Launched in 2001, the Hallmark Channel made original holiday-themed films a cornerstone, and one of the first to really take off starred Steve Guttenberg as Santa’s heir. In Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus, he plays Nick, who is hoping to find a partner before taking over the family business when he meets Beth (Crystal Bernard), an ad executive and single mom.
“It really meant a lot to me to play such a positive character,” Guttenberg tells THR. “Although it was possibly a simple Santa Claus movie, it was really interesting to act, and it gave me a great challenge in making this guy human.”
The star, known for such 1980s hits as Police Academy and Three Men and a Baby, praises director Harvey Frost — yes, that’s his real last name. “Harvey was amazing and often used five cameras, so we shot really fast,” Guttenberg recalls.
Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus, which premiered Dec. 11, 2004, performed so well that it spawned a 2005 sequel, Meet the Santas. “We developed a great script for the third one, but the machinations of a deal got in the way,” laments Guttenberg, who remains hopeful of someday completing the trilogy.
Christmas-centric rom-coms have become synonymous with Hallmark, and Frost himself went on to direct a number of the brand’s holiday projects. Other platforms have followed suit: See Netflix’s Hot Frosty, featuring Lacey Chabert, who has starred in 40 Hallmark films.
“Sometimes movies just work,” marvels Guttenberg, “and then people take them into their hearts and remember the moment they saw it, who they saw it with, and it becomes a holiday that they remember.”
This story appeared in the Dec. 13 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
