Peter Billingsley discusses A Christmas Story Christmas, the sequel to the iconic holiday film, in this interview with Mama’s Geeky.
A Christmas Story is one of the most iconic holiday films. It even plays for 24 hours on TV starting on Christmas Eve every year. Mama’s Geeky sat down with Ralphie himself, Peter Billingsley, to discuss the sequel, A Christmas Story Christmas. He explains why now was the time to tell this story, after nearly forty years, and what it was like to get back together with the old gang.
Why Now?
When asked what it was like to bring Ralphie back to the world, Peter immediately answers with that he felt now was the right time. Why does he feel that way? Well, he loves the excitement of exploring Ralphie as a parent with his own family.
“The idea as a kid that all you really care about is the perfect Christmas gift. But then as a parent, you want Christmas to be perfect. And that’s, I think, a big shift. When you grow up, that’s what you want for your own family. And so from a narrative perspective, that was exciting to explore — the idea of going home and all that represents for those of us that have gone back to childhood homes. It’s a weird feeling and a good feeling and it evokes a lot of memories.”
Billingsley goes on to say that this film felt like the right vehicle and the right way to bring together 39 years of memories of the movie. “The passing of the parent is a real landmark relatable idea. And Ralphie was so close to his dad that the idea of having to step into that role now puts a lot of pressure on him.”
What Was It Like Getting Back Together With Everyone?
One of the great things about this film is that they brought the whole cast back together, as best as they could. When asked what that feeling was like, Peter Billingsley says that it was a lot of fun.
“It was very important to try to to get all the original cast back, all the kids. I don’t know but we might be one of the first, certainly that’s waited this long, to do it.” He explains that he watched them all as they arrived on set, which was made to look exactly as it had 39 years ago, and it was very emotional for everyone. “There’s such a great history on this movie, and coming back and walking through the sets and the design [was emotional].”
Billingsley says they built 11 structures so that the house Ralphie grew up in, and his neighborhood, looked accurate to the original film. The actors were not scheduled to be there on the day the set went up, but he called them in their hotels and told them they had to get down there. “They came down and walked around and it was complete Deja vu. Like, you’re right back on set, you’re right back there. And I think for them, it was more emotional than they expected.”
Peter Billingsley says that while they were there to work long hours and get a film made, they had a lot of fun too, but there is a lot of emotion underneath. “Our movie is comedic but there’s some emotion that sneaks up on you in the third act that gets to you. And I think that’s just the result of everyone together. Movies take on a little bit of a life of their own sometimes and that’s what this movie was.”
Full Peter Billingsley Interview
Be sure to check out our full interview with Peter Billingsley as he talks what it was like working with Darren McGavin, co-writing the script, and what he hopes families take away from A Christmas Story Christmas.
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About A Christmas Story Christmas
Ralphie is all grown up in this sequel to the annual holiday favorite in which he must deal with Christmas and all that comes with it, this time as a dad. Peter Billingsley returns to the role that has made kids of all ages anticipate Christmas morning like no other.
A CHRISTMAS STORY CHRISTMAS debuts November 17, 2022 on HBO Max.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.