The delightful director Jason Winer already admitted thatThe Godfather Part IIinspired season two ofThe Santa Clauses,and boy, was he right. Thus far, the Disney+ hit comedy series has found Scott Calvin a.k.a. Santa Claus (Tim Allen) having to confront the past and some wild Santa mythology. That’s good news for fans who are enjoying the dip into the past — as in the fascinating history of Santa Claus dating back to 1400 B.C. — and several new characters this go around, from Sandman (Michael Dorn) to Cupid (Kevin Pollak).
However, one of the biggest scene-stealers in season two is Magnus Antas a.k.a. The Mad Santa, played byEric Stonestreet(Modern Family). It appears Mad Santa is one of many Santas across what’s been dubbed the “Yule-verse.” So, expectThe Santa Clauses' mythology to expand even further as the series moves forward. As for Stonestreet, the role reunites the Emmy winner with Winer, also an Emmy winner and the man who producedModern Family.
In recent episodes, audiences discover how Mad Santa initially befriends Kris Kringle (Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias), the ever-optimistic owner of the Christmas-themed amusement park known as Santaland. As if that wasn’t enough, there’s also some fun to be had with Mad Santa’s grumpy sidekick, Olga (Marta Kessler). All of it is certain to lead to a memorable season finale. Take note of MovieWeb’s exclusive interview with Eric Stonestreet and Gabriel Iglesias here.
The Santa Clauses
From the get-go, Eric Stonestreet was eager to play a different kind of Santa. In fact, he said he always thought that kind of role would come his way at some point in his career. “To be able to do it with this franchise and Tim in this show for Disney was the dream. Knowing some people, Jason Winer, the director, there’s some comfort and familiarity. They know my skills, my talents, and just gave me the confidence to feel like I could be good in this role. I just enjoyed every ounce of being there on set, putting on that costume, and that beard and hair.”
Sure enough, Stonestreet makes for a fun if not gritty Santa and his scenes with Marta Kessler and Gabriel Iglesias are played out to winning ends. In fact,director Jason Winer told MovieWebthat viewers would be “shocked” by Stonestreet’s portrayal of Mad Santa, noting that the character is obviously a villain — one that was alluded to in the first season. Stonestreet went on to say that prior to shooting, he had the character mapped out in his mind:
“I wanted this character to be someone that a 7-year-old would reluctantly line up to meet at Disneyland. I wanted him to be scary and intimidating, but in a way that if a little girl or a little boy would see me somewhere, they’d be like, ‘I think I want to get my picture with that guy.’ Just that edge of sort of scary and fun and nice. So, that’s constantly what I was thinking of through the process of finding the character, knowing it’s a Disney character.”
Behind the Scenes with Gabriel Iglesias
“[The show has] always been a moving forward type of thing, so the fact that they were able to pull this character, this mad Santa played by Eric, and do this whole twist of, ‘Oh shoot, what is that?’ Because most of the way that it works is something happened to the Santa, and he’s no longer here, but it was never a case of like there was a bad one [Santa] that had to be locked up in Santa jail and went away never to be found again. The fact that he has resurfaced is such a great twist.”
He enjoyed connecting with Eric Stonestreet behind the scenes. “Eric and I would sit there in Christmas gear and just sit and talk about wrestling,” he admitted. “We’re both big wrestling fans. We both started playing the ‘Who knows more wrestling?’ game. It’s funny because we’re supposed to be in this Christmas environment and here we are talking [who got] slammed. It was crazy.”
He quickly noted that Stone Cold Steve Austin is his favorite wrestler. But even that has its own curious spin. “I’ve had the pleasure of hanging out with him, and my biggest bragging moment is that I got to use his toilet. Yeah, that’s right. I did his podcast at his home I think he’s since changed that since having those issues, but yeah, we’re hanging out afterward, and I’m like ‘Hey dude can I use your… you know.’ And he’s like, ‘All right, go ahead man.’”
Best not to pry on whether that bathroom trip involved number one or two. Instead, Iglesias said he appreciatedThe Santa Clausfilms when they came out and holiday films, in general. “Home Alonewas a big one for me. I loveHome Alone,” he shared. “I tell people this one, and they have to think about it —Gremlinswas actually set during Christmastime. And if people are saying thatDie Hardwas a Christmas movie, I think you have got to say thatGremlinswas also a Christmas movie. Because there’s Christmas trees, there’s snow, and, you know, the Gremlins destroying Santa Claus statues.”
Where Will the Series Go Next?
Meanwhile, the interest in Mad Santa continues to build. Between the exceptional chemistry Eric Stonestreet shares with fellow cast members Gabriel Iglesias and Marta Kessler, fans are already wondering how the rest of the season will play out. Will Mad Santa get his revenge? If so, then what?
“I think there’s Easter eggs all throughout [the season],” Stonestreet said. “There’s definitely some stuff in there that people might want to pay attention to, props and things that Mad Santa has that could have some meaning. I loved learning Santa lore. When Tim’s character says he was at the meeting of the legends, and he doesn’t remember seeing Mad Santa, I just love those little nuggets of, ‘Well you don’t know why you didn’t see him there, and then you just know what happened in Mad Santa’s life that turned him the way he… I think what people will really enjoy about the character is the opportunity for redemption and finding peace and harmony and joy for everyone in the series.”
As for working with Tim Allen, Stonestreet immediately recalled working with Ed O’Neill fromModern Family.“You look across this space you’re sharing with a legend, someone you have seen so many times, and his voice is obviously so recognizable. In this business, I’ve always tried to be the actor hired to do the job, but also the fan enjoying the moment, right? Because I get to be that person. I get to be there.”
In the MovieWeb video interview, Stonestreet went on to note a vivid moment he shared with Allen and other cast members. He also said that, selfishly, he’d love for the show to find a place for Magnus Antashoping that the writing staff could generate stellar ideas.
“I certainly hope that they find a place for season three [of the show] because I think it’s what we need. We love these family feel-good shows. It’s whimsical and fun and something that everyone can sit down and watch with adults. So many people my age and younger are fans of the franchise, the original movie, and this show and these characters live on.”
The Santa Clausesis streaming on Disney+. Click the link below to stream it.
