This Scrooge born of lies
For inspiration, Carrey looked to the famous Scrooges of the past, particularly Alastair Sim from 1951’s “Scrooge.”
“His whole being had an acid reflux bitterness to it that is just splendid to watch,” Carrey says. “I wanted to have that feeling, that deep feeling that causes rheumatism, that will eventually eat you alive from inside.”
But it was important for Carrey to get into the head of such a famous character, to not let the audience’s familiarity with Scrooge do all the heavy lifting.
“I based the character, from the get-go, on the lies that we believe about ourselves,” Carrey says.
“This person obviously believes that he isn’t worthy of love, and so why should love exist for anybody? I think that’s where most of our dysfunction comes from.”