46 Fun Facts About Bad Santa

Who plays Willie T. Soke, the drunken thief in the title role?

Several bigger names were considered for the part before it went to Thornton, who won a Golden Globe nomination for it.

In Bad Santa, which actor plays Marcus Skidmore, the brains of the safe-cracking duo?

Tony Cox had earlier played an Ewok in Return of the Jedi and the Preacher in Beetlejuice.

Who plays Thurman Merman, the gullible boy who believes Willie is really Santa?

Brett Kelly, a Canadian child actor, played Thurman Merman and returned to the role as an adult in Bad Santa 2 (2016).

While Willie works as a department-store Santa, what costume role does Marcus take for the heists?

An elf: Marcus works as Willie's elf, steering children to Santa by day and cracking the mall safe with him on Christmas Eve.

In which city is the mall where Willie and Marcus take their jobs?

Phoenix: after the Milwaukee job, Marcus lines up a mall in Phoenix, Arizona, for the next Christmas and summons Willie back to work.

What is the name of the fictional shopping centre where most of the film takes place?

The mall scenes were shot in a vacant wing of a real Southern California shopping centre.

Who plays Sue, the bartender who takes a shine to Willie?

Graham was in the middle of her run on Gilmore Girls when the film came out.

Who plays Bob Chipeska, the prudish mall manager?

John Ritter died before the film reached theatres, and it was dedicated to his memory.

Which comedian plays Gin Slagel, the mall's security chief?

Bernie Mac was starring in his own Fox sitcom, The Bernie Mac Show, when he took the part.

Who directed the film?

Terry Zwigoff directed it, his fourth feature after the documentaries Louie Bluie and Crumb and the fiction film Ghost World.

Which writing duo wrote the screenplay?

Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, who met at Pratt Institute, wrote Bad Santa after the 2001 family comedy Cats & Dogs.

The screenwriting duo later directed which 2011 romantic comedy starring Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling?

Their directing debut had been I Love You Phillip Morris in 2009.

Which filmmaking siblings developed the concept and are credited as executive producers?

They came up with the story of an alcoholic mall Santa before hiring writers to flesh it out.

Which studio released Bad Santa in North American cinemas?

Dimension Films, the genre label Bob Weinstein ran inside Miramax, distributed Bad Santa in North America; Dimension also released the Scream series.

Who plays Lois, Marcus's wife, in Bad Santa?

Lauren Tom, the voice of Amy Wong in Futurama, plays Lois, Marcus's wife, who takes part in the Christmas Eve robbery.

Thurman's grandmother keeps offering to fix what for Willie?

Sandwiches: Thurman's dozing grandmother rouses herself only to announce 'I'll fix sandwiches', the one line she repeats through the film.

The mall scenes were filmed in a vacant wing of which real Southern California shopping centre?

The wing has since been demolished and replaced by an open-air lifestyle centre.

The mall's fictional anchor store, Chamberlain's, was a former branch of which real retailer?

The store and the entire wing were vacant at the time of filming.

The film opened in North America on November 26 of which year?

2003: Bad Santa opened on 26 November 2003, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and took just over $60 million in North America.

What was the film's production budget?

$23 million: Bad Santa was made for $23 million and earned back more than three times that at the worldwide box office.

Roughly how much did the film gross worldwide?

$76.5 million: Bad Santa took about $60 million in North America and a further $16 million abroad.

What rating out of four did critic Roger Ebert give the film?

3½ stars: Roger Ebert gave it three and a half of four, calling it a demented, twisted, unreasonably funny work of comic kamikaze style.

What happens to Marcus after the Christmas Eve heist?

He is arrested and jailed: the police catch Marcus and Lois at the mall, and Willie's closing letter says the pair are going to prison.

Under what title was the unrated version released on DVD and Blu-ray?

Bad(der) Santa: the unrated cut restored raunchier material for its 2004 DVD release and runs longer than the theatrical version.

The director's cut is how many minutes shorter than the theatrical version?

It also carries an audio commentary with the director and the film's editor.

The lead actor was nominated for a Golden Globe for the role but lost to whom?

The winner took the prize for Lost in Translation; the other nominees were Depp, Black and Nicholson.

What present does Willie grab for Thurman during the Christmas Eve heist?

A pink stuffed elephant is what Thurman wants; Willie leads police on a chase to the boy's house just to deliver it, and is shot on the porch.

Thurman says his father is out exploring the mountains. Where is he really?

Willie helps himself to the absent father's safe and his BMW.

Which actress plays Opal in both the original film and its sequel?

Octavia Spencer plays Opal in a bit part, years before her Oscar for The Help (2011), and reprises the role in Bad Santa 2.

In the epilogue, Willie says the police have hired him in what role?

Sensitivity counselor: embarrassed at shooting an unarmed Santa in front of children, the police clear Willie and give him a job counselling officers on sensitivity.

Thurman is constantly bullied by a teenage gang of what?

Skateboarders torment him until the final scene, when Thurman finally stands up to their leader.

Who directed Bad Santa 2?

Mark Waters, who had directed Lindsay Lohan in Freaky Friday (2003) and Mean Girls (2004), directed Bad Santa 2 (2016).

In the sequel, what is the name of Willie's estranged mother, who turns out to be Marcus's contact?

Sunny: Sunny Soke, Willie's hard-drinking mother, turns out to be the partner Marcus has lined up for the charity heist.

The sequel's heist targets a charity in which city?

The city was chosen as the setting, though the film was shot in Canada.

Which company released Bad Santa 2 in North American cinemas?

Broad Green Pictures, the short-lived independent distributor, released Bad Santa 2 in November 2016 and co-produced it with Miramax.

How does Willie attempt suicide shortly before Christmas Eve?

Car exhaust: Willie sits in the running car in a closed garage, but abandons the attempt when Thurman comes in bloodied by his bullies.

Principal photography on the sequel took place in which city?

Filming took place on Saint Catherine Street and Saint-Alexandre, starting in January 2016.

The sequel opened the same weekend as which Disney animated film?

Moana: both opened on 23 November 2016, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and Disney's Moana topped the weekend box office.

Which character does Marcus kill during the film?

Gin: after the security chief blackmails the pair for a cut of the take, Marcus runs him down with a car.

The lead actor has admitted to doing what on the set of the film?

He later said casting directors call him whenever they need someone unpleasant.

How do the police learn about the Christmas Eve heist?

From a letter Willie wrote: his suicide note to Thurman confessed the planned robbery, and it found its way to the police.

Which Oscar-winning actress joined Bad Santa 2 (2016) as Willie's foul-mouthed mother?

Kathy Bates got the part after the character, first written as Willie's father Earl, was flipped because a terrible mother was funnier.

Which Mad Men star plays Diane, the head of the charity in the sequel?

Her character bails Willie out of jail and makes him attend AA meetings.

Which festival screened Bad Santa out of competition in 2004?

Cannes: Bad Santa screened out of competition at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, six months after its North American release.

What does a hungover Willie do while asleep on Santa's throne?

Wets himself: Willie passes out drunk on Santa's throne and urinates in his suit in front of the queue, one of the film's most notorious gags.

Why is Sue the bartender attracted to Willie?

She has a Santa fetish: Sue admits she has always had a thing for Santa Claus, and Willie's red suit is the whole attraction.