Jim Carrey fans have been left a little floored after learning how The Grinch was made. The movie is a loved Christmas favorite, but now some fans claim it’s been “ruined”
04:29 ET, 30 Nov 2025
Jim Carrey in the movie The Grinch(Image: PA)
When it comes to Christmas movies, it’s fair to say The Grinch is up there with many people’s top picks, but there are some things about it that you may not know. It turns out Jim Carrey had to go to pretty extreme lengths to become the man in green in How The Grinch Stole Christmas, and fans claim it’s “ruined” the movie for them.
The story came up on Reddit when a past interview was shared featuring the actor. Carrey appeared on The Graham Norton Show a few years back when he shared just how brutal his time on set was, and people couldn’t quite believe it.
A social media user wrote: “Jim Carrey on receiving anti-torture training during filming of The Grinch.” The actor then explained just how intense preparing for the role actually was, and people have been left stunned. It comes after Carrey revealed which Hollywood legend ‘hated him’.
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In the clip, Carrey said: “When I did The Grinch, literally the makeup was like being buried alive every day.” When asked how long it took to transform into the character, he added: “The first day was about eight and a half hours, and I went back to my trailer and put my leg through the wall, and I told Ron Howard I couldn’t do the movie.
“Then Brian Grazer came in being the fix it man, and came up with a brilliant idea, which was to hire a gentleman who is trained to teach CIA operatives how to endure torture, so that’s how I got through The Grinch.”
Though it may sound a little extreme, Carrey admitted it was “quite hilarious”, and he actually had to put the makeup on 100 times during filming. Even though it was a struggle, he said he knew he had to do it for “the kids”.
However, Carrey explained the expert taught him distraction techniques to help him create certain mindsets to get through the movie. This helped him to cope with the extreme physical and psychological discomfort.
It’s reported methods included listening to the Bee Gees constantly and smoking cigarettes through a long holder to ensure his costume wouldn’t catch fire. At times, he would even punch himself in the leg.
Since fans discovered the piece of movie trivia, they have been left totally stunned, with reactions being very mixed. People couldn’t believe how long it took him to get into character.
The movie has been a Christmas favorite for years(Image: Getty Images)
One person said: “800 hours is the amount of time I might spend on a particularly addictive game. I can’t imagine spending it sitting and doing nothing while layers are painted on my face.”
Another wrote: “He did it for the kids. Likely was true. I think he knew it would be an instant classic. I will probably still watch The Grinch once a year or every other year during Christmas until I die.”
A third replied: “The fact that Jim Carrey can and will undergo torturous conditions in order to make a role work just makes me respect him even more.”
However, some fans were left devastated to think the star was in pain during filming. When the story was recently told on TikTok, people were left heartbroken.
A fan wrote: “I read about this years ago. It makes me sad that he had to go through this.” Another added: “This is insane. I feel bad for saying this is one of my favorite movies now.”
Someone else commented: “This has ruined The Grinch for me.” One more chimed in with: “No wonder it’s the saddest movie I’ve ever seen.”
Many admitted they love The Grinch though, with several thanking Carrey for his “sacrifice” to ensure the movie was made. For some, it still stands as one of their favorite Christmas movies of all time.
It comes as Jim Carrey sells his Hollywood mansion for a 41% discount, and fans have the same theory.
