It is often impossible to foresee whether a movie will ever achieve cult status. In the case of an unusual Christmas film, several major Hollywood actors turned it down – the role was simply too controversial.
Which movie is it about? Christmas movies are THE genre for “the whole family”. This is how it has always been sold to us right on time in December. However, in the case of Bad Santa, this often-used slogan does not apply.
This film is about Willie T. Stokes, who works as Santa Claus in a department store. The problem is: Willie has a hard time controlling himself. He drinks too much, is extremely vulgar, does not hold back with swear words and even has a lot to say against cheerful children.
Moreover, he collaborates with his friend Marcus as a burglar and thief. The duo robs the safes of various department stores. In short: Bad Santa tells the story of a thoroughly immoral character who appears in the costume of Santa Claus.
Although this overall package sounds like a fun movie night for adults, it was a problem for many in Hollywood about 22 years ago. The fact that the film was made at all is a small Christmas miracle.
Not a typical Christmas movie
What was the problem? You might already guess: Bad Santa turned the classic figure of Santa Claus upside down and made a drunken, foul-mouthed character out of it – even though Willie is of course not the “real” Santa Claus.
When it came to selling the script in Hollywood, producer Bob Weinstein faced some resistance. In an interview with the New York Times, he recounted asking a person at Universal what the reason for their denial was. The response he received was: “It was the most disgusting, vile, misogynistic, anti-Christmas, and anti-child thing we could imagine.”
The conclusion of the Universal manager is not surprising, because that was precisely the approach of Bad Santa. The film was ultimately produced by Dimension Films, the company of Bob Weinstein himself.
The screenplay underwent several revisions, with particularly interesting being the fact that the first drafts were from Ethan and Joel Coen. The two filmmakers, who directed works like No Country for Old Men or The Big Lebowski. They did not want to direct Bad Santa themselves but acted only as executive producers in the end.
An even bigger problem was casting the main character: Many Hollywood stars were approached for the role of “Bad Santa”, but there were rejections. Names like Robert De Niro, Jack Nicholson, or James Gandolfini were thrown into the ring. However, all declined the offer.
Even Nicolas Cage said no, and that, despite the fact that he could easily be imagined in this absurd role. After all, his filmography is full of strange characters that take place outside the mainstream – especially in recent years. He recommends one film with a pig in particular.
Finally, the actor Billy Bob Thornton was asked, who had previously worked with the Coen brothers – in The Man Who Wasn’t There. He was immediately enthusiastic about the script and agreed. With him as the evil Santa, the film was eventually made, released in theaters in 2003, and became a success.
With a budget of nearly 20 million €, the film grossed approximately 66 million € worldwide according to Box Office Mojo. In 2016, a sequel followed, again with Billy Bob Thornton in the lead role.
The success of the film showed that audiences also appreciate an evil parody of the well-known character. What do you think about it? Have you seen Bad Santa? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments. There has always been a discussion about another film: Is Die Hard a Christmas movie? That’s what the people involved and Bruce Willis say
