To prepare for his role as Santa Claus in The Christmas Chronicles 2, Kurt Russell wrote a 200-page backstory. The Christmas Chronicles came out in 2018 and focuses on a brother and sister who, like many children around the holidays, try to record Santa delivering their presents. After two years, fans are finally getting the sequel this Wednesday.
While Netflix has pumped out a lot of Christmas movies in the past few years, The Christmas Chronicles was one of their more successful ones. Reviews for The Christmas Chronicles were somewhat mixed upon release, but the film did well enough to warrant a sequel. Many people enjoyed Russell as Saint Nick, and it was an added bonus to get a cameo from Goldie Hawn as Mrs. Claus near the end of the film. The Christmas Chronicles 2 looks to mainly take place in the North Pole, with the threat of Belsnickel (Julian Dennison) canceling Christmas. While fans of the first film have been excited since The Christmas Chronicles 2 was announced, fans are now getting a real sense of how dedicated Russell is to playing Santa.
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In a recent interview with Comicbook, director Chris Columbus talked about how much work Russell put into preparing for the sequel. Columbus revealed during the interview that the actor wrote 200 pages of backstory for Santa and the mythology behind the North Pole. Russell also apparently took a method approach to the role. Columbus’s full quote about Russell can be read below:
“What’s incredible about it is he truly treats it like method acting. I don’t know if I told you, but he wrote 200 pages of the backstory of Santa Claus. About the mythology, about how he met Mrs. Claus. We couldn’t use [all of it]. And that is his level of commitment. If you talk with him, he’s very serious about this. He approaches it as if he were a method actor playing Santa Claus. And that’s what got me so excited about the first movie, is that you’re given that as a director and you’ve got to run with it. You’ve got to be like, ‘This is a gift to be able to work with a guy who is so committed to his role.'”
Writing 200 pages of backstory for the movie wasn’t Russell’s job per se, but that just goes to show how dedicated Russell is to the movie. With Russell being a critically acclaimed actor, it’s not surprising that he would go the extra mile to make sure his performance is authentic as possible, even though he is playing a fictional character. Having this mindset is also likely why he’s continued to get exciting roles, work with the likes of John Carpenter, and even join the MCU.
Getting a star as big as Russell for the first film was a win for Netflix, but the sequel has a lot of promising elements going for it. Columbus directed the first two Home Alone films with Macaulay Culkin, which are two of the most beloved Christmas movies around, so having him on board as the director gives The Christmas Chronicles 2 the potential to surpass its predecessor. Having Hawn and Russell work side-by-side will also be a highlight for long-time fans of the actors. Add all of this with Russell’s clear enthusiasm for the movie, and Netflix has set themselves up to potentially have a new Christmas classic on their hands.
Source: Comicbook
- The Christmas Chronicles 2 (2020)Release date: Nov 25, 2020
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