1. Jim Carrey wasn’t the only one who had a chance to get the role of the Grinch. Eddie Murphy, Tom Hanks, and Jack Nicholson were also considered for the part.
2. Sir Anthony Hopkins recorded all of the narration for this movie in just one day.
3. There was a “Who School” for every actor who played a Who. They had to be thought by a choreographer how to act and behave like a real Who.
4. In the scene where the Grinch is directing his dog, Max (Kelley), right before stealing Christmas, Jim Carrey is making fun of producer and director Ron Howard. The director found the scene hilarious and included it in the movie.
5. Jim Carrey spent a total of 92 days in Grinch make-up. It took him two hours every morning getting in, and over an hour in the evening to get out. Carrey jokes about it, saying he became a “Zen Master” while sitting in the make-up chair for so long.
6. The line “6:30 p.m. Dinner with me. I can’t cancel that again.” was actually improvised by Jim Carrey.
7. Jim Carrey showed off his musical talents, and sang a few verses of the signature song “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.”
8. The original Grinch was black and white, with a little red and pink in the eyes, like everything else in the book. However, they made him green because the producer wanted this movie to also be an adaptation of the original, animated film from 1966.
9. Carrey had such a hard time wearing the yellow contact lenses that he couldn’t bear them at times. That’s why they had to add the yellow in his eyes when they were editing the movie.
10. Right after the Grinch leaves Whoville for the second time, for a few seconds we can see a statue of an elephant. This is a reference to the story “Horton Hears a Who“, also by Dr. Seuss. In fact, Jim Carrey voiced Horton in the animated movie “Horton Hears a Who!” (2008).
11. Since “The Wizzard of Oz” (1939), this movie is the first to have so many characters wearing such heavy stage makeup. It surely paid off, as the film won the Academy Award for Best Makeup in 2000.
12. This movie was dedicated to Jean Speegle Howard, Clint Howard and Ron Howard’s mother, whose favorite holiday was Christmas.
13. Jim Carrey ad-libbed many of the Grinch’s lines in the movie.
14. The role of Cindy Lou Who was Taylor Momsen’s breakout.
15. The Grinch’s suit was covered in real yak hairs, each one died green, and individually sewn onto a spandex suit.
16. Many performers from Cirque du Soleil were hired for various stunts in the movie. They can be seen during the Who parade at the beginning of the film.
17. The clouds in the movie are drawn as a swirl like the original drawings of the book. Besides, you can even see the initials, “J.C.”, “C.H.”, and “R.H.” for Jim Carrey, Clint Howard, and Ron Howard.
18. Tim Burton was considering to direct the movie for a while. We could all agree that if this happened, the Grinch would have been a more despicable character.
19. A CIA agent had to teach Jim torture-resistance techniques because all the make-up and the costume made him feel extremely confined.
20. The final scene shows Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen) giving the dog, Max (Kelley), a plate of green eggs and ham. This is a reference to Dr. Suess’ book “Green Eggs and Ham” published in 1960. As a matter of fact, earlier this year, on November 8, 2019, Netflix released an animated TV series based on the very same book.
