“Jim was very, very protective of me on set as a person, as a kid, always looking out for me, checking in, making sure I was okay,” the former child star recalled.

Taylor Momsen says Jim Carrey ‘freaked out’ on her behalf on Grinch set: ‘I always felt really safe with Jim’

"Jim was very, very protective of me on set as a person, as a kid, always looking out for me, checking in, making sure I was okay," the former child star recalled.

By Lauren Huff

Lauren Huff

Lauren Huff is an award-winning journalist and staff writer at ** with over 12 years of experience covering all facets of the entertainment industry.

EW's editorial guidelines

December 23, 2025 5:00 p.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Taylor Momsen listening to Jim Carrey in a scene from the film 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas',. Credit:

Universal/Getty

Maybe his heart wasn't two sizes too small, after all.

Taylor Momsen, who played little Cindy Lou Who in *How the Grinch Stole Christmas*, is opening up about how costar Jim Carrey, who played the mean one himself, the Grinch, once stopped filming because he worried about her safety.

Momsen was 7 years old at the time of filming the project, which was her breakout role. As such, she told Vulture for its oral history of the film, which turned 25 this year, that from the very beginning, her costar "was incredibly protective" of her.

"That’s what I remember," she said. "Jim was very, very protective of me on set as a person, as a kid, always looking out for me, checking in, making sure I was okay, because he was very animated, very over the top."

As an example, Momsen told the outlet about a time the two were filming a scene where their characters came down a mountain on a sled. "It was this real sled that was up on a giant spring that was being controlled and moving from side to side, very aggressively," Momsen recalled. "Jim is leaning over and being extravagant Jim. There was a moment where I almost fell out of the sled, and he freaked out. He called cut and started checking in on me. I was having a great time. I was laughing; I wasn’t thinking about the fact that I just almost fell very high off the ground."

Jim Carrey and Taylor Momsen pose at the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

Maya Dehlin Spach/WireImage

"I always felt really safe with Jim," Momsen continued. "I liked being around him. At such a young age, to watch an artist who is that serious at what they’re doing even while playing this very over-the-top character, it was clear to me how much he was putting into it and how much of an artist he was."

For his part, Carrey explained his over-protective side thusly: "Of course, I’m jumping around her like an out-of-control monster, so I had to let her know that I’m going to be doing some monstrous things, but I’m not a real monster."

'The Grinch' costars Jim Carrey and Taylor Momsen reunite after 25 years

Taylor Momsen didn't know what 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' costar Jim Carrey actually looked like

And while he didn't address the sled stunt directly, Carrey had nothing but fond memories of his costar, telling the outlet that he could tell as soon as he met her that Momsen was "an incredibly precocious child" and "smart beyond her years." He added, "Her comedy timing was impeccable. A total pro. I don’t think she ever went up on a line or missed a cue or anything like that."

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.***

The beloved holiday film was directed by Ron Howard and written by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman, based on the 1957 children's book of the same name by Dr. Seuss. It featured Anthony Hopkins as the narrator, and also starred Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, Bill Irwin, and Molly Shannon in supporting roles.

- Movie Reviews & Recommendations

- Children & Family Movies

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Children”