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With Thanksgiving passing us through, the Christmas season is upon us once again. This is the prefect opportunity for family and friends to join in on I Am Santa Claus (from Virgil Films Entertainment). In an exclusive interview, Hall of Fame Wrestler Mick Foley talks with MStars News about how he, Morgan Spurlock, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, and Jerry "The King" Lawler learned what it takes to be Kris Kringle.
The documentary, I Am Santa Claus, takes an in-depth look at the men who put on the red suit every December. Selflessly committing themselves to making children happy, these men keep the legend alive as a real white-bearded professional Santa. In reality though, even the mall Santa has to deal with divorce, job loss, and the occasional hangover.
MStars spoke with the professional wrestler/producer about how the concept came about, the guest appearances of fellow WWE superstars, and Saint Nick's message during this upcoming holiday season.
Check out the trailer here:
MStars News: Tell me how you became involved in the project?
Mick Foley: I got a text message from a fellow wrestler, Tommy Dreamer, saying that he had worked with a director [Tommy Avallone] in a movie, had a good experience, and the director wanted to know if I was willing to take my year-round Christmas enthusiasm and really put an effort in portraying the iconic figure of Santa Claus.
MS: What were you looking for specifically when this project started?
Mike: First of all, I started out as a subject. My shooting was done, my scene was done, supposedly December 2, 2012. I just kind of fell in love with the project, especially after we had a visit from Santa on Christmas Eve at the Foley house. It was a great moment for me as a dad, and something that none of us will ever forget, and originally, that wasn't supposed to be in the movie.
That was just something Tommy's camera guy shot because one of them wasn't going to get to see his daughter until the day after Christmas and the other one didn't have a family, and it started sounding like fun. My son, Mickey, really wanted to capture Santa as a rival on film, and they decided to be there for it. And then when that moment exceeded everyone's expectations, we knew that we had to make it part of the film. So it was really into mid-2013, when I realized, 'Wait a minute! I'm still actively working on this! I'm helping with editing! I'm helping raise funds! I'm kind of a producer!'
MS: How did Morgan Spurlock (CNN's Inside Man) became involved as well?
MF: Well, the director and Tommy had talked to Morgan at a film festival and told me this idea of finding out what these real bearded Santa's might do in the offseason. He was really intrigued by it. And Morgan said it was a great idea and that Tommy should go out, trying to find captivating characters, who had storylines that people would find interesting. So it was really gratifying for Tommy, three years later, to screen the movie personally for Morgan. It was just me, Tommy, and Morgan, in Morgan's office, screening an unfinished cut.
And as soon as the movie ended, Morgan had about a dozen ideas, things that should be tweaked a little, characters we should see less of, one Santa, in particular, he thought we should see more of. He kept using the word 'we', so Tommy shyly said, "when you say we, do you mean...?" and Morgan said, "Absolutely, this is something we want to be involved with."
MS: Because the audience knows you from your limelight as a wrestler, was it a challenge showing a more personal side of yourself, on camera, with your family?
MF: Well I had a really good filming experience with a documentary called Beyond the Matt in 1999, but while that fine movie captured my worst moment ever as a parent, which was The Rock bludgeoning me with a steel chair.
This movie kind of captures my favorite moment as a father. I wasn't too concerned about letting people know a little more about me, because I'm literally an open book. Four of them to be exact!
There's a lot of info out there about me and I felt comfortable sharing this Santa fascination with people. In the end, it's something I'm really proud of and I consider being a good Santa just as important as being a good wrestler or good writer.
MS: Tell me about bringing in other wrestlers, like Roddy Piper and Jerry Lawler, into this project.
MF: Yeah, Jerry Lawler makes a cameo, and Tommy Dreamer. I love Roddy's reactions when I tell him that I just visted Santa's house. I've seen the movie three times with audiences and he gets two huge reactions. One just from the arch of an eyebrow. And the second out of his exclamation, "You went to Santa's house!" It's really funny, and I don't even know if Roddy knows he's in the movie so we'll have to send him a DVD and let him know he was a big hit.
MS: With all these Santa's, like Santa Russell Spice, Santa Bob Gerardi, and Santa Jim Stevenson, what did you find most surprising about them?
MF: I think what viewers find most surprising is just how much people cherish this role and the dedication they put into the best portrayal they can possibly give. I saw the similarity immediately between people who live for their moments in the chair with the red suit and people who live for their moments in the ring, like I connected immediately with it. I was surprised how fully immersed I became in that world, culture, how many great friends I made in that community.
MS: What do you want the audience to come away with when they see this movie?
MF: I think primarily you want them to think that their 90 minutes was time well spent. Any dollars they had to spend was a good investment financially as well. I think a good documentary makes people ask questions. And then they can decide for themselves, "Who is fit to wear the red suit? And who is not?" I just want people to enjoy it, to think, to talk about it when they're through.
MS: What other projects are you working on now?
MF: Let me see. I have a one-man show that I tour with where I tell very animated, slightly exaggerated stories from my wrestling days. And I'm between that and being Santa and playing a small role in a great independent movie, called Dixieland, and playing a character in a nice little horror film, called Hellevator Man. I'm pretty busy!
I Am Santa Claus is available on Blu-ray, DVD, Digital/VOD platforms, and streaming on Netflix.
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