Director Chris Columbus on working with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell in 'The Christmas Chronicles 2'

Director Chris Columbus talks to Yahoo Entertainment about what it was like working with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell in "The Christmas Chronicles 2."

Video transcript

SANTA CLAUS: Welcome to the North Pole!

- Santa!

KEVIN POLOWY: You have a new film on the way, it is another holiday movie. "The Christmas Chronicles 2," a follow up to 2018's "Christmas Chronicles." Are you a Christmas junkie or a big Christmas guy?

CHRIS COLOMBUS: No, no I just-- it's not a Christmas junkie, really, it's the fact that we produce-- you know, I produced the first "Christmas Chronicles," it was successful. I struck up a really close friendship with Kurt Russell, and we wanted to work together, and I was intrigued.

When a guy plays Santa Claus, most of the time it's not taken seriously. Kurt Russell plays Santa Claus, he writes 170 pages about the guy's backstory and mythology. That is an actor's commitment. He is committed to this role in a way that you would expect DeNiro to be committed to Jake LaMotta. And when you see that kind of passion in an actor to play a role that some people don't take seriously, you realize, I want to go there.

First movie was basically a remake of my first film, "Adventures in Babysitting," with Santa Claus. A night on the town in Chicago with Santa. This film digs into the mythology of Santa Claus and Santa's village in a way that I don't think has ever been done.

SANTA CLAUS: You're in Santa's village, the real one.

- Wow. This is incredible.

CHRIS COLOMBUS: We sound like Christmas nerds, but we treated it like "Harry Potter." That's why Santa's village is probably the biggest set I've ever worked on, and it's also-- it's bigger than the Great Hall in the first "Potter" film. That's what I wanted to give the audience, a Santa's village and a Santa Claus who people could take seriously.

Santa Claus he was tough, charming, he was funny. It's all of interest to me, because I've never seen that particular Santa Claus before.

KEVIN POLOWY: I remember seeing Kurt cast as Santa Claus, and you're like oh, that's an interesting choice. I got-- well, let me process that. But he is so good. I think because it is really, it feels like a fresh twist on Santa. He's got a nice edge to him, obviously some humor, there's maybe a little bit of Elvis in there.

CHRIS COLOMBUS: Right.

KEVIN POLOWY: But it was amazing what you said about what he brings to the backstory. Do you see that as sort of a passion about this particular role, or does Kurt do that every time?

CHRIS COLOMBUS: No, it's this particular role. He said to me, I want to-- and I don't believe this-- but he said, I want to walk into the sunset, this being the last role I play. He wants to continue doing it. He is deep down into his soul, he's committed to this role. That means eight weeks growing the beard with a little additional flourishes, working with the script every night before we shoot with me. I mean, it's an intense commitment, and he takes it very serious.

- Are you Mrs. Claus?

MRS. CLAUS: Uh huh.

[SCREAMING]

- What is that thing!?

MRS. CLAUS: He's an elf.

KEVIN POLOWY: And of course, there was a surprise cameo at the end of the first movie with Goldie Hawn turning up at the end as Mrs. Claus, which was so well played. One of the coolest couples, I think, in this business. How excited were they about getting to work together for a whole film together, and what is that dynamic like on set? That's got to be fun.

CHRIS COLOMBUS: Obviously from living together for so many years, they've got a tremendous amount of chemistry just because they're always together. And when you get them on a set, that chemistry continues to fuse with each of them. But everybody's like Goldie Hawn, she's gonna be so funny, aren't you excited? I said, I'm not interested. I think Goldie's a comedic legend, but I'm not interested in that. I'm interested in the Goldie Hawn the great actress. And I want Mrs. Claus not to be slapsticky and silly, I want Mrs. Claus to have a strength about her. I want her to be a strong woman. Remember, she built Santa's village, she designed it, she's the brains behind the business. It really should be called "Mrs. Claus's Village." And I believe that there's a real sense of strength. She's like a-- she's a pioneer woman, and that's what I love about her portrayal.

MRS. CLAUS: Sometimes I think you actually enjoy these little dangerous escapades.

SANTA CLAUS: I, I-- well, I-- I. Eh.

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