette got too close.

I later learned that the man who helped me prepare for the Grinch role also started SEAL Team Six. What really got me through the long makeup sessions – which eventually took around three hours – was listening to the Bee Gees. I listened to all of their music, and it’s so uplifting. I haven’t met Barry Gibb, but I’m grateful for his music and wanted to express my thanks.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas is available to stream on Prime Video.

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2025-12-14 05:49