“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” ranks among the best festive movies of all time, and it’s a fixture of many family’s movie-watching traditions during the holiday season. Based on Dr. Seuss’ iconic story of the same name, it tells the tale of Jim Carrey’s titular Christmas-hating monster as he has a change of heart after befriending Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen). It’s a heartwarming story about a loner finding companionship and embracing communitarian values, but the experience of making the movie changed Jim Carrey forever — and not necessarily in a good way.

Playing the Grinch was an arduous experience that had a negative effect on Carrey’s mental health and that of his colleagues. The movie also marked a turning point in the actor’s career, as he gradually faded out of the spotlight following its release. With that in mind, let’s look at Carrey’s time shooting “The Grinch” and find out what he’s been up to since then.

Jim Carrey was an in-demand actor when he agreed to star in “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” Films like “Dumb and Dumber,” “Ace Ventura,” and “Liar Liar” established him as one of Hollywood’s most popular funnymen at the time, which was reflected in his box office numbers. “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” was a change of pace to some degree — mainly because the role required him to hide behind layers of monster makeup — but he jumped at the chance to play such an iconic character.

“It’s one of those things that you just can’t say no to,” he told Empire about accepting the role in Ron Howard’s adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ beloved festive story. “And for me, the Grinch is about change of heart, and that’s what’s important to me about this tale –- that even the most surly human being can be broken by Christmas.”

Carrey also gained the support of Dr. Seuss’ widow, Audrey Geisel, who wanted him to play the Grinch after learning about his method acting on “Man on the Moon.” However, it didn’t take long until all of the aforementioned excitement turned into chaos behind the scenes.

Filming “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” was an grueling and transformative experience for Jim Carrey. The makeup process was especially brutal, as he had to sit in a chair for hours, which was very uncomfortable and made him difficult to be around. The “Liar Liar” star equated the experience to being buried alive, and this resulted in a CIA operative being brought in to teach Carrey coping mechanisms for dealing with torture, as he might have left the project otherwise. 

What’s more, Carrey randomly went missing from the set, which delayed the production and created more headaches for everyone involved. Reflecting on the experience and his behavior, the actor told “The Graham Norton Show” (via Times Malta) that his drug addiction made him act unprofessional at times. “I couldn’t really enjoy it because I was stoned … Back then all I ever cared about was my next fix.”

Unfortunately, Carrey wasn’t the only person who suffered on the set. The actor’s attitude was so poor that the film’s Oscar-winning makeup artist, Kazuhiro Tsuji, took a leave of absence because he needed a break from the negativity. Tsuji eventually returned to find Carrey’s attitude had improved significantly, but the overall experience motivated the makeup artist to seek out therapy afterward.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

There’s a perception that Jim Carrey’s career experienced a downturn in the early 2000s, and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” was a transitional movie between his ’90s golden age and what came after. That said, the new millennium still produced some commercial and critical hits for the actor, including the comedy “Bruce Almighty” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” the latter of which received Academy Award recognition.

At the same time, the post-“Grinch” years also saw Carrey become more contemplative about his role in the industry as an aging star. “There is definitely a feeling of ‘is what I’m doing worthwhile?” he told Film Threat in 2001. “Are people being touched? Is it making any difference at all? Am I serving somebody?’ You don’t want to end up at the end going what I did was all for me, and that’s it. That’s a huge concept I’m dealing with.”

Carrey has also dealt with some personal issues in the years since “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” was released, including the suicide of his ex-girlfriend, Cathriona White, in 2016. He’s also attracted controversy for expressing some polarizing views about vaccines, and is generally quite reclusive. These are some of the reasons why Hollywood stopped casting Carrey in major leading roles like “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” but it seems that he’s also willingly distanced himself from fame.

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Jim Carrey isn’t as prolific as he used to be, and that’s by choice. It seems that he’s become disillusioned with fame and feels like he has nothing left to prove after all he’s accomplished. In 2022, Carrey shared sad news with fans following “Sonic the Hedgehog 2,” revealing that he was stepping away from Hollywood indefinitely. At the time, the actor claimed that he was serious about retiring from the spotlight, but left the door open to appearing in projects that excited him.

Fortunately, the “Dumb and Dumber” star still has the acting bug, and will return to screens in the near future. Carrey is scheduled to reprise Dr. Robotnik in “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” which could be one of his final on-screen roles. He’s also slated to star in “Evergreen Pines and the Fading Summer,” which tells the story of a middle-aged man who goes in search of a mystical creature. As such, fans can rest assured knowing that they’ll get to see the Hollywood comedy legend in more movies before he calls it quits for good.