John Stamos on why he had to give up the role of the Grinch

The 2000 holiday classic “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” almost had a completely different face behind the iconic green fur as the “Full House” star. John Stamos revealed that he once auditioned for the lead role.

On the Dec. 23 episode of “‘Tis The Grinch Holiday Podcast,” hosted by “Saturday Night Live” star James Austin Johnson and produced by Wondery in association with Dr. Seuss Enterprises, John Stamos shared a surprising revelation explaining why his opportunity to play the Grinch ultimately fell through.

Stamos, now 61, shared that during a make-up test, he had an allergic reaction to the prosthetics he needed to transform into the Grinch. This reaction caused him to walk away from the role, eventually paving the way for Jim Carrey to step in and deliver his unforgettable performance.

“Hey, you know, I have something. Here’s a fun fact you don’t know about me,” Stamos said on the podcast. “I was originally going to play you in a movie that got Jim Carrey. Do you know that? I went for a make-up test.’

“And I was allergic to, you know, all prosthetics,” he said.

Despite the behind-the-scenes hiccups, How the Grinch Stole Christmas was a huge success, grossing over $345 million worldwide. The film won an Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hair and earned Jim Carrey a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy.

The beloved film also stars Taylor Momsen, Jeffrey Tambor and Kristin Baranski, cementing its place as a holiday staple.

In 2018, Illumination Studios—the animation powerhouse behind hits like Despicable Me and The Secret Life of Pets—released the computer-animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! simply called “The Grinch”. Directed by Scott Mosier and Yarrow Chaney, this adaptation sought to combine the timeless charm of the classic Dr. Seuss story with a vibrant, modern animation style designed to captivate today’s audiences.

The film features Benedict Cumberbatch as the voice of the Grinch, bringing a unique interpretation of the iconic character. Cumberbatch imbued the Grinch with a balance of grumpiness, wit, and vulnerability, adding layers of personality that made him both interesting and relatable. His refined British tone gave the Grinch a edginess, while allowing room for warmth and humor to shine through at key moments.

Staying true to the original story, The Grinch (2018) expanded on the Grinch’s backstory, offering insight into why he despises Christmas so much. The film paints him not just as a bitter recluse, but as a character shaped by loneliness and childhood trauma, which makes his transformation at the end all the more heartfelt and deserved.

Jim Carrey recently said Comic book that he might be willing to reprise his iconic role as the Grinch, but with one important condition.

“The thing is, on this day, I do it with a ton of makeup and I can barely breathe. It was a very painful process,” he explained. “All the time I was thinking about the children. “It’s for the kids. It’s for the kids. It’s for the kids.” And now, with motion capture and things like that, I’d be free to do anything in this world.”

Jim Carrey, known for his transformational roles, recently opened up about the challenges of wearing heavy prosthetics in some of his most iconic roles.

In Sonic 3, Carrey sported a bald head and a large mustache to portray the eccentric villain, but he described the process as relatively painless.

“There was no challenge like the Grinch,” he said Us Weekly. “(For) The Grinch, I had to be trained by a guy who actually tells CIA operatives and operatives how to endure torture. This is how I got through The Grinch. So that was the worst.”

His portrayal of the Grinch in the 2000 holiday classic required hours in the makeup chair every day, with layers of prosthetics, green fur and contact lenses turning him into a grumpy Dr. Seuss anti-hero.