After over two decades of entertaining the masses, fans believed Jim Carrey when he announced his retirement in 2022. No one had any reason to doubt him, and the departure felt appropriately timed. Carrey, however, reversed course in 2024, joining the cast of Sonic The Hedgehog 3. His decision to take part in the threequel is why online speculation has turned rampant.
With Carrey's return in mind, there's no better time for him to reprise his role as the Grinch. Carrey astounded audiences with his portrayal of the character in 2000's live-action How The Grinch Stole Christmas, becoming a household staple during the holiday seasons. Countless fans watch the irreverent family comedy every year, illustrating the impact it made on pop culture. The movie also amassed $350 million at the box office.
One thing will have to change if a sequel to the Christmas-themed flick gets made.
If you weren't aware, Jim Carrey wore practical prosthetics and makeup to create his Grinch outfit. Carrey, on more than one occasion, has noted how he sat in the makeup chair for two hours every morning just to get the costume put together.
Sitting also proved problematic for the Ace Ventura actor, so much so that he sought outside help. The movie's production had to hire an outside consultant with experience training spies to resist torture. They taught Carrey distraction techniques and other ways to zone out while "suffocated." Carrey called the pile of makeup put on him "suffocating" to emphasize the torturous facet of it all. His assessment is reasonable when the production wasn't simply lathering the actor up with green body paint. Makeup artists presumably had several coats of varying blends, adding more when one layer appeared inconsistent. One can imagine there were days when the makeup team nearly finished their job, only to notice a glaring issue and then kept Carrey longer than anticipated.
Fortunately, this time around, Carrey can play the role to fruition without such a strenuous makeup routine. Since moviemaking techniques have evolved in the last twenty years, Universal Pictures can opt for motion-capture technology instead of practical effects. They've become all the rage in recent years, giving cause to why they'd work in the Grinch's case.
Fans seeking to visualize how a mo-cap Grinch would look need look no further. Marvel Studios has been painting Mark Ruffalo green to transform him into the Hulk for years, and the results speak for themselves. So, as long as the capture tech can track Carrey's facial expressions accurately, it should go off without a hitch.
Mind you, Universal could request Carrey use the same method in a possible sequel since the actor's wide range of flexibility with his face is so expansive. Covering a basic shape is simple, but ear-to-ear grins are a different story. With all that said, Carrey will probably reject Universal's request unless they offer him a higher salary.
How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) is currently streaming on Peacock.