Entertainment

Meet The Adorable Voice Behind Cindy Lou Who In The New 'Grinch' Movie

by Vanessa Taylor

The Grinch is a holiday classic and nothing proves that more than the multiple versions based on the original How The Grinch Stole Christmas in 1966 to its 2000 reboot starring Jim Carrey. Now, with the arrival of a new rendition of The Grinch, every generation has a version of their own. People are understandably curious about the newest adaption and likely wondering about its characters. For instance, who voices Cindy Lou Who in The Grinch? Cameron Seely is one young actress that you should be sure to keep an eye on!

The Grinch was released in the United States on Nov. 9, and upon its release, the film scored the all-time biggest opening weekend for a Christmas movie, according to ScreenRant. In fact, The Grinch earned $66 million during its first three days in the United States, as reported by Box Office Mojo. That performance was a bit under projections, according to Screenrant, but it's obviously still doing well.

"Newcomers to the tale will enjoy it, at least as much as they have other offerings from Illumination Entertainment, the cheer factory behind Despicable Me, Minions and Dr. Seuss' The Lorax," film critic Peter Howell wrote in The Star.

The film was expected to be a hit, considering it stars big names like Benedict Cumberbatch as the Grinch, and now fans might be curious about the voice behind everyone's favorite Who, Cindy Lou Who.

You can't see her face in this movie, so it might have been hard to place Cameron Seely's previous work, but chances are high you're familiar with her already. Before taking up her role in The Grinch, Cameron Seely played Helen Barnum, daughter of P.T. Barnum and Charity, in The Greatest Showman.

Seely was born in February 2007, making her only 11 years old. According to Famous Birthdays, her first major role was as Mary on The Jim Gaffigan Show.

Her voice-acting as Cindy Lou Who has won the hearts of many. As one reviewer wrote in The Indian Express, "...it is Seely who steals the show as the kind do-getter Cindy Lou — notwithstanding the fact that you may be now used to seeing characters like her in plentiful on the screen," one reviewer wrote in The Indian Express.

You can see her kind spirit in an adorable interview (below) of Seely interviewing her fellow cast-mate, Benedict Cumberbatch, where the actors even discuss meeting for the first time.

"I loved playing the iconic Cindy Lou Who," Seely said at one point, asking Cumberbatch, "What did you love about playing the Grinch?"

"What didn't I love about playing the Grinch? He's just so fun," Cumberbatch started, before going on to add, "I liked meeting you, having you change my mind and make my heart grow back to its normal size."

Cindy Lou Who is a fan favorite, so taking up that role had to be daunting for the young actress. But, it's clear that this is definitely one impressive role for Seely to have under her belt.

If you want to catch more of Seely's work in the future, she currently has one film in post-production. Seely plays Izzy in Christmas Break-In, which is set to release in 2019, according to IMDb.

Many people might be waiting until closer to the holidays to see The Grinch, which makes sense, so its total box office numbers will continue to climb. But if you were looking for another excuse to go, checking out Cameron Seely's excellent work is certainly one good reason!