Dr. Seuss' Widow Wanted This Hollywood A-Lister To Play The Live-Action Grinch

2000's "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" is a go-to festive film for so many, and star Jim Carrey is a big part of its continuing appeal. If Dr. Seuss' widow had her way, however, the comedy legend never would have donned the green makeup in the first place. Instead, we would have seen a similarly singular but perhaps not as well-suited actor in the role: Jack Nicholson.

Everyone has a favorite Jim Carrey movie, though it's actually pretty hard to pick a winner among his 1990s offerings. The man went on an absolute stunner of a run during that decade, announcing himself to mass audiences in 1994 with the one-two punch of "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" and "The Mask" before going on to fully dominate the industry for the next 10 years. "Liar Liar," "Dumb & Dumber," "Bruce Almighty;" these remain some of the finest and most beloved comedies of the era.

During that time, he also managed to star in what remains one of the most popular Christmas movies of all time with "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." Ron Howard's adaptation of the 1957 Dr. Seuss book of the same name remains the quintessential version for an entire generation that came of age with Carrey as the titular green grouch. Indeed, Theodor Seuss Geisel's timeless tale once again proved its enduring charm with Carrey leading the charge. Sadly, though, the author wasn't around to witness the magic, having passed away in 1991. His widow, Audrey Geisel, however, very much was. In fact, it was her decision to sell the rights to "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" That meant she was also able to give her two cents on who should star in the film before Carrey was cast.

Many folks love "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," especially those who have fond memories of seeing the movie upon its debut in 2000. Jim Carrey, however, doesn't have quite as fond a memory of the whole thing, mainly because the Grinch makeup and prosthetics were so torturous for him that the founder of SEAL Team Six had to be brought in to teach him endurance tactics. Carrey even tried walking off set after the first day due to the ordeal. And had he succeeded, the film's producers might've been forced to consider Audrey Geisel's original casting suggestion of Jack Nicholson.

According to Vulture's oral history of the film, Dr. Seuss' widow had her heart set on the "Shining" star for the Grinch. As producer Brian Grazer recalled, he and director Ron Howard pitched their idea for the movie to Geisel, who said, "I really want Jack Nicholson to play the Grinch." Grazer wasn't exactly bowled over by the idea. "I said, 'Jack Nicholson is amazing, but I don't think he has the qualities of what we're looking for,'" recalled the producer. "'The Grinch is crabby and mean, and you have to forgive him for being crabby and mean. He has to have a lot of innocence.'" Geisel then asked who he had in mind, to which Grazer replied, "The only person I would do it with is Jim Carrey, no other actor."

He was right. For one thing, Carrey just made perfect sense for the role. His physical comedy was and is unmatched, and the family comedy needed someone who, as Grazer said, could make the character sympathetic even at his Grinchiest. Carrey's expressive, child-like physicality was ideal. Nicholson, as legendary as he is, just wouldn't have worked.

In 2000, the last film Jack Nicholson had starred in was James L. Brook's 1997 romantic dramedy "As Good as It Gets," (which is also streaming on Netflix right now). Brooks' high-art comedy was nothing like the fantastical family-friendly "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," and while Nicholson proved he had the physicality for darkly comedic characters by playing Joker in 1989's "Batman," in 2000, he was 63 years old and surely couldn't have strutted around Whoville in the way Carrey eventually did.

Interestingly enough, it seems Audrey Geisel got her idea to cast Nicholson from another proposed take on Dr. Seuss' story. Prior to Ron Howard and Brian Grazer winning the rights, another concept would have seen Nicholson voicing a CGI Grinch in an animated film. Artist Berkeley Breathed even produced concept art for the never-realized project, in which you can clearly see the Nicholson influence in the character design. As Breathed wrote in a paragraph accompanying the art:

"In the mid-nineties, we made a bid for 'The Grinch' movie rights. I saw the film as being a CG animated romp with Jack Nicholson in the lead role and created the art here to demonstrate. Dr. Suess's widow Audrey Geisel enjoyed our vision. She enjoyed the vision of Ron Howard and Universal's option money somewhat more, alas. The rest is Jim Carrey live-action movie history. Nobody but Audrey has ever seen these."

Regardless, it seems Geisel was ultimately pleased with Grazer and Howard's film. As Grazer told Vulture, "I remember when Audrey Geisel saw it. She sat in the front row of the near-empty Alfred Hitchcock Theater. She was all alone. I was in the back with one other person. She gets up, and she's elated. She loved it so much."