Is Jim Carrey Going to Torture Himself Again to Become The Grinch?

Cancel your plans to “wallow in self pity” and “stare into the abyss”, because Jim Carrey might be coming back as The Grinch. On Thursday, an article from The Hollywood Reporter revealed that a sequel to 2000’s live-action adaptation of How the Grinch Stole Christmas is in the works. The sequel would see Carrey reprising his iconic performance in the titular role, with original director Ron Howard also returning to direct. Howard and his Imagine Entertainment partner, Brian Grazer, would both produce the sequel, which is still in development.

The script is being written by Alec Berg (Barry, Silicon Valley, Curb Your Enthusiasm), Jeff Schaffer (Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness; Dave; Curb Your Enthusiasm) and David Mandel (Veep, Curb Your Enthusiasm), all of whom worked together on the 2003 live-action adaptation of The Cat in the Hat. CEO Susan Brandt will oversee for Dr. Seuss Enterprises, while Senior vp production development and special projects Britt Hennemuth and creative executive Christina Hoffrogge will oversee for Universal.

The 2000 version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas is far from the first or last one we’ve gotten in popular culture, with Benedict Cumberbatch voicing an animated version of the character in a newer 2018 movie. But that turn-of-the-century film, its bizarre approach to the Whoville aesthetic and makeup design, and Carrey’s zany performance, have all uniquely cemented themselves over the ensuing years.

How Did Jim Carrey Prepare to Play The Grinch?

The biggest question I had upon hearing this news is: will Carrey need to go through torture training again to reprise his role? Yes, you read that correctly: an oral history of the film that Vulture published last year revealed some of the unconventional ways that Carrey got into character. After getting overwhelmed by the eight-hour-long process to apply the Grinch makeup to the point of having panic attacks, Carrey nearly threatened to quit the movie entirely.

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

“’I will give all my money back. I’ll pay interest. But I quit,’” quoted Grazer.

“So Brian found a guy who trained the military on enduring imprisonment and torture,” Howard continued. “Because, literally, Jim was about to leave.”

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

As Carrey recounted it: “Richard Marcinko was a gentleman that trained CIA officers and special-ops people how to endure torture. He gave me a litany of things that I could do when I began to spiral. Like punch myself in the leg as hard as I can. Have a friend that I trust and punch him in the arm. Eat everything in sight. Changing patterns in the room. If there’s a TV on when you start to spiral, turn it off and turn the radio on. Smoke cigarettes as much as possible. Later on I found out that the gentleman that trained me to endure the Grinch also founded SEAL Team Six.”

(featured image: Universal Pictures)

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