Los Angeles [US], December 26 : Acclaimed filmmaker and actor Ron Howard revealed that his 2000 Christmas classic 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' was deeply inspired by his mother, Jean Speegle Howard, to whom he dedicated the film, according to People.
The film, released on November 17, 2000, featured Jim Carrey as the Grinch, who endured the famously challenging makeup process, while Taylor Momsen portrayed Cindy Lou Who.
Ron shared why he decided to dedicate the movie to his mom Jean, who died in September 2000 at the age of 73. Ron said his mom was sick during filming. "We were filming on the Universal lot, and she was at St. Joseph's Hospital in Burbank, so I could get to her. And my dad and brother, who both had roles in the movie, were popping over to visit as well," he said. "I dedicated the movie to her because she just loved Christmas. My mom passed away several months before the movie came out," as quoted by the outlet.
Howard, 71, recalled his childhood memories helping his mother string lights in Burbank, California, often in the rain while she stood on a ladder, a moment mirrored in the film. "She just loved Christmas... she would actually win the neighbourhood contest for best decorations. It was lights, but gaudy as hell," he said.
In the film, Molly Shannon's Betty Lou Who, Cindy's mother, and Christine Baranski's Martha May Whovier, her next-door neighbour and the Grinch's love interest, engage in a festive rivalry over whose house is more elaborately decorated. Betty Lou strings nearly every light she owns, while Martha May uses a device that perfectly projects lights onto her home. Ron Howard told Vulture that this playful competition was inspired by his mother, Jean, and her spirited Christmas decorating contests.
"My mom would actually win the neighbourhood contest in Burbank, California, for the best Christmas decorations," he said. "It was just lights, but gaudy as hell," as quoted by People.
He has a particular memory of one year when he tried to help her; his dad Rance and brother Clint, both also actors, were away filming the 1967 TV series Gentle Ben.
"As it got later, she was more and more desperate to get these lights up, and it was starting to rain. I remember her up on a ladder, trying to string these lights with a cigarette dangling from her lips, in her muumuu," he said, an image very similar to how Betty Lou ends up in the film. "I'm like, 'Mom, I can do it!' 'No, you can't!' 'Let me hold the ladder!' 'No, it's raining, go inside!' "
The director also spoke about the family nature of the project, with his father, Rance Howard, who passed away in 2017, playing the Elderly Timekeeper, and his brother, Clint Howard, appearing as a mayoral aide. "My dad was almost like a spirit guide... he quietly showed up every day and acted like he was having the time of his life," Ron said.
Howard further credited his wife, Cheryl, 71, for convincing him to take on the project despite past challenges with family-friendly fantasy films, such as Willow (1988). Cheryl suggested emphasising the story's commentary on commercialism and Cindy Lou Who's attitude toward it, shaping the film's heart and Seussian themes.
Starring Jim Carrey as the Grinch and Taylor Momsen as Cindy Lou Who, the film also benefited from the family collaboration and personal touches drawn from Howard's upbringing, making it a heartfelt holiday classic, according to People.
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