Taylor Momsen Shares Candid Story About Jim Carrey on ‘The Grinch’
The live-action version of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” starring Jim Carrey and Taylor Momsen, turned 25 years old this year. While the film wasn’t well-received at the time of its release, it has, in the years since, cemented itself as a Christmas classic, even receiving a theatrical rerelease this holiday season. Now, Taylor Momsen, who played Cindy Lou Who, shared some behind-the-scenes secrets about the film.
Taylor Momsen on Working with the Grinch
In an interview with Vulture, Momsen discussed her experiences working with director Ron Howard and star Jim Carrey on “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” She stated the following about how she learned her lines:
“I couldn’t really read yet when I was shooting ‘Grinch,’ so someone had to read me the script, and that’s how I memorized all the lines. But they read the entire script, not just Cindy’s parts, so I had memorized the entire film. When I was shooting with Jim, Ron would call cut and he’d go, ‘Taylor, you’re doing it again.’ ‘What am I doing?’ ‘You’re mouthing Jim’s lines. It was like a whole song in my head.”
She also stated that “I never knew what Jim looked like, because I never saw him outside of the makeup until the premiere, and I was too young for his films. So to me he was just Jim who looked like the Grinch.” Carrey’s makeup was famously painful for him to endure, but he still managed to give the Grinch plenty of energy, and the film went on to win an Oscar for Best Makeup.
Momsen on Carrey: “He Was Incredibly Protective”
Momsen said that Carrey was “incredibly protective” of her, always looking out for her well-being while filming. She discussed how he worried about her while filming the climactic scene where she and Carrey ride down the mountain on an out-of-control sleigh, stating that “there was a moment where I almost fell out of the sled, and he freaked out.” Meanwhile, she was laughing, just having fun filming without thinking about how she almost fell out.
She went on to say she “always felt really safe with Jim.” Even when he was throwing himself into the role, shouting out his lines with extravagant gestures, he always looked out for Momsen. He genuinely cared about Momsen, which probably shows in the movie, given how the Grinch finds himself caring about Cindy Lou Who despite trying to uphold his reputation as the meanest being in Whoville.
The Grinch’s Legacy Will Endure
There’s something incredibly sweet about Carrey looking out for a little girl’s well-being while suffering the painful constraints of his costume and makeup. The relationship between the Grinch and Cindy Lou Who is at the heart of the film, and that owes much to Jim Carrey and Taylor Momsen’s performances. Every year, people can laugh with the film and smile at how the Grinch’s concern for little Cindy is real.
