Gerard Butler has come to save the day, again. But not as a secret agent, a warrior king, or a vigilante. This time, he embodies the iconic Christmas legend, Santa Claus.
The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland is an animated musical film adaption of the children's picture book by Carys Bexington and Kate Hindley, which is a mash-up of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and "Alice in Wonderland". In the film, Butler voices St. Nick, tasked with saving Christmas Day after the Queen of Hearts prohibited the celebration.
In an interview with Reuters, Butler reveals how it felt to do an acting job he has not been antiquated with. "This is a little fun animated movie, not be the thing I would normally do or be expected to do, but I loved the opportunity to do different performances in different arenas," the Olympus Has Fallen actor said.
Fighting sequences come easily enough for the actor, but when it comes to singing, it’s a different story. "To be honest, the whole thing was kind of a challenge so you just throw all in the same box, I've got to sing these crazy songs. I've got to do a rap in which I cannot breathe. So there were a lot of challenges but fun ones."
This is not the first time the 55-year-old actor has done a singing role. He played the disfigured lead in the film adaptation of the musical The Phantom of the Opera.
When asked if the 300 actor would explore a Christmas-themed film again, he said, "They are talking about doing a second one of this... I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say, but we already have a story of where Santa goes next, what other fairy tale character, could he embark on a mission? And... what I've heard so far, it sounds amazing."
The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland, directed by Peter Baynton, also stars Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones, Me Before You) and Simone Ashley (Bridgerton, Sex Education). The film is available on Amazon Prime Video.
