Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, cast of 'Christmas Chronicles 2' on finding joy amid COVID
For Goldie Hawn, participating in the clean, family-friendly Netflix film “Christmas Chronicles 2” was nothing short of a “gift.”
In an interview with The Christian Post, the 75-year-old Academy Award-winning actress said that while she’s always been driven by “ethics,” she’s grateful that now, as a grandmother, she gets to embody characters that embody kindness and love.
“It’s such a gift,” Hawn said. “It’s like, ‘Thank you.’ I actually personify a really kind person ... a kind-hearted mother figure. I thought it was really, really, really wonderful.”
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Hawn stars alongside Kurt Russell in the Chris Columbus-helmed sequel, “The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two.” The couple of 37 years play Santa and Mrs. Claus, who join forces with a now-teenage Kate (Darby Camp) and Jack (Jahzir Bruno) to thwart the troublemaking Belsnickel (Julian Dennison)’s schemes to destroy Christmas.
Russell, who also starred in the first “Christmas Chronicles,” said he believes Santa Claus “is one of the most important characters of all time.”
“I can’t believe I get the opportunity to play him,” the actor said. “He’s a real man, a real person, a very religious person. He found a way to not only enjoy life but enjoy what he could be over a 1,700 year period.”
Russell said he’s grateful that at the age of 69, he’s able to play a character “that I'm right for, and that I have a take on.”
“I think is really fun to do,” he said.
Watch Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn discuss "Christmas Chronicles 2"
Hitting Netflix on Nov. 25, “Christmas Chronicles 2” is set two years after the original holiday flick. When the film opens, Kate is on vacation with her mom’s boyfriend and his son, Jack (Jazir Bruno). Still struggling with the death of her firefighter father, Kate is frustrated by her mother’s newfound relationship — and by the fact that her family is celebrating Christmas in Cancun.
She decides to run away, with Jack in tow, unbeknownst to her. But her efforts are sabotaged by Santa’s dejected protégé Belsnickel, who sends them to the North Pole as bait to lure Santa and Mrs. Claus into his evil trap.
While there, the two are introduced to the magic of Santa’s Village, complete with Santa, Mrs. Claus, and their team of elves. As Belsnickel’s nefarious plan to destroy Christmas becomes evident, the crew embarks on a journey to save the holiday from certain doom.
Though a family-friendly holiday flick, “Christmas Chronicles 2” is also a coming-of-age story for Kate, complete with tender moments that pull at the heartstrings.
“When you first see Kate, she's this little girl who's just full of spirit, full of Christmas spirit,” Camp (“Big Little Lies”) told CP. “She just lost her dad and she’s still sad about it, but she hasn't really like taken it in. She's on the outside acting normal and happy. But you can tell the inside she's really really hurt.
“She's gotten older and a little bit more mature and more self-centered and not really thinking about others as much as she should. It’s hard for her to deal with moving on without her dad. She feels that her mom is moving on a lot quicker than Kate is.”
Over the course of the film, Kate “realizes that it's OK to move on slower than some people and just move on at your own pace,” the 13-year-old actress added.
Still, Columbus, who is also behind a slew of family-friendly movies, including “The Young Messiah,” “Home Alone,” and “Harry Potter,” infuses "Christmas Chronicles 2" with plenty of excitement, action and humor. The Star of Bethlehem — a nod to Christmas’s biblical origins — also plays a key role in the film, highlighting the protection and light it provides to the North Pole.
Watch Darby Camp and Kimberly Williams-Paisley discuss "Christmas Chronicles 2."
During a season where many families are unable to meet due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams-Paisley said she hopes “Christmas Chronicles 2” provides “comfort and hope.”
“It’s about a family coming together and facing tough times and facing sadness and loss together at different paces,” she explained. “I think it’s really important that these kinds of movies reflect that truth for people.”
A mother and grandmother herself, Hawn advised those struggling amid the COVID pandemic to choose joy ahead of the holiday season.
“Sometimes joy is in the small things,” she said, encouraging audiences to take a “macro look at your world and feel appreciative of those little moments.”
“Not the big moments, but those small moments that, in many ways, are the things that you're going to take with you when you finally meet your Maker,” she said. “I just think it's important to focus on them. That's where our greatest feelings of well-being can come from.”
“And if you don't know what they are, then get a notebook and start writing them down because they're there. That’s one way of understanding them,” Hawn continued, encouraging audiences to remember that one day, “things will be better.”
“Christmas Chronicles 2” is rated PG.
