Jim Carrey has revealed just how close he came to walking away from one of the biggest roles of his career, nearly returning a reported $20 million paycheck while filming How the Grinch Stole Christmas. 

As the holiday classic marks its 25th anniversary, the actor opened up in a new oral history with Vulture about the extreme physical and mental toll the role took on him behind the scenes.

While the 2000 Ron Howard-directed film became a massive success, earning $346 million worldwide and topping the domestic box office that year, Carrey says the experience of becoming the Grinch was almost unbearable. 

The transformation involved hours of heavy makeup, prosthetics, and a full-body suit that left him struggling just to get through the day.

Legendary makeup artist Rick Baker explained that the studio initially wanted a much simpler approach. 

“The studio said, ‘We’re paying Jim $20 million, and we want to see him. Just paint him green,’” Baker recalled. But he pushed back, insisting the character needed to look like the Grinch, not “green Jim Carrey.” 

After public backlash, the studio agreed to the more elaborate design.

That decision came at a cost. 

Carrey explained how the prosthetics affected his breathing and movement, saying, “Ultimately, I ended up mouth-breathing through the entire movie.” 

He described the suit as unbearably itchy, his vision severely limited, and even simple actions like scratching impossible.

Producer Brian Grazer shared that Carrey refused digital shortcuts, insisting on fully committing to the character, even when it caused him intense pain. 

“It was something that I asked for that I can’t blame on anyone but myself,” Carrey admitted.

Director Ron Howard revealed that after spending eight hours in the makeup chair on the first day, Carrey reached his breaking point. 

“He was ready to give his $20 million back! I mean, he was sincere,” Howard said. The actor even began experiencing panic attacks on set.

To keep the production on track, the filmmakers brought in a specialist trained in helping people endure extreme stress. 

That guidance, along with music from the Bee Gees, eventually helped Carrey cope, and the makeup process was reduced to about three hours.

Looking back, Carrey has said he’d only consider playing the Grinch again using motion-capture technology. 

For now, his story offers a striking reminder that even the most iconic performances can come at a personal cost far greater than audiences ever see.

Amanda Seyfried is reflecting deeply on the world around her, and her latest role is only intensifying those feelings. 

While promoting The Testament of Ann Lee, the actress admitted she’s been struggling with the state of America. 

Seyfried said that talking so much about Ann Lee, the 18th-century founder of the Shakers whom she portrays in the film, has pushed her to think about what community really means today. 

“How about we all don’t have any kind of agendas? How about our agenda is take care of each other?” she said, calling socialism “a gorgeous idea” in the sense of shared care, even if she knows the term can be misunderstood. 

For her, the concept is simple: “If I have more money, I can spend more money on other people.”

In Mona Fastvold’s drama, Seyfried steps into the role of a woman who endured devastating loss, four children, and transformed her grief into a movement centered on equality and communal life. 

The film layers trauma, faith, healing, and unexpectedly, humour. 

Before a screening at the SCAD Film Festival, she even encouraged the audience to embrace its off-beat tone, telling them, “I give you permission to laugh.”

But the connection she draws between Ann Lee’s world and the present is what weighs on her most. 

Seyfried remembers how, after 9/11, people came together in a way that felt instinctive and selfless. 

“Everybody dropped everything for each other,” she said, noting how distant that collective spirit now feels. 

“We shouldn’t have to have a meteor or a house-on-fire situation in order to drop everything for each other.”

Her reflections turned into a broader plea, one rooted in the idea that people are more alike than they admit. 

“We all want to be seen, we all want to be loved, we all want to be desired,” she said, pointing out that both sides of any divide share the same basic wants. 

That’s why she questions what anyone gains from greed, ego or defensiveness, emotions she believes are pulling people apart rather than bringing them together.

Seyfried’s performance in The Testament of Ann Lee is already being praised, but it’s clear the experience is shaping her in ways that go beyond the screen. 

Through the story of a woman who built a community from loss, Seyfried is holding up a mirror to the present, urging for something simple, a return to taking care of one another.

Jelly Roll is opening up about the moment he realised he needed to change his life, and why his 200-pound weight loss journey became a fight for survival. 

The 41-year-old singer shared the emotional turning point during his appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, recalling how close he felt to losing everything.

“I could feel myself dying,” he admitted, describing the fear that hit him as he approached his 39th birthday. 

He said he took a hard look at his health and the number on the scale, adding, “I don’t think I’ve ever met a 500-pound 40-year-old.” 

That thought alone sparked a level of urgency he could no longer ignore.

Jelly Roll explained that he felt he had “already cheated the game” after surviving “multiple heart issues,” and knew he wasn’t going to get many more chances. 

“I was like, man, I should really start trying to figure this out,” he said.

What followed was a two-year transformation fueled by determination, vulnerability and the desire to help others going through similar struggles. 

He said he never expected to lose the weight but hoped that talking about his experience could encourage people who feel stuck in their own battles with obesity.

He remembered the first day he committed to walking 10,000 steps, a moment he described as life-changing. 

His wife Bunnie XO and daughter tried to talk him out of going because it was pouring rain, but he refused. “In my mind, I was like, ‘No. I’m going outside. I’m done lying to y’all and I’m done lying to me.’”

When he got home, soaked from the weather, he broke down seeing his family cheering for him. 

“They had every reason not to go out there and cheer me on,” he said, explaining how years of broken promises about his weight had worn them down. 

But that moment made him realize just how deeply his food addiction had impacted not just his health, but his relationships.

Jelly Roll said the journey forced him to confront painful truths, including how being severely overweight had affected his marriage and intimacy.

Therapy helped him uncover the emotional roots of his eating habits, and over time, he built a healthier relationship with food. 

“Now I’m just feeding myself for what I need,” he said.

Today, he feels “really, really good,” having dropped clothing sizes and even changing his Oura ring size five times. 

Fans have noticed his slimmer face and energised presence in recent months, visible signs of a transformation that started with fear but grew into hope.

And for Jelly Roll, the message is simple: if he could do it, anyone can.