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Jim Carrey Says There’s One Character He’d Love To Play ‘One More Time’
Jim Carrey has revealed that there is one character he would love to play again, but on one condition.
The Canadian-American actor and comedian is widely recognized for his slapstick performances, having starred in movies such as The Mask and Dumb and Dumber.
While he’s largely typecast as a comedic actor, Carrey has also found success in more dramatic roles, including The Truman Show and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
But of all his iconic roles, the actor says there is one in particular he’d enjoy playing ‘one more time’ – but with a catch.
Reason Jim Carrey left Hollywood
Although the comedic legend has expressed interest in returning to one of his most famous roles, he enjoys remaining out of the spotlight nowadays.
In the last decade (roughly 2015-2025), Carrey has only starred in five feature films, with the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise being the most recognizable.
While many would presume the actor would want to be raking in million-dollar movie contracts, it seems this is far from the case.
In a 2022 interview with Access Hollywood, he said he was ‘retiring,’ and it was a decision he was ‘fairly serious’ about.
“I really like my quiet life, and I really like putting paint on canvas, and I really love my spiritual life, and I feel like – and this is something you might never hear another celebrity say as long as time exists – I have enough,” he explained, while commenting he’d ‘done enough.’
Yet Carrey also added that if ‘angels bring down some sort of script that’s written in gold ink,’ he would possibly reconsider, which brings us to the one role the actor has said he would love to play once more.
But before we get to that, something unexpected happened.
Carrey comes out of retirement
Just two years after announcing his retirement, the legendary actor returned to star in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, playing Dr. Robotnik and his grandfather, Gerald Robotnik.
Explaining his return to the big screen, Carrey told the Associated Press at the movie’s London premiere: “I came back to this universe because, first of all, I get to play a genius, which is a bit of a stretch. And I just, I bought a lot of stuff, and I need the money, frankly.”
The actor’s salary for the previous two films hasn’t been disclosed, but the original movie and its sequel were both box office hits, with the first grossing an estimated $319 million and the second $405 million in ticket sales, as per Business Insider.
Carrey also put up his Los Angeles home of over 30 years for sale in February 2023, with it originally being listed at $29 million. According to the Real Deal, his home finally left the market at $17 million in August 2025.
So while the actor has acknowledged his return to acting for largely financial reasons, there is another movie he would happily return to for an entirely different reason.
‘One more time’
In an interview with Comicbook.com, the actor opened up about the specific character he’d like to bring back to life, and why the timing and circumstances need to be just right for him to return.
And guess what – it looks like Carrey could steal Christmas one more time…
The actor played the Grinch, a green, furry, and pot-bellied creature, in the 2000 movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
The holiday classic follows the revenge-seeking Grinch, who resides outside the town of Whoville, and plans to ruin Christmas for its citizens.
Despite the enduring popularity of the film, Carrey has expressed reluctance to return to the role that required him to transform into the bad-tempered green character.
Yet his hesitation isn’t surprising given the challenges he faced during the making of the original movie.
Behind-the-scenes difficulties
Carrey has not been shy about discussing the difficult process of becoming the Grinch.
He described the makeup and prosthetics required for the role as ‘an extremely excruciating process,’ adding: “I [became the Grinch] with a ton of makeup and can hardly breathe.”
The actor even compared the experience to feeling ‘buried alive.’
The process was so intense that producer Brian Grazer reportedly enlisted the help of a CIA expert to train Carrey in endurance techniques similar to those used to withstand torture.
Although the result was iconic, it wasn’t without tension behind the scenes.
Kazuhiro Tsuji, the makeup artist responsible for the Grinch’s transformation, told Vulture that Carrey was ‘mean to everybody’ on set due to the stressful circumstances.
In response, the crew tried a unique approach to smooth things over.
According to Tsuji, they encouraged the actor to understand the importance of their efforts by briefly stepping away from the production – reportedly improving their working relationship.
Despite the difficulties he faced, Carrey pushed through, motivated by his audience.
“The children were in my mind all the time,” he shared. “‘It’s for the kids. It’s for the kids. It’s for the kids.’”
Despite acknowledging the difficulties he experienced during filming, Carrey has still given fans reason to hope he could reprise the character in the future.
The one condition
Carrey hinted that advances in technology could make a return to Whoville less arduous.
“With motion capture and things like that, I could be free to do other things. Anything is possible in this world,” he explained.
While fans may dream of seeing Carrey’s Grinch on screen once more, the actor has made one thing clear: he would only reconsider the role if the costume and makeup process were reimagined.
His condition is simple but firm – only a significant change in how the character is brought to life would make a reprise feasible.
Here’s hoping that the filmmaking magic of today can create the right environment to bring Carrey back for another unforgettable holiday performance.
Related Article: Jim Carrey Was Paid Nothing For One Of His Biggest Movie Roles
Related Article: Grinch Horror Movie Will ‘Ruin Christmas’ As Iconic Character Turns Killer
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