{"id":17857,"date":"2016-11-30T17:23:40","date_gmt":"2016-12-01T01:23:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/moviesharkdeblore.com\/site\/?p=17857"},"modified":"2016-11-30T17:24:31","modified_gmt":"2016-12-01T01:24:31","slug":"kathy-bates-talks-bad-santa-2-and-acting-i-feel-like-i-can-just-play-exclusive-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/behindthelensonline.net\/site\/interviews\/kathy-bates-talks-bad-santa-2-and-acting-i-feel-like-i-can-just-play-exclusive-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"KATHY BATES talks BAD SANTA 2 and Acting: “I feel like I can just play!” – Exclusive Interview"},"content":{"rendered":"

The boys are back in BAD SANTA 2, but this time they\u2019ve got company in the form of Kathy Bates.<\/p>\n

\"Kathy
Kathy Bates at BAD SANTA 2 premiere. Photo courtesy of Broad Green.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When we last saw everyone\u2019s favorite Christmas bad boys in BAD SANTA, con man Willie Soke and his partner in crime Marcus Skidmore were pulling off a sure-fire Christmas con playing Santa and his helper elf with the idea being to rip-off the department stores and make themselves some quick Christmas cash. Needless to say, the job didn\u2019t go as planned, quite possibly due to Willie\u2019s depression and his befriending of a young misfit boy named Thurman Merman, which sent Willie into an even greater depressive alcoholic tailspin and landed Marcus in the joint.<\/p>\n

\"kathy-bates-1\"
Kathy Bates and Billy Bob Thornton (l. to r.) in BAD SANTA 2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fast forward thirteen years. Marcus is now out of the joint, Willie is still a depressed alcoholic, and Thurman Merman is all grown up and still caring about Willie. So what does one do if you\u2019re Willie and your former partner (who, by the way, did try and kill you) comes around with a new get-rich-quick scheme which requires your top-notch safe cracking skills? You say yes, of course. But what happens when you find out the scheme is the brainchild of your own mother whom you haven\u2019t seen in decades (seems she let you take the rap in your youth for crimes she committed), but now you\u2019ve got to team up with her again just to make a cool one-third of two million in cash? You still say yes. And then you have Thurman Merman showing up looking for some Santa love. The result is lewd, crude, rude, raucous, riotous, laugh-out loud, over the top hilarity filled with heart.<\/p>\n

With \u201cMean Girls\u201d director Mark Waters taking over the directorial reins from \u201cBad Santa\u2019s\u201d Terry Zwigoff, and script by Johnny Rosenthal and Shauna Cross, the remaining key to BAD SANTA 2 is the cast. Thankfully, Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Cox and Brett Kelly are all back as Willie, Marcus and Thurman, but the added spice to this sequel is Kathy Bates as Willie\u2019s mother, Sunny Soke.<\/p>\n

\"Billy
Billy Bob Thornton and Kathy Bates (l. to r.), BAD SANTA 2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

An acting legend, Kathy Bates’ whose resume reads like a Who\u2019s Who in film. \u00a0As Molly Brown she survived the sinking of the “Titanic”. \u00a0In “Misery”, her Annie Wilkes was Paul Sheldon’s “biggest fan”. \u00a0As Mama Boucher she finally cheered on her son, “The Waterboy”. \u00a0Why Kathy Bates has even voiced a cow in “Charlotte’s Web”. \u00a0And on television she has made us laugh with her antics on “The Office” and “Two and A Half Men” while piquing morbid curiosity as Agnes Winstead in “American Horror Story.” \u00a0And that’s not even the tip of the iceberg. \u00a0 In BAD SANTA 2, as Sunny Soke, this is a Kathy Bates performance the likes of which we have never seen. Covered in tats and piercings and sporting a mohawk, wearing leather biker garb and hanging out in biker bars, just the sight of Bates in character is jaw-dropping enough to have you in stitches. But then the performance unfolds with nuance, and laughter, and heart, and BAD SANTA 2 takes on another unexpected layer.<\/p>\n

I sat down with Kathy Bates during the recent Los Angeles press tour for BAD SANTA 2 and with lots of laughter between us thanks to her rapier sense of humor, talked not only about BAD SANTA 2, but some of her life experiences, chatting about everything from good vodka to flexible tripods, Zoom recorders, family, and of course, her passion – acting.<\/p>\n

\"BAD
BAD SANTA 2 Press Conference. November 12, 2016, Los Angeles, California. Copyright 2016 Elias Entertainment.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This part of Sunny Soke is something we haven\u2019t seen from you – ever. And I must say it is a far cry from playing Mother Claus in \u201cFred Claus\u201d.<\/strong><\/p>\n

