‘Bad Santa’: Where Is The Cast Now?
As the holidays come in full swing, Christmas movies start taking over family and movie nights. There are options for everyone, from Lifetime’s complete schedule of romantic Christmas movies, the classics that have been around for decades, to the dark holiday comedies that provide a break from the typical love stories.
Actors take over our screens and entertain us with the best and worst Christmas movies of all time before getting back to their normal lives. Which you’ll be surprised to know is typically very different from the lives we see them play out in their roles.
The dark comedy Bad Santa is back again, and it’s time to recap the classically raunchy movie, find out who’s streaming it this year, and discover what the cast has been up to since.
‘Bad Santa’ is a holiday con you don’t want to miss
Every year, Willie and his partner reunite for a holiday con. They pretend to be Santa and his elf to steal from outlet malls on Christmas Eve. However, Willie struggles with depression and alcoholism, causing unpredictable behavior that makes security suspicious of them.
Things start to change for Willie when he meets a young boy named Thurman, to whom he risks everything to get a pink elephant before being arrested. Nonetheless, there isn’t any shortage of bad habits like chain-smoking, excessive drinking, and foul language to kick off the holiday season.
If you’re new to the classic Bad Santa, be prepared for raunchy and vulgar scenes. It was the first movie to explore a different side of holiday entertainment. As Billy Bob Thornton told BUILD Series: “[Bad Santa] became iconic [and] it started a sort of subgenre of comedy. It was like the first one of its kind and of the sort of darker, really raunchy, profane humor.”
Since its successful release, there has been a rise in the number of Christmas movies not suitable for children.
Where to enjoy the dark comedy this holiday
Bad Santa is back with its beloved dark humor for the holidays, and there are a few places you will find it. You can rent or buy from platforms like Prime Video, Microsoft, Google Play, YouTube, iTunes Store, FandangoNOW, AMC on Demand, and Vudu.
If you’re looking for a streaming service that offers it for free (with a subscription, of course), you’ll find it on HBO Now or HBO Go. You’ll also find it on the HBO network if you have cable TV. On the other hand, if you’re in an area that still offers it, the nearest video store (or red box) has a limited number of copies for you to rent from this year.
The cast has been surprisingly normal since ‘Bad Santa’
Despite the chaos and felonious behavior of characters in Bad Santa, they have actually lived rather normal lives off-screen. Whether it’s spending time with family, getting an education, or making other movies, the cast is moving forward as usual.
According to The New York Times: “These days, [Billy Bob Thornton] is dedicated to his sixth wife, Connie Angland, whom he met in 2003 on the set of ‘Bad Santa,’ and their 14-year-old daughter, Bella, who is home-schooled.” I guess outlet malls can rest easy this holiday season, as Thornton seems to be preoccupied with family this year.
Brett Kelly, the young Thurman in Bad Santa, was only eight when filming the movie. He made an appearance in the movie High School nearly seven years later before taking a break from acting.
Although, he was happy to come back to the industry for the Bad Santa 2 sequel. He told Today: “I’ve been living an extremely normal and boring life. I went to a regular high school, graduated from university, and basically that brings us up to this point,”
As for Tony Cox, he’s seen his fair share of movie roles in his career since Bad Santa. In fact, he’s had more than 30 roles, with the most popular being Epic Movie, Disaster Movie, The Hustle, and the 2013 family and fantasy genre Oz the Great and Powerful.
