Jim Carrey has embodied some incredible characters throughout his illustrious career in the entertainment industry, spanning nearly five decades.

But for the actor and comedian, there is only one film role which he would consider reprising.

The 62-year-old, from Ontario, Canada, has worn many hats throughout his time in Hollywood, proving that this is a guy with some serious range.

There’s Ace Ventura, Bruce Nolan and Hank Evans, to name a few – but taking on all of these personas hasn’t been easy for Carrey.

He has previously opened up about the mental and emotional toll that masquerading as other people for movie roles has had on him.

“As an actor you play characters, and if you go deep enough into those characters, you realise your own character is pretty thin to begin with,” Carrey told The Wrap in 2017.

“You suddenly have this separation and go, ‘Who’s Jim Carrey? Oh, he doesn’t exist actually’.”

So it’s no wonder that the Dumb and Dumber star was ready to call it quits and leave the acting world behind back in 2022.

Thankfully, Carrey later cancelled his plans to retire – so naturally, the next thing on the minds of fans was what role he would step into.

Jim Carrey has played a host of legendary film characters over the years (Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)

Or, more specifically, whether he was ready to take a trip down memory lane and revive one of his legendary characters for another film.

This topic of conversation came up while Carrey was doing press ahead of the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in December last year.

The Yes Man star was asked which character he would love to play ‘one more time’ – and it’s good news for fans of the Grinch.

Carrey told Comicbook.com: “Oh, gosh, you know, if we could figure out the Grinch…

“The thing about it is, on the day, I do that with a ton of makeup and can hardly breathe. It was an extremely excruciating process.”

“The children were in my mind all the time.

“‘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 could be free to do other things. Anything is possible in this world!”

The comedian revealed he’d like to star as the Grinch again, on a few conditions (Universal Pictures)

Carrey has been candid about his experiences on set while filming the 2000 Christmas classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

He previously compared his hours spent sitting in a makeup chair while being transformed into the green and hairy character to being ‘buried alive’.

It was that bad that he had to undergo CIA training on how to endure ‘torture’ in a bid to help him through it – so shooting the film really wasn’t just a regular day at the office.

Carrey even considered backing out of the role after his first day, as it took eight and a half hours to complete the look.

The actor had to endure being plastered in facial prosthetics as well as being encased head-to-toe in green yak fur and wearing coordinating contact lenses – which he complained the fake snow on set kept getting into.

Carrey even admitted that he ended up putting his leg ‘through a wall’ in his trailer as a result of how bogged down and frustrated he became with the get-up.

So, like he said, there’s a few issues which need to be ironed out before he locks himself in for a sequel to How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

But you never know, there’s the off chance that one day we could all be cosied up watching Carrey step back into the shoes of the iconic character.

Any actor stepping into a role formerly played by Jim Carrey would be well aware that they have some extremely big shoes to fill.

The 62-year-old has set the bar so high with his performances that it’s hard to imagine someone else portraying one of his iconic characters.

They just wouldn’t bring that same je ne sais quoi which Carrey does – so it’s probably a good job that stars would have to jump through a lot of hoops if they wanted to overthrow him as the Grinch.

He played the grumpy green monster to perfection, despite the hellish experience he had getting transformed into the Christmas-hating character.

Carrey compared being smothered in layers of prosthetics and make-up for endless hours each day to ‘being buried alive’ – and even had to undergo CIA training to cope with nine-hours in the chair.

But despite all of that, the A-lister revealed that he wouldn’t mind taking the Grinch for a spin ‘one more time’.

In December, Carrey revealed that he would happily reprise his role in How the Grinch Stole Christmas if a few things could be ‘figured out’.

“The thing about it is, on the day, I do that with a ton of makeup and can hardly breathe,” the comedian told Comicbook.com. “It was an extremely excruciating process.

“The children were in my mind all the time. ‘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 could be free to do other things. Anything is possible in this world!”

Film fans would no doubt be screaming ‘imposter’ at the screen if someone else dared to don the green get-up which has become synonymous with Carrey, anyway.

So it seems that the only chances of a successful sequel to the 2000 Christmas film is if movie chiefs find a way to avoid making him miserable in the makeup chair.

Even if there was someone out there with the courage to take Carrey’s place as the Grinch, they would have to overcome several obstacles first.

Carrey said he would reprise his role as the Grinch if there was a way around his makeup misery (Steve Granitz/FilmMagic)

As we all know, How the Grinch Stole Christmas is based on Dr Seuss’ 1957 children’s book of the same name.

After the author’s death in September 1991, his widow Audrey Geisel set up Dr Seuss Enterprises to fulfil her husband’s wish of spreading his stories with ‘the widest possible audience in any and all media throughout the world’.

Which is why the world is blessed with Dr Seuss films, TV shows, games and stage productions, as well as his iconic literary works.

There are a host of strict guidelines which film producers must follow if they are looking to adapt the works of Dr Seuss, thanks to Seuss’ spouse – including what actor could play the lead role.

Geisel – who passed away in December 2018 – had final approval over the director and writer for The Grinch, as well as slipping in a stipulation about the leading man.

In a letter outlining the Seuss estate’s requirements for the movie, Geisel stated that the actor cast in the role also had to be of a very particular height and frame, according to Comicbook.com.

Dr Seuss’ estate got the final say on the 2000 Christmas film (Universal Pictures)

She used stars such as Jack Nicholson, Jim Carrey, Robin Williams, and Dustin Hoffman as templates – and as we all know, Carrey went on to bag the role.

