2000’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas is Jim Carrey’s third highest-grossing movie to date (and possibly ever), but he nearly quit after his first day on set over the makeup process. “The first day was eight and a half hours and I went back to my trailer and put my leg through the wall,” he said on The Graham Norton Show in 2014. “I [explained to director] Ron Howard I couldn’t do the movie.” Makeup artist Kazuhiro Tsuji told Vulture that Carrey was “really mean to everybody” (the Man on the Moon crew can relate), so Grinch producer Brian Grazer “came up with a brilliant idea,” Carrey called it, which was to hire a CIA operative to train the actor in techniques to overcome torture.
Hopefully the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. cast and crew had an easier time.
On Monday, Guardians director James Gunn tweeted, “Just heard from our makeup folks at @LegacyEffects that yesterday #GotGVol3 officially passed the World Record for ‘the most makeup appliances created for a single production’ (surpassing The Grinch). Congrats, guys! Thanks for keeping practical effects alive!”
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) April 4, 2022
It’s fitting that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. would be the film to break How the Grinch Stole Christmas‘ makeup record. Gamora and the Grinch are both green, and both movies have baby versions of “adult” characters. Except Baby Groot is cute; Baby Grinch came from the depths of Hell to haunt me. I haven’t known peace since 2000.
Cursed.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 opens on May 5, 2023.