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This is the character Jim Carrey wants to play again before he retires - you will be surprised

Of all his memorable Hollywood movie roles, Jim Carrey is in no doubt about the one he’d be most open to revisiting.

Of all his memorable Hollywood movie roles, Jim Carrey is in no doubt about the one he’d be most open to revisiting.
Mina KimREUTERS

An actor who has amassed nearly 50 film credits during a 40-year career on the big screen, Jim Carrey has starred in numerous iconic roles.

Award winner for 90s Hollywood successes

Notably, during his 1990s zenith he brought to life memorable characters such as Ace Ventura’s eponymous pet detective, The Truman Show’s unwitting reality-TV star Truman Burbank, and Dumb and Dumber’s goofy Lloyd Christmas.

The 62-year-old won a Golden Globe best actor award for his performance in The Truman Show - a picture that was a major hit in 1998 - before again earning recognition at the Globes a year later, for his turn as the comedian Andy Kaufman in the biopic Man on the Moon.

Carrey open to reprising “excruciating” role

However, the role Carrey says he would be most interested in revisiting is none of the above - and it is also one he has described as “excruciating” to play.

Speaking as he promoted his latest movie, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Carrey revealed that he would most like to have another stab at portraying the ‘Grinch’, the titular character from the 2000 box-office smash How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

A live-action adaption of a 1966 animated TV special of the same name - which, in turn, was based on the 1957 book by Dr Seuss - How the Grinch Stole Christmas earned over $261 million in US theaters when it came out in November 2000, per figures published by Box Office Mojo. Directed by Oscar winner Ron Howard, the movie also took another $85 million worldwide.

“Like being buried alive every day”

But depicting the Grinch was not a comfortable experience for Carrey, who had to endure several hours of makeup each day to be transformed into the green-furred, Christmas-hating creature.

Literally, the makeup was like being buried alive every day,” Carrey said during an appearance on the BBC’s The Graham Norton Show in 2014. “The first day was eight and a half hours. And I went back to my trailer and put my leg through the wall, and I told Ron Howard I couldn’t do the movie.

“And then [producer] Brian Grazer came in, being the ‘fix-it’ man, and came up with a brilliant idea, which was to hire a gentleman who is trained to teach CIA operatives how to endure torture. And so, that’s how I got through [playing] the Grinch.”

Carrey: Latest tech would make it easier to play Grinch

Even at its quickest, the process of turning Carrey into the Grinch lasted for three hours, according to Screen Rant’s Kevin McCasland and Colin McCormick.

In an interview last month, however, Carrey noted that advances in filmmaking technology mean playing the character would likely be far less of an ordeal nowadays. Talking to the media outlet Comic Book, the Canadian-American said he’d be open to shooting a follow-up to How the Grinch Stole Christmas if he could play the lead role via motion capture.

Oh, gosh, you know, if we could figure out the Grinch,” Carrey told Comic Book, when asked about the possibility of reprising any of his most memorable roles.

“The thing about it is, on the day, I do that with a ton of makeup and can hardly breathe. It was an extremely excruciating process. The children were in my mind all the time. ‘It’s for the kids. It’s for the kids. It’s for the kids.’

“And now, with motion capture and things like that, I could be free to do other things. Anything is possible in this world.”

Carrey back after break from Hollywood

Carrey, also known for starring in movies such as The Mask, Batman Forever, The Cable Guy and Bruce Almighty, took a two-year break from Hollywood between 2022 and 2024, before returning as Dr. Ivo ‘Eggman’ Robotnik in the latest instalment in the Sonic the Hedgehog series.

“I think whenever you step away from something - even if it’s something you love - you get a new appreciation for it,” Carrey told E! News last month. “I also value getting out of people’s faces.

“I mean, some people just want to be in people’s faces all the time, and I don’t, so I like to give them a rest.”

Three years ago, Carrey had told Access Hollywood he was “probably” retiring from cinema after filming Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

Asked last year about his decision to resume his career for part three of the franchise, he said in an interview with the Associated Press: “I came back to this universe because, first of all, I get to play a genius. Which is a bit of a stretch. And, you know, it’s just I bought a lot of stuff, and I need the money, frankly.”

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