Jim Carrey was within two days of quitting How the Grinch Stole Christmas thanks to the “Frisbee like contact lenses”.
The comic actor starred in the 2000 movie, which was based on the Dr. Seuss novel, as the title character. He sported green fur and a crushed face for the role, with the vast amount of make-up needed for the look almost becoming too much for him.
“I produced How the Grinch Stole Christmas, but in order to produce it I kinda had to audition for Audrey Geisel, the widow of Theodor Geisel, Dr. Seuss. So I’m amongst many other producers trying to get the rights to do this, she grants me the rights based on my audition but she says Jim Carrey. I say Jim Carrey would be perfect,” Brian Grazer explained to US talk show host Jimmy Kimmel.
“We’re a month away from shooting the movie and I’m watching Jim Carrey continually be uncomfortable having this three-and-a-half hours of prosthetics be welded to his body and then these green Frisbee like contact lenses. One day he’s so uncomfortable, he’s thought about this, he’s been paid $20 million to do this movie then – 12 or 15 years ago – he says, ‘I can’t do this any longer, I’m gonna give all the money back. I can’t do it, this is tortuous to me.’”
Brian was horrified that he could be losing his star, so he wracked his brain for something to do.
At the moment the producer is promoting his new book A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life, which details the “curiosity conversations” he’s had with people from all walks of life over the last 30 years. One of those gave him the answer he needed to the Jim conundrum.
“It occurred to me when he said tortuous that I’d met a man 15 years before that who actually trained green berets and other CIA operatives how to survive torture if they’re being tortured. I say to Jim Carrey, ‘Please just give us the weekend, just met this one man.’ I call the guy and I say, ‘Please will you spend a weekend with Jim Carrey'’ I paid him of course. On Monday Jim Carrey said, ‘I’ll do the movie,'" Brian added.