[LAUGHING] Truly. Truly.<\/p>\n

As you look back at the careers of so many actors and actresses, everybody seems to do a Christmas- themed movie. What is the appeal as an actor for these Christmas-themed movies?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think I did either of those movies because they were Christmas movies. And certainly, I did this movie because of Billy Bob [Thornton]. When he was talking today, you were in that conference, when he was talking about making the sequel, if Tony [Cox] and Brett [Kelly] hadn\u2019t been in it, I don\u2019t think I would have done it; as much as I love Billy Bob. I might have depending on the script or whatever, but let\u2019s just say it this way – with these guys it was a no brainer. If it had been just Billy Bob, although I love working with him, I really would have had to read the script and say, \u201cOkay, I want to do it. Let\u2019s talk about this and really think about it.\u201d Because as I said today, just seeing those guys, it\u2019s just magic! It\u2019s a magic chemistry that they share and you really do just want to hang out with them. And as an actor, as a performer, that\u2019s gold.<\/p>\n

\"Tony
Tony Cox and Kathy Bates (l. to r.) in BAD SANTA 2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The chemistry is amazing. But you fit right in. Of course, you\u2019ve worked with Billy Bob before in \u201cPrimary Colors\u201d.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Isn\u2019t that brilliantly written? Elaine May. And Billy Bob! That scene! Don\u2019t you love the scene, the bear shitting in the woods? Ohhhhh my God! That\u2019s my favorite scene. [laughing hysterically]<\/p>\n

Something that I noticed that is particularly appealing to me with BAD SANTA 2, is when you look beyond all the comedy and the lewdness, crudeness, raucousness and the laughter, there is so much heart here. And that heart comes with this great parental dynamic going on between Sunny and Willie, Willie and Thurman. Did that surprise you about the script, to see the heart that comes through? Willie does buy, or rather, steals, Sunny a bottle of cough medicine.<\/strong><\/p>\n

[laughing] I know. Wasn\u2019t that sweet? I thought about that today. I don\u2019t want to give away the ending, but the ending is so tender, but it\u2019s in character. When he leaves his little gifts, they\u2019re in character. I saw the heart that you just referred to when I went to the screening. I had to have a screening so I could talk to you about this and I didn\u2019t realize when [Thurman] sings, I just got chills.<\/p>\n

\"Brett
Brett Kelly and Kathy Bates (l. to r.) in BAD SANTA 2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And with the Christmas pageant scene in which Thurman sings his Christmas solo, Mark [Waters] moves the camera up to the balcony and you\u2019ve got Willie standing there in tears. Was that something that really surprised you about this film? The level of heart in it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was so unexpected. Never expected it. And also how seamlessly Mark guided that. Just as you said, when he put the camera there, but even with the plot moving along, it seamlessly fit in there. It wasn\u2019t like, all of a jump to let\u2019s get fuzzy here. It came through the rest of the flow of the film. You leave feeling hopeful. Let\u2019s face it. Everybody\u2019s different. I remember a couple of friends of mine. They\u2019re gay. They had a surrogate pregnancy and they had twins. They went up to a state kind of known for their rough and tumble redneck people. They got on the plane and his partner was across with one baby and he was there with the other. And there was this guy sitting next to him who really looked like a redneck truck driver. So my friend was, \u201cOh God. Oh God. Here we go.\u201d And he was nervous having the baby in his lap and everything. Finally when they got in the air, this guy turned to him and said, \u201cAre you nervous?\u201d And Steve said, \u201cYeah.\u201d And the guy said, \u201cYou guys\u2019ll be alright.\u201d You just never know. Until you take the time to really look at somebody, really look in their eyes and really talk to them. . .and I think now that\u2019s the message [of BAD SANTA 2]. I hope people just go and laugh their rear ends off at this movie, first of all. But I hope it shows people that there\u2019s a heart in each one of us and you don\u2019t know where it\u2019s gonna come from.<\/p>\n

You leave this film with that Christmasy feeling. You really do. And we haven\u2019t seen that with any of the \u201cChristmas\u201d films so far this year. This gives you more of a Christmas feeling than the others have, which is very surprising.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah. I think so, too. I\u2019m so glad. I didn\u2019t know how it would turn out. As I said earlier, this chemistry between Billy Bob and Tony; I just revered it so. I remember the first time I met with all of them. We were at Billy Bob\u2019s house and I think I did have a glass of vodka [laughing]. He said, \u201cOh, you want some?\u201d And I said, \u201cYes! Do we have any vodka in the house?\u201d, because I was a little nervous. We all sat down and I said, \u201cGuys, I just have to tell you, I\u2019m just so honored to be here, to be having this opportunity to do this with you.\u201d And I just wanted to make sure I didn\u2019t upset the apple cart. I didn\u2019t want [Sunny] to have the wrong tone. I didn\u2019t want her to be too serious, too dark, whatever. I really applaud Mark [Waters] for managing all that.<\/p>\n

So, I have to ask, how fun was it to be part of Santa Con?<\/strong><\/p>\n

That was wild! When I went to the set and I saw how all of them were dressed so differently! I didn\u2019t realize that was a real thing. I said, \u201cAre you shitting me? There really is a Santa Con?\u201d They said, \u201cOh yeah! They\u2019re all over the place.\u201d It was hysterical.<\/p>\n

