‘A Christmas Story’ Sequel Took Decades – ‘It Had to Be Right, Otherwise, It Would Be a Disaster,’ Zack Ward Says [Exclusive]
The original film A Christmas Story was released in 1983, so why now is the sequel, A Christmas Story Christmas finally being released in 2022?
Zack Ward, who played bully Scut Farkus in the original film revealed why the journey took close to 40 years. He said the cast and crew wanted to enshrine the original A Christmas Story‘s legacy and only make a sequel that would elevate the original.
“I think a lot of the pressure was handled by the writer Nick Schenk,” Ward told Showbiz Cheat Sheet. “There were so many concepts pitched prior to this film getting made. There were probably five or seven other scripts and ideas that were pushed.” Peter Billingsley who played the central character, Ralphie Parker, passed on many previous scripts.
“And I’d seen some of [the scripts] and I was not interested in doing them because it had to be right, otherwise, it would be a disaster,” Ward said.
The entire cast from ‘A Christmas Story’ had to agree on the sequel
Ward said the entire cast had to be fully committed before they moved forward with any script. “My father had a saying, ‘In an egg and bacon breakfast the chicken’s involved, but the pig is committed.’ So as an actor, as somebody who raises money for charity every year, utilizing A Christmas Story as the lightning rod, I’m a pig … like I am committed to this,” he explained. “I’m going to have to put up with whatever conversations fans have. If they’re upset, they’re going to blame me. Whether or not it’s my fault. I know that I’m going to be the face that they come up to like, ‘You ruined it.’ And Peter knows that as well.”
“So when the new script was made by Nick Schenk, it really took it to another level because you can’t replicate A Christmas Story as an original,” he said. “I mean, Jean Shepherd had spent decades writing those stories, so he was steeped in the rich history of all those true characters. And trying to replicate that would do it a disservice.”
‘A Christmas Story Christmas’ sequel follows the characters as adults
The original A Christmas Story took place in 1943 so A Christmas Story Christmas sequel is in 1973 and the characters are now adults. “The great thing about it is we’re not trying to be those kids anymore,” Ward said. “We are those characters 30 years later. And like everybody else grows up, those characters grow as well. So I think that’s what also makes it a really smart movie.” In a hilarious twist, writers made Scut Farkus a police officer in the sequel.
“And the characters grow with the audience, I think they’ll see themselves in that,” he added. “But yeah, I think the most dangerous work was done by the writer and then by our director, Clay Kaytis, and by Peter Billingsley, who produced as well as starred in it. It is a really fine razor’s edge to walk.”
Zack Ward was critical when viewing ‘A Christmas Story Christmas’
After filming wrapped, Ward took a critical approach when it came time to view the sequel. “I saw the film and I’m a filmmaker myself, so of course, I’m going to go in there with the most attitude and like, ‘Well, what about this?’ ” he said. “And my wife and I were laughing out loud and crying and holding our chests and holding hands and feeling emotions.”
“That’s a very hard thing to do for a movie that the production of you’re in,” he said. “So that’s a big deal. I’m very happy with it. I’m very honored to be part of it. And I hope people watch the original and then watch this. Because I think the connection between the two is as seamless as it can be and it spans 30 years. So it’s now more relevant to you if you grew up with that movie.”
Ward especially enjoyed some of the costumes and hairstyles, which were pretty authentic to the time period. “Growing out sideburns [was a blast],” he dished. “Scotty Schwartz’s sideburns were such a thing of beauty. I think that of that movie … with Burt Reynolds. He totally had Boogie Nights sideburns. He was killing it, man. Awesome. Scotty Schwartz kills me in this thing. Kills me. And R.D. Robb’s hair, R.D. Robb plays Schwartz, and R.D. Robb’s hair is so awesome, and it’s all real, but it’s just like, ‘Bro, you got a pompadour!'”
A Christmas Story Christmas streams on HBO Max beginning on November 17.
