Almost two decades after acting beside veteran actor Billy Bob Thornton inBad Santa, Brett Kelly reflected on what it was like to work with the actor on the film when he was a child.
Kelly played the happy-go-lucky but dimwitted Thurman Merman, whose unflinchingly optimistic outlook on life despite living in a broken home played a role in Thornton’s Willie T. Soke finding a new beacon of light in his life, all while being a shameless alcoholic and sex addict. Despite the vulgarity of Thornton’s character, Kelly made it clear that Thornton himself was the complete opposite of Willie.
RELATED:Doctor Who Christmas Specials Coming Back Starting Next Year
In an interview withNews.com.au, Kelly raved about how nice Thornton was when they worked together onBad Santa. “He was very, very warm and welcoming,” Kelly said. “One of the nicest people, even to this day, that I’ve ever worked with. On weekends, we’d go over to his house, and I’d be hanging out with his kids and swimming in the pool. He was very welcoming and made me and my whole family feel really at home the entire time we were shooting." Kelly made it clear that he was lucky to live a normal life as a child actor and yet to get act beside Thornton. “For the most part, I was very lucky in getting to have a pretty normal life and then get parachuted into those moments where you’re in a movie with Billy Bob or something like that.”
Merman’s optimism inBad Santaplayed a hand in Willie redeeming himself as a person after going through life as a petty thief and con artist. Between Merman’s mother being dead, his father being in jail, his grandmother suffering from dementia, and being bullied by teenage skateboarders, Merman managed to stay happy and upbeat. Willie became his unofficial caretaker when he realized how happy Merman was and how highly he thought of Willie even with all that he was going through. Moreso, he realized how fulfilling it was to have that kind of responsibility because he had never had anything like that before, though he never watched his mouth in front of the kid.
Willie’s and Thurman’s dynamic inBad Santaplayed a huge part in why it is recognized asone of the funniest Christmas moviesever made. The movie has such a cynical tone throughout its runtime - thanks to horrible human beings like Willie and Marcus as the leads - that Thurman’s unrelentingly trustful and innocent personality provides the yin to Willie’s contemptuous yang. Despite Willie being aggressive and antagonizing toward Thurman at first, his verbal abuse never gets to the kid, and Thurman’s positivity gets Willie into the Christmas spirit like he never has before, despite still being a degenerate alcoholic.
That’s the heartfelt message thatBad Santasends. Because of the holiday’s reputation for bringing loved ones together, that kind of reputation can make people cynical and depressed this time of year, which can make the holidays hard for adults to enjoy. However, all it takes is finding the right people to enjoy it with. That doesn’t have to be blood relatives. Just people who enjoy being with you and make you happy. Even the most bitter of alcoholics can still findjoy during Christmas timewhen they find the happiest of children to give it to them.
