Jim Carrey’s 'The Grinch' make-up routine was so intense, he needed CIA anti-torture training
How the Grinch Stole Christmas has come to be synonymous with holiday cheers. But for Jim Carrey, the transformation into the iconic green Grinch was anything but festive. Carrey once opened up about the grueling experience, revealing that it required CIA anti-torture training to endure the makeup routine. Carrey becoming the Grinch for the 2000 Ron Howard-directed film involved hours of painstaking make-up application— two and a half hours each day to be precise. It involved layers of prosthetics, green paint, and yak hair to create the character’s furry-cat-like face and body.
Removing the make-up each evening added another hour, amounting to over 230 hours— or nearly 10 full days— in the make-up chair during 92 days of filming. In a 2014 interview on The Graham Norton Show, the actor described, “I couldn’t see. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t scratch myself. The physical restraints were unbelievable. It was just like having a refrigerator strapped to your back." At one point, Carrey felt so overwhelmed that he put his leg through a trailer wall and told director Howard he couldn’t continue, as reported by Unilad.
In a bid to salvage the production, producer Brian Grazer made a radical decision— hiring a CIA specialist trained in anti-torture techniques to help Carrey cope. The specialist offered unconventional advice. He shared, “Eat everything you see, and if you’re freaking out and you start to spiral downward turn the television on, change your pattern. Have someone you know come and smack you in the head, punch yourself in the leg, or smoke, smoke as much as you possibly can.” Even cigarette breaks allegedly became a challenge. Carrey had to use a long cigarette holder to prevent the yak hair prosthetics from catching fire.
The CIA trained Jim Carrey to withstand torture in order to endure the make-up process for 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' (2000)
— Film Facts 🎬 (@Factsonfilm) December 21, 2020
"The makeup took eight-and-a-half hours. It was like being buried alive" pic.twitter.com/xKkCIK732G
As per Express, Carrey confessed, “It was horrifying! It was horrifying!” He described how the green-dyed fur often turned inward, adding to his discomfort. The actor repeatedly reminded himself, “It’s for the kids, it’s for the kids, it’s for the kids, it’s for the kids.” Carrey found solace in unexpected sources— music from the Bee Gees became a surprising lifeline. Carrey credited the band’s upbeat tunes for helping him endure the long hours. Director Howard even spent a day in full Grinch make-up to empathize with Carrey’s experience.
Meanwhile, make-up artist Kazuhiro Tsuji, overwhelmed by the demanding process, briefly left the project but returned once Carrey began employing his new coping strategies. By the end of filming, Carrey had developed a resilience that even shocked him. “By the end, you could literally hit me in the face with a baseball bat and I would have gone...'Good morning. Nice to see you,'" he quipped. Carrey’s dedication resulted in a classic holiday film that continues to enchant audiences. While the $20 million payday Carrey received for the role was record-breaking at the time, it’s clear he earned every penny.
