‘The Santa Clauses’: Elizabeth Mitchell Reveals Why Working With Tim Allen ‘Always Makes My Stomach Hurt’
TL;DR:
- Tim Allen and Elizabeth Mitchell have reunited for The Santa Clauses.
- Mitchell claims that working with Allen “always makes” her “stomach hurt.”
- The rest of The Santa Clauses cast also had a positive experience working with Allen.
The Santa Clauses has traveled down the chimney and onto Disney+, and the series sees Tim Allen and Elizabeth Mitchell reuniting as Santa and Mrs. Claus. The pair reprises their roles from The Santa Clause movies. And judging by Mitchell’s claim that Allen keeps her laughing until she’s in pain, they’re having a great time being back at the North Pole.
Tim Allen and Elizabeth Mitchell reunite in ‘The Santa Clauses’
That’s right, Tim Allen and Elizabeth Mitchell are getting back into the holiday spirit in The Santa Clauses, Disney’s spinoff of The Santa Clause movies. The pair returns as Santa and Mrs. Claus, and they’re just as comical as ever — even if their characters are feeling the effects of time.
The Santa Clauses opens with Scott Calvin having several bouts of bad health, which indicate that his magic is dwindling away. Realizing he needs to retire, Scott sets out to find a new Santa to replace him. And Mitchell’s Mrs. Claus supports him in this endeavor, ready to depart from the North Pole herself.
The two bounce off each other nicely during the two-episode premiere. And it seems their on-screen demeanor reflects the mood behind the scenes.
Elizabeth Mitchell says working with Tim Allen ‘makes my stomach hurt’
Elizabeth Mitchell and Tim Allen seem happy to be back for The Santa Clauses and to be working together again. During an interview with Forbes, Mitchell reflected on her reunion with her Santa Clause costar. She revealed that Allen keeps her in good spirits behind the scenes — as does his family, who showed up on the set of the Disney+ series:
“Working with Tim always makes my stomach hurt because he makes me laugh. At the same time, I trust and love Tim and getting to be with him, getting to be with his daughter because Elizabeth was there. Jane was with us most days, Tim’s wife — so heaven! Had the best time with them.”
Mitchell isn’t the only one who enjoyed acting alongside Allen, either. Not everyone in The Santa Clauses cast had experienced it before, but many of them had positive things to say.
‘The Santa Clauses’ cast on working with Tim Allen
In addition to speaking with Elizabeth Mitchell about The Santa Clauses, Forbes caught up with several other cast members. They reflected on working with Tim Allen as well, confirming that he brings a great deal of humor to the set.
Noel actor Devin Bright echoed Mitchell’s sentiment, recalling, “He’s always super funny. He makes jokes off-camera — he’s just as funny off-camera as he is on-camera, but he can also like flip that switch as soon as the cameras start rolling and get to his character.”
Harold & Kumar‘s Kal Penn, who plays Simon Choksi — a possible Santa successor — also revealed there’s a surreal aspect to working with Allen. Like many viewers, he grew up with The Santa Clause movies every holiday season. So, he came to the role as a fan as well as a colleague.
“Obviously, I’m a huge Tim Allen fan,” Kal admitted. “Same with Elizabeth Mitchell. I think the first Santa Clause movie came out when I was in high school, so that quickly got added to the rotation of classic Christmas films.”
Needless to say, the cast of The Santa Clauses clicked — and the chemistry shines through. Hopefully, that will continue to be the case for the rest of the season.
New episodes of The Santa Clauses stream every Wednesday on Disney+.
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