Taylor Momsen began acting at a young age, and one of her earliest roles was as Cindy Lou Who in the 2000 holiday classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas, starring Jim Carrey as the titular Grinch.
“The Grinch Changed My Life In A Multitude Of Ways”
In a recent episode of Momsen’s Gossip Girl co-star Penn Badgley’s Podcrushed podcast, Momsen opened up about how the role impacted her everyday life, most notably during her time in school.
“First of all, The Grinch changed my life in a multitude of ways — one of them being I was made fun of relentlessly,” she said. “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.”
Momsen explained that she continued to move schools until middle school, where she was able to connect with other kids and focus on her love for music.
“That was the first year where I was in school, and I had the opportunity to try and actually make friends,” she recalled. “I put a band together. It was my first band, my middle-school band, a garage band. We never could settle on a name. But we would jam after school, and that was always fun. I was singing, playing guitar, writing.”
Pursued Acting Prior To Launching The Pretty Reckless
Following How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Momsen continued acting, landing roles in titles like Spy Kids 2 and Underdog. In 2007, she began starring on Gossip Girl as Badgley’s character Dan Humphrey’s younger sister Jenny, later leaving the show in its fourth season to focus on her rock band, The Pretty Reckless.
“[Acting] was a childhood thing that I got put into at 2 years old. I wasn’t making my own choices then,” she reflected of her decision to step away from the role. “Literally, as soon as I got to an age where I could make my own decisions, it was like a click… I woke up one morning and went, ‘Wait a second, I don’t have to do this?’ [and] I don’t have to do this other job? I can just play in my band and tour and write songs – I can just do that?’”
The 30-year-old acknowledged that it was “a little more complicated to get out of a television show” than leaving just like that, but ultimately, “the answer was yes.” “You can just do that,” she said. “‘I have the ability to create my life how I want to live it…’ It was like a light bulb went off.”
“I Uprooted And Changed My Life Overnight”
“I uprooted and changed my life overnight,” she continued, explaining that there were some strings attached. “[Production] went, ‘Well, we can’t let you out of your deal, but we can write you out of the show so you can go on tour. You can’t act in anything else, though.’”
Momsen was “fine” with that agreement and shared her gratitude for being allowed to follow her passion. “They really allowed me to follow my dream, and I’m forever grateful and thankful to them for that,” she said.
The Pretty Reckless has released four studio albums and is the first female-fronted band to have five No. 1 singles on the Rock Chart. Their latest album was 2021’s Death by Rock and Roll, which they supported with their headlining Death by Rock and Roll Tour.
