Jim Carrey - Carrey Discovers Hollywood Link To Scrooge

JIM CARREY unearthed an interesting fact while researching the role of EBENEZER SCROOGE for the new A CHRISTMAS CAROL movie - author CHARLES DICKENS based his miser on actor CARY ELWES' relative.

The funnyman is sketchy on his facts, but he's keen to find out if the story linking The Princess Bride star Elwes' great-great-great uncle to Scrooge is really fact or just a myth.

He tells WENN, "I gathered Scrooge was actually based on one of Cary Elwes' great, great, great uncles; I think it's John Elwes, but I'll have to check on the name.

"One of his relatives was a model for that character. He was a member of Parliament and he was so cheap that he would wear the same clothes all the time, even though they were in tatters. He would wear a wig that he found in the garbage. He wouldn't buy new game until he had eaten all the meat - even if it was rancid he would finish it.

"So he was the character that DICkens based this story on."