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J.K. Simmons has been a Hollywood mainstay for decades, captivating audiences with memorable roles in everything from Whiplash to Spider-Man. But his journey to embodying the beloved Santa Claus in Amazon’s 2024 movie schedule release, Red One, started in a rather unlikely place: a local shopping mall. Long before stepping into the cinematic boots of St. Nick—or even voicing the iconic character in the animated hit Klaus (available to stream with a Netflix subscription)—Simmons had a real-life stint as a mall Santa. And let’s just say it wasn’t exactly full of holiday cheer.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, the J. Jonah Jameson performer candidly opened up about his brief foray into playing Chris Cringle in his youth, and his description of the experience is hilariously un-Santa-like. The actor recalled:
I don’t know how the opportunity came up or why they were dumb enough to hire me to be a mall Santa Claus, but oh my God, it was the worst job ever. First of all, I was smoking like two packs a day, and I’m sure the kids really enjoyed Santa’s smoker breath. So every 10 minutes I was like, ‘Can I have a break and go get a cigarette?’
The Oscar-winning actor didn’t hold back in describing the nightmare that was donning the red suit and white beard for holiday crowds. His detailed recollection paints a picture of a job far from the warm and fuzzy image we associate with the best Christmas movies and is more at home in the best Christmas horror movies. He continued:
At least a third of the children were terrified of this smelly dude in this weird outfit with this giant beard. It was one of those where you charge 10 bucks for the Polaroid or whatever. It is for the parents. The parents want to have that experience and they want that picture. So many of them had pictures of traumatized children sitting on my knee. It was not fun. I’ve tried to repress that memory for the last 44 years.
Simmons’ unfiltered honesty is exactly what fans have come to expect and love from the actor. He doesn’t shy away from poking fun at himself or acknowledging his rough-around-the-edges past. Still, it’s hard not to imagine the future two-time Santa performer struggling to keep the Christmas spirit alive while sneaking smoke breaks behind the North Pole photo setup.
For the former The Justice League actor, playing Santa in Red One—opposite Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans—marks a full-circle moment, and he’s clearly ready to redeem himself from those early missteps. In the same interview, the veteran Oz actor (available to stream with a Max subscription) shared his gratitude for the chance to give Santa a more dignified portrayal this time around:
This is my redemption. I’ve come full circle, and I’ve been entrusted with embodying a really wonderful version of Santa Claus. So thank you to everybody for that.
From traumatizing toddlers with his “smoker breath” to winning over the box office as jolly (and a much healthier) Ole St. Nick, Simmons has truly come a long way. While Red One won the weekend box office, it has a rough road ahead. It would seem audiences have been enjoying the holiday action-comedy, but critics have been relatively mixed about the movie’s shortcomings. As much fun as it is to see Simmons at the sleigh’s helm, holding the reigns with those unbelievably buff arms, it’s unlikely the movie will make enough money to justify its reported 250 million dollar budget. That’s a lot of (cookie) dough for one-holiday flick.
It’s safe to say that Simmons has left his mall Santa days in the past. But you can still see him in red, white, black, and beard in theaters now or whenever Red One lands on streaming sometime after its theatrical run. You’ll need an Amazon Prime Subscription to check it out.