And you got to do an action sequence!<\/strong><\/p>\n

I know! Right! Right! And with a gun! We had an armory guy there!<\/p>\n

\"Tony
Tony Cox, Kathy Bates, Billy Bob Thornton (l. to r.) in BAD SANTA 2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Something I find striking is that you\u2019ve done your share of directing with various television projects. \u201cAmbulance Girl\u201d telemovie and then some episodics. When you look at scripts now, or when you are working on a project, does the little director\u2019s hat ever come into play as you\u2019re looking at something, as to how you might be interpreting it from a directorial standpoint?<\/strong><\/p>\n

No. And the reason I say that emphatically is that I was trained that you can only think about one thing at a time. I think in this day of people saying, \u201cOh, I can multitask\u201d, I\u2019d say, \u201cUh, not really.\u201d Also, because acting really is playing pretend and the word play is always there for me. So when I\u2019m an actor, I feel like, \u201cOkay. That\u2019s somebody else\u2019s job! [laughing] I can just play. I can just think.\u201d And also because I always want to be there as the character with the other characters. I won\u2019t say who, but years ago I remember doing a play with someone who did have that mentality, who did think \u201cI\u2019m a director and that\u2019s what I can do.\u201d I could feel him pull out of the scenes with me and watch what I was doing instead of being in the scene with me. I never wanted to do that. It\u2019s somebody else\u2019s job to do that and I can just play like a kid. It\u2019s so much fun.<\/p>\n

Do you want to go back and do some more directing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

You know, someone asked me about that recently. The reason I stopped was because I got sick with ovarian cancer in 2003 and I had chemo and that kind of knocked the stuffing out of me for awhile. Then I had to work and make money and at that time I couldn\u2019t make a lot of money as a director so I kept doing my craft as an actor. Now recently, I had a double mastectomy five years ago, but I\u2019m feeling so good and so healthy, and I\u2019ve lost weight and I feel like I have a lot of energy, and I\u2019m considering maybe doing an episode here or there of something. But I wouldn\u2019t certainly have the cache that Mark has and the time, because you really are tied to one project for a year or so. I\u2019m more mercurial than that! [laughing]<\/p>\n

\"Jessica
Jessica Tandy and Kathy Bates (l. to r.) in FRIED GREEN TOMATOES<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Your career is storied. It is long. \u00a0It is iconic at this point with the roles and the characters that you have played. What is the greatest gift that acting has given you, that keeps you going?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hmmm [long pause]. A passion for living, that\u2019s for sure. A reason to live, that\u2019s for sure. When I worked with Jessica Tandy in \u201cFried Green Tomatoes\u201d years ago, it was as though she was 16. But she was 84. And I was tired. I had been on a tour to Japan for \u201cMisery\u201d and I had lost my focus. I knocked on her trailer one day and she opened it and she took one look at my face and she said, \u201cYou want to talk to the wise woman?\u201d [laughing] I said, \u201cYes! I do!\u201d She advised me to go back to the theatre, which I didn\u2019t do. I should have. But oddly enough, I have gone back to the theatre and now with this sitcom that I\u2019m doing for Chuck Lorre called \u201cDisjointed\u201d. . . I feel like this is my play with Chuck. And I love being back at Warner Bros. and working for Peter Roth. I think I\u2019m just gonna stay here, I hope, for a few years. We\u2019re gonna do it for NetFlix. It\u2019s gonna be a binger. . . We had our first big audience and we just shot it on Wednesday night. Of course being in front of the audience and being able to do a comedy was wonderful in that give and take in the feel of it. But also, I found a little seat in back because I wanted to be sure I had my lines right. And it reminded me of when I first started out in the theatre in Santa Maria, California when I was very young. 1969. I would lie down in the vomitory and I would just look up at them on stage and I would watch the thing over and over and over again. I\u2019d be in the dark all by myself. I found that same feeling when I was sitting in this little chair and I would hear them doing the other scenes. I just though \u201cI\u2019m home.\u201d And I just feel so grateful. I feel grateful to be alive. I feel grateful to be working and to be challenged and to keep doing what I love to do and giving other people pleasure. And now being right there in the middle where I can feel them laughing and getting the pleasure, I don\u2019t know how to say thank you enough.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The boys are back in BAD SANTA 2, but this time they\u2019ve got company in the form of Kathy Bates. When we last saw everyone\u2019s favorite Christmas bad boys in BAD SANTA, con man Willie Soke and his partner in crime Marcus Skidmore were pulling off a sure-fire Christmas con playing Santa and his helper […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17866,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3626,5],"tags":[5258,5257,3557,1489,4928],"class_list":["post-17857","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interview-exclusives","category-interviews","tag-acting","tag-bad-santa-2","tag-billy-bob-thornton","tag-exclusive-interview","tag-kathy-bates"],"yoast_head":"\nKATHY BATES talks BAD SANTA 2 and Acting: "I feel like I can just play!" - Exclusive Interview - Behind The Lens Online<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Behind the Lens is your home for in-depth movie reviews, filmmaker & celebrity interviews, and more, 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