Actors Matilda Lawler who plays “Betty” and Devin Bright who plays “Noel” talk to the Journal’s Bruce Miller about what it’s like to work with Tim Allen in “The Santa Clauses.”
The greatest gift Santa Claus could give anyone? Knowing when to work and when to play.
That’s what Matilda Lawler and Devin Bright got from Tim Allen while starring in “The Santa Clauses,” a series based on Allen’s hit holiday franchise.
As Santa’s chief of staff, Lawler had to be all business but Allen, she says, took time to have fun. “He’s unlike anyone I’ve ever worked with. He set a great example.”
Adds Bright, who plays Santa’s right-hand elf: “He’s just as funny off camera as he is on camera. I learned a lot from him and how he works with directors to figure out what works. He may treat a scene differently than you would. He was really cool.”
Performing on a set that looks like the North Pole wasn’t bad, either. “There were baskets of candy corn,” Bright says.
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“And we may have grabbed a few extra handfuls,” Lawler says.
Outside the set, the temperature pushed near 90. Inside, “it was transformative,” Lawler says. “It felt real.”
Thankfully, the crew made sure they didn’t get carried away in the land of candy, candy canes and, yes, candy corn.
So how do you play someone who advises Santa Claus? With great care, the two say.
“There aren’t references (for a role like this),” says Lawler, one of the stars of “Station Eleven.” “It’s more like finding things I can relate to, based on personal experience. That’s always a deeper, truer performance.
“We’re both kind of old for our age (they’re both 14). We both have conversations about things that, maybe, most kids our age wouldn’t talk about. We kind of relate to that aspect of our characters because they’re so old.”
“You’d like to show off your talents and stuff but you don’t have to,” says Bright, one of the stars of “The Unicorn.” “You’re not like a one-trick pony or having to be yourself on camera. You can show that you can act. It’s really fun.”
In the series, the two have to advise Santa about sticking with the job or passing it on to someone else. They help him size up the potential and offer advice about a dwindling marketplace.
Even though it was shot before the holidays, “The Santa Clauses” provided great incentive for celebrating.
“I was ready for Christmas two months ago,” Lawler says. “I’m ready for Christmas any day of the year, honestly.”
Better yet? “We get to watch this series,” Bright says. “And spend time with our families.”
