David Krumholtzdiscussed withVulturerecently why he was not a part ofThe Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clausedespite the popularity of his character. According to Krumholtz, the character’s absence was a combination of scheduling issues and a sense of that the beloved character had been “devalued”
Krumholtz’s character, Bernard the Elf, garnered popularity with his fans because of his sarcastic personality, making both his character andThe Santa Clauseholiday classics around the world. Krumholtz discussed this with Vulture, stating how:
“It’s ratcheted up a bit. The first signal I received was a Buzzfeed article a few years ago about it. And I thought, ooh, that’s strange, because so many people commented on the article saying, “Yeah, me too. I had that experience too with him!” How do I explain it? I don’t know. I mean, he’s in charge. He’s a boss. But he’s got a really good heart. And he loves the kid. And he’s very safe, obviously, too. He’s also very safe. Something about maybe the dreadlocks? I don’t know. I’ve lost track of why. And it’s not like I haven’t thought about it. I will tell you that. I had no idea when I was making it what the hell I was doing, you know, relative to who I am as an actor now.”
RELATED:The Best Christmas Movies on Disney Plus Right Now
Despite this popularity, Krumholtz’s character was not present during the franchise’s third film, without much of an explanation at all. Some assumed Bernard’s absence was due to scheduling issues, as he was filming a television show at the time. Krumholtz confirmed the theory, but also added that other factors were at play in his absence:
“Well, the story about my scheduling is true, but somehow also untrue. Yes, I feel that way. 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. The third one, I’ve tried to watch. It’s not the same. I think the first two are really special. The first one’s a classic, obviously. It’s wild to be part of something that’s lasted this long, that plays every single year and has become tradition in people’s homes. I could never have imagined that I’d be having this conversation years later.”
WhileThe Santa Clauseseries continues to be a Christmas staple, many cannot deny that Bernard’s presence as Jack Frost (Martin Short) wreaked havoc on the North Pole was dearly missed. Be that as it may, this series continues to warm the hearts of a generation even many years later.
