diff --git a/clutter/clutter/clutter-actor-private.h b/clutter/clutter/clutter-actor-private.h
index 54371c6dd..a803166ac 100644
--- a/clutter/clutter/clutter-actor-private.h
+++ b/clutter/clutter/clutter-actor-private.h
@@ -246,6 +246,7 @@ void                            _clutter_actor_pop_clone_paint
 ClutterActorAlign               _clutter_actor_get_effective_x_align                    (ClutterActor *self);
 
 void                            _clutter_actor_handle_event                             (ClutterActor       *actor,
+                                                                                         ClutterActor       *root,
                                                                                          const ClutterEvent *event);
 
 void                            _clutter_actor_attach_clone                             (ClutterActor *actor,
diff --git a/clutter/clutter/clutter-actor.c b/clutter/clutter/clutter-actor.c
index 4b1c0813b..c43b8a4fb 100644
--- a/clutter/clutter/clutter-actor.c
+++ b/clutter/clutter/clutter-actor.c
@@ -18992,11 +18992,12 @@ clutter_actor_get_content_repeat (ClutterActor *self)
 
 void
 _clutter_actor_handle_event (ClutterActor       *self,
+                             ClutterActor       *root,
                              const ClutterEvent *event)
 {
   GPtrArray *event_tree;
   ClutterActor *iter;
-  gboolean is_key_event;
+  gboolean is_key_event, in_root = FALSE;
   gint i = 0;
 
   /* XXX - for historical reasons that are now lost in the mists of time,
@@ -19025,9 +19026,26 @@ _clutter_actor_handle_event (ClutterActor       *self,
           g_ptr_array_add (event_tree, g_object_ref (iter));
         }
 
+      if (iter == root)
+        {
+          in_root = TRUE;
+          break;
+        }
+
       iter = parent;
     }
 
+  /* The grab root conceptually extends infinitely in all
+   * directions, so it handles the events that fall outside of
+   * the actor.
+   */
+  if (root && !in_root)
+    {
+      if (!clutter_actor_event (root, event, TRUE))
+        clutter_actor_event (root, event, FALSE);
+      goto done;
+    }
+
   /* Capture: from top-level downwards */
   for (i = event_tree->len - 1; i >= 0; i--)
     if (clutter_actor_event (g_ptr_array_index (event_tree, i), event, TRUE))
diff --git a/clutter/clutter/clutter-main.c b/clutter/clutter/clutter-main.c
index 100061923..132576e67 100644
--- a/clutter/clutter/clutter-main.c
+++ b/clutter/clutter/clutter-main.c
@@ -683,7 +683,7 @@ emit_event_chain (ClutterEvent *event)
       return;
     }
 
-  _clutter_actor_handle_event (event->any.source, event);
+  _clutter_actor_handle_event (event->any.source, NULL, event);
 }
 
 /*