So if the film studio were looking for a replacement, it seems like they’d have their work cut out for them.

I guess Carrey really is the only man for the job, eh?

As well as stipulations on who could play The Grinch, Geisel reportedly stuck a $5 million price tag on the film rights.

She also instructed the studio to give the Seuss estate a cut of four percent of the movie’s total box-office revenue, along with 50 percent of merchandising revenue and 70 percent from book tie-ins to the movie.

A shrewd businesswoman if ever there was one.

Cameron Diaz has opened up about why she changed her mind on ‘retirement’ after being absent from Hollywood for almost a decade.

The legendary actor’s first film to release since 2014 is set to come out this Friday on Netflix, in which she stars alongside Jamie Foxx.

The pair reunite once again after previously starring together in Any Given Sunday, a role that brought Jamie Foxx to the mainstream, and Annie, the last film Diaz starred in before her retirement.

What is the film Cameron Diaz is coming out of retirement with?

Diaz and Foxx are set to star in the Netflix action comedy aptly named Back in Action.

Joining the pair in the cast is Kyle Chandler, Glenn Close and Andrew Scott.

Director Seth Gordon will also be reuniting with Foxx, who appeared in his previous film Horrible Bosses.

Why Diaz came out of retirement for Back in Action

Diaz spoke out coming out of ‘retirement’ in the latest edition of Empire magazine.

The actor reportedly spent the period of the last nine years ‘raising a family’ with her husband, but returned for one reason.

She said: “I thought that if I was going to come back and do a movie, the only person I’d come back and do it with would be this guy (Foxx).

“Seriously. I had other opportunities along the way and I was always saying: ‘No. I’m not doing it, I’ve told you… What? Jamie asked? Jamie? Oh, I can do a movie with Jamie!’”

Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz are teaming up in the new Netflix film (Netflix)

When asked about whether this is a permanent return she said: “I don’t know how I view it. It’s hard to say.

“If I say it then it becomes this thing. I reserve the right to say no to doing a movie ever again, and I reserve the right to say yes if I decide to.

“I’m not defining anything. I’m just open to whatever makes sense for me and my family at any given moment.

“No more romcoms, only momcoms.”

Diaz is also set to return to the role of Princess Fiona in Shrek 5, which was recently delayed to December 2026.

What has Diaz said about Jamie Foxx on set of Back in Action?

Foxx was dramatically hospitalised during the filming of the Netflix action-comedy following a brain bleed, which led to him suffering a stroke.

Foxx was given just a five percent chance of survival by a nurse following a hospitalisation, however has since made a full recovery following extensive rehab where he had to relearn to walk.

Reports came out saying Foxx had been difficult to work with prior to his medical incident, a rumour that Diaz was quick to squash.

Diaz and Foxx (Dave J Hogan via Getty Images)

She said of working with the actor: “I had a blast. Jamie is the best. I love that guy so much. He’s such a special person, and he’s so talented, so much fun.

“I really hate all of the things that were being said about our set, which at the time, you’re just like – you just want to scream at the top of your lungs, like … ‘What are you talking about?'”

“Jamie is like the cheerleader for the entire crew and everybody loves him.

“We have so much fun on the set with him, and he’s just a professional on every level.”

Back in Action release this Friday (17 January) on Netflix.

Jonah Hill has revealed that he has just one condition if he were ever to return for a Superbad sequel.

When it comes to sequels years after the fact, fans can sniff from a mile away if it’s a cash grab, and so it is vitally important that it’s something the filmmakers actually want to do.

If you just cash in on nostalgia audiences will figure it out, so with a film as beloved as Superbad a sequel would undoubtedly have to have the full support of all the comedy greats who helped create it.

The main cast of Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse have all at various points commented on a Superbad revival, however, Hill is the one of the cast to have been the most vocal about what it would take.

Hill did an interview with W Magazine in 2022, where he was asked about being asked whether he would do a Superbad sequel.

He responded, saying: “I haven’t pitched this to anybody. What I want to do is when we’re like 80, do a Superbad 2. Like, “old-folks-home Superbad.” Our spouses die, and we’re single again.

“That’s what I want Superbad 2 to be, and that’s the only way I would ever make it.”

Jonah Hill has said he’d come back for a Superbad sequel, if they were all 80 (Sony)

Surprisingly, this is not the only sequel to an iconic Jonah Hill film that has had this concept pitched.

In the credits for 22 Jump Street, the film pitches various sequels for the pair, including 28 Jump Street: Veterinary School, 37 Jump Street: Scuba Class, and, most importantly 40 Jump Street: Retirement Home.

Clearly, the idea of an iconic comedy sequel with Hill as a golden oldie is just an idea fated to happen.

Michael Cera, Hill’s co-star, is similarly open to the idea of more films with Hill and Mintz-Plasse, but seems against the idea of another Superbad film.

He responded to the idea of the sequel in a 2022 Esquire interview: “I mean, I would be open to just doing anything with that group of people. I think that everybody is pretty staunchly against this, just because we feel good about the movie.

Michael Cera has also spoken out about the idea (Sony Pictures Releasing)

“It could only tarnish something that is a good memory.”

He went on to say, however: “That said, I would just love to do something with the same group of people, even if it’s not Superbad.“

Mintz Plasse seems to agree with Cera, saying in a 2021 interview: “Sometimes if you make a sequel to things, it can kind of damper the first one.

“If there was a way to do it, [a female version] would be the way, for sure.”

Regardless, who knows what will change in the 40 years before Jonah Hill turns 80… thought we aren’t holding our breath.