The actor Ron Howard called the second coming of Charlie Chaplin: “Such a perfectionist”
Ron Howard has worked with his fair share of actors, both as a filmmaker and as an actor himself, having started his career back when he was a child. After appearing in various television shows in the 1960s and ’70s, he finally found his calling as a director, though, becoming responsible for countless hits, from Apollo 13 to A Beautiful Mind.
Howard has directed everyone from Tom Hanks to Kurt Russell, Nicole Kidman, and Glenn Close, with no genre off limits and no project too big for him to sink his teeth into. He knows how to generate a strong performance from his stars because he’s been there, having to listen to the demands of a filmmaker. He knows what it’s like to act and how challenging it can be to step into the role of someone else, and this has clearly come in handy.
There have been times, though, when Howard has found himself particularly blown away by an actor, and on one occasion, he even compared one of his stars to Charlie Chaplin – one of the most iconic actors of all time. The pioneering silent star defined the early years of cinema, his slapstick comedy allowing him to prosper without sound, and his knack for delivering a fantastic performance was also accompanied by his strong directorial skills, too.
He was perfectionistic, and this allowed him to yield the results he wanted, even if that meant doing countless takes to get the best shot. So, when Howard came to work with Jim Carrey on How the Grinch Stole Christmas, he couldn’t help but draw parallels between the two, not just because of the physicality of their performances, but because of their similar attitudes to their work, too.
After spending over 92 days in makeup, Carrey still gave every take his all. It must’ve been a challenge having to transform into the Grinch every day and still have the energy to perform, but the comic actor did it, and Howard was deeply impressed.
In fact, Carrey had to be given CIA torture training to get through the pain of being made up like the Grinch, a process that was so lengthy and uncomfortable that he reportedly often lashed out at others.
“It was remarkable, because there were many times when I knew he was exhausted, but he’s one of these actors, a little like Charlie Chaplin is reported to have been, who is such a perfectionist that he would want to go take after take after take,” Howard told Vulture.
The director continued, “There were times when he was running on fumes, and yet it wasn’t until take 20 or 22 that he felt comfortable moving on.” I’m sure he would’ve loved working with Stanley Kubrick.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas has remained a classic festive favourite since it was released in 2000, with Carrey playing the green-skinned Christmas-hating creature who sets out to ruin the holiday period for Whoville. With an adorable performance from Taylor Momsen as Cindy Lou Who and surreal set design to boot, the film is one of Howard’s most popular movies.
