One child star from The Grinch suffered a tragic death filled with eerie coincidences.
Josh Ryan Evans starred as the younger version of the green Christmas beast in How the Grinch Stole Christmas back in 2000. Josh was the eight-year-old Grinch, despite actually being 18 at the time of filming.
The actor, who got into the showbiz scene aged just 12, was diagnosed with achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism, which meant he measured just three feet, two inches. The condition also gave him the voice of a small child, which he used to his advantage when starring in TV show Passions from 1999 until 2000.
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Tragically, Passions and The Grinch would be his final roles. In August 2000, Josh sadly died during a medical procedure from complications relating to a congenital heart condition. He was just 20 years old.
(Image: Melinda Sue Gordon/Imagine Ent/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)
Josh was being evaluated for surgery at the time at a San Diego hospital, but it sadly could never go ahead. He’d become fascinated with the movie industry when he was young, enduring an array of surgical procedures that meant he couldn’t leave home for long periods of time.
He explained: “Watching movies took me away from my own problems and gave me a total escape. I knew that if I could do that for just one person – that if I could help one person escape the way the movies helped me – that would be a great way to spend my life.”
The day of his death brought a rather eerie coincidence. Cast as enchanted doll Timmy Lenox in NBC soap Passions, the day he died, Timmy’s death scene in the show was also aired. The episode was taped weeks in advance, with his character originally due to return later in the series.
But after Josh died, the scripts were scrapped, and the death episode was dedicated to the late actor. Afterwards, one scene showing Timmy in heaven was aired after being pre-filmed by Josh – though his character was initially slated to become an angel and remain a presence in the show.
Despite his short life, Josh managed to star in a whole range of projects – from voicing characters in cartoon Rugrats to starring in Poltergeist: The Legacy and Family Matters.
Speaking of his short 97cm stature, Josh said: “My size is an asset to me. People write roles for me. If I was just another blonde-haired, brown-eyed, 18-year-old actor, I’d be left unrecognised. People remember me.” He was originally only supposed to appear in one scene of The Grinch, but made such an impression the script was adapted to fit more of him in.
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It comes after The Grinch child star Taylor Momsen – who played Cindy Lou Who in the film before launching punk band The Pretty Reckless – admitted she was bullied over her role in the movie. Speaking on SiriusXM’s Podcrushed, she admitted: “First of all, The Grinch changed my life in a multitude of ways – one of them being I was made fun of relentlessly.
“Every time I would start a new school or go somewhere else, I don’t even think the kids knew my name. I was just ‘Grinch girl’. Not even the character name, just ‘Grinch girl.’ I got used to it, but it was alienating.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
