For his function within the film How the Grinch Stole Christmas, which got here out in 2000, Jim Carrey’s tortuous costume and make-up had him on the verge of strolling away from a $20 million paycheck.
In an interview with Vulture, the actor mentioned the primary day of make-up took eight hours. He almost stop and suffered from panic assaults after having to put on painful inexperienced contacts, make-up that made him breathe by way of his mouth the entire time, and a full physique swimsuit manufactured from itchy yak hair. However earlier than he walked away, producer Brian Grazer employed the founding father of SEAL Crew Six to assist Carrey suck it up.
“Richard Marcinko was a gentleman that skilled CIA officers and special-ops folks learn how to endure torture. He gave me a litany of issues that I might do once I started to spiral. Like punch myself within the leg as laborious as I can. Have a buddy that I belief and punch him within the arm. Eat every thing in sight. Altering patterns within the room,” Carrey informed Vulture within the interview, which was printed on Friday.
“If there’s a TV on while you begin to spiral, flip it off and switch the radio on. Smoke cigarettes as a lot as potential. There are footage of me because the Grinch sitting in a director’s chair with a protracted cigarette holder. I needed to have the holder, as a result of the yak hair would catch on hearth if it acquired too shut,” he added.
Carrey mentioned he later realized that Marcinko was the founding officer of SEAL Crew Six, the famed special-operations unit. Marcinko handed away at age 81 in December 2021.
Director Ron Howard and Grazer, who have been additionally a part of the Vulture interview, recalled Carrey struggling onset due to his Grinch costume.
Howard mentioned the ache he endured was much less bodily than psychological because the make-up was “destroying” Carrey’s pores and skin. It was decided by medical professionals that Carrey couldn’t work within the make-up 5 days in a row, so he would have a time without work or solely be off-camera feeding dialogue on Wednesdays, he added.
“Jim began having panic assaults. I’d see him mendacity down on the ground in between setups with a brown paper bag. Actually on the ground. He was depressing,” Howard mentioned.
Carrey even supplied to return his total $20 million paycheck, with curiosity, Grazer mentioned. However, as a substitute Grazer discovered Marcinko.
“I mentioned, ‘Hear, you possibly can stop on Monday, however simply spend time with this man on the weekend,’” Grazer mentioned.
