Grinch actor explains why Cindy Lou was only Who in Whoville with a normal nose
Here is the reason why Cindy Lou was the only Who in Whoville who didn't have a prosthetic nose while filming for Dr. Seuss adaption How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Released back in 2000, the Christmas classic saw Jim Carrey star in the role of Grinch, a bad-tempered and festivity-hating green creature who takes pleasure in terrorising the merry residents of Whoville.
The Christmas-loving Whos are characterised by their elaborate hairdos and upturned noses.
However, eagle-eyed viewers will notice that young Cindy Lou Who is the only member of Whoville who doesn't have the distinctive upturned nose.
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Turns out there's a reason for that.
In the film, Cindy's lack of pointy nose was explained away by the line 'she hasn't even grown into her nose yet'. However, there was a much more practical reason for it behind the scenes.
Cindy Lou was famously portrayed by Gossip Girl actress-turned-rockstar Taylor Momsen, who was just six years old when filming started in September 1999, which meant that her working conditions were drastically different as a child actor.
Reflecting on her lack of prosthetics in an interview with The Today Show (via The Mirror), Momsen said: "I do remember having a lot of fun on that set. I mean the prosthetics for example, all the Whos wore prosthetics but I was too young to actually wear the prosthetics, so they wrote a line into the film of, 'She hasn't even grown into her nose yet'.
"So, they just put a little blush on my nose."
Despite being too young to wear prosthetics, Momsen wasn't excluded from other aspects of the eccentric Who costumes such has elaborate wigs and false teeth.
"I remember it was the first time I'd ever worn a wig in my life. Putting all my hair into the bobby pins and into the wig cap and the big wig every day," she explained.
"It was the first time I ever wore fake eyelashes, and I had the fake teeth and I remember with the fake teeth, I hated the taste of the glue that went in... and so I wouldn't take them out once I put them in and I would eat with them and everything."
Despite The Grinch being considered one of the greats of Christmas cinema, Momsen would admit she struggled with her fame in the following years. During an appearance alongside her former Gossip Girl co-star Penn Badgley on his podcast, she revealed the film led to her being known as 'Grinch girl' in school.
"Making friends was always challenging for me," she explained (via MailOnline).
"Every time I would start a new school or go somewhere else, I don't even think the kids knew my name... it was alienating."
Brenna Cooper