The Santa Clause starring Tim Allen has been a staple holiday movie for families ever since its 1994 release. The 27-year-old Christmas movie now has multiple generations of fans, and spawned two sequels that tried to capture the magic of the original. David Krumholtz was only 16 years old when he starred in The Santa Clause, and appearing in the iconic Christmas movie was a special moment in his career. Krumholtz appeared in The Santa Clause 2 but did not appear in the film’s third entry. Recently, Krumholtz revealed the reason why he didn't return for The Santa Clause 3.
Krumholtz recently spoke with Vulture about his experience working on the iconic Christmas movie and why he chose not to appear in the franchise’s third film. Krumholtz was set to play once again the elf Bernard, who was supposed to have a significant role in the third film. Ultimately it didn’t work out for the actor, who was ready to squeeze the film into his busy schedule filming his hit TV show Numb3rs. Here is why Krumholtz did not appear in The Santa Clause 3:
Bernard was in the third movie. They sent me the script, I had a pretty significant role. We did work out the schedule, which was going to be hellish on me, but I was going to make it work. And it was all set to go. But I would say that the character got devalued a little bit and I couldn’t in good conscience do it.
Krumholtz was ready to reprise his role as Bernard, fitting the third film’s shooting schedule into his already packed schedule filming for a network TV show, but ultimately left the project because he believed the character was a bit diminished, and it didn't feel right. He couldn’t do it if it didn’t feel right, and chose not to return to Tim Allen’s side. Krumholtz explained that he believes the first two movies were amazing experiences that he was happy to be a part of and that he was not a fan of the third movie. The first two movies are really fun Christmas movies, with the first being a real classic, the second being solid, and the third is probably best forgotten.
In his interview Krumholtz said he is proud to be a part of something that people watch every year during the holidays, never imagining he would be talking about it so many years later. The Santa Clause had a great collection of performers in its cast, which helped it become the Christmas staple it is. The film's original plot was a lot darker than what got made, and we should be thankful it wasn’t the dark comedy it was initially conceived as thanks to a Disney CEO.
The story of a dad accidentally disposing of Santa and having to fill in and deliver presents and spread Christmas cheer was a good idea and didn’t need an extra layer of darkness, thankfully. Tim Allen is great as Scott, and Krumholtz's elf, Bernard, was funny and charming. The film is a certified Christmas classic, and it’s crazy that it’s been one for almost 30 years.
The Santa Clause is definitely one of the best Tim Allen movies and one of the best movies about Santa. It’s the perfect holiday movie and will be a staple for years to come. The holidays are the perfect time to relax, reset, and watch some old favorites before the rush of new releases in 2022.
