Below are minor spoilers for That Christmas, a film that was released as part of the 2024 movie schedule. If you still need to catch up, you can check it out with a Netflix subscription.
Who do you think of when Santa Claus comes to mind? Tim Allen in The Santa Clause? Richard Attenborough on Miracle on 34th Street? Did you ever believe Brian Cox, of all people, could be Santa? Well, I certainly never did – but when I spoke to That Christmas screenwriter and executive producer Richard Curtis about why the team chose the iconic Succession actor to voice their Santa Claus, everything made so much more sense.
For those who don't know, That Christmas is a new animated Christmas film released as part of the 2024 Netflix schedule. The film follows the story of a small town called Wellington-on-Sea and the intersecting stories that happen on the night of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and how the folks inevitably come together in their time of need during a major blizzard.
One character in particular is, of course, Santa Claus, the jolly red man himself, who Brian Cox voices. The Succession cast member isn't a newbie to voice-acting, but having the serious dramatic actor take on such a role as Santa was surprising to me. I knew when I spoke to Curtis that I had to ask why Cox was a perfect choice. His first instinct was that Cox was, honestly, the closest to the North Pole they could have! In fact, he's originally from Iceland:
Well, I think the first thing was that he is from the north. We just love the idea, and we don't know many Icelandic actors, so Scotland was about as close as you could get.
But Curtis continued, saying that Cox was the perfect pick for their version of Santa. They liked Cox's "toughness," as this Santa has to make certain decisions that you wouldn't normally see the legendary Christmas figure make, such as the moment he chooses who to give a stocking to on Christmas between the twins:
But there is a kind of toughness about Brian. He's not a very sentimental figure, either as a man or in lots of the things he has acted, and I quite liked that, particularly since Santa has to make one very tough decision and leave an empty stocking. So I liked the fact that there was a bit of grit in there with Brian.
Cox has done plenty of voice-acting work over his decades-long career, including stints on The Simpsons, Blade Runner: Black Lotus, Doctor Who, Danny Phantom, and more. He's even going to be voicing Helm Hammerhand in the upcoming The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. But his voice work as Santa has been some of my favorites so far.
Now, the way Curtis explained it, I can't picture anyone else but him in that specific Santa role. Listen, there are some really cool movies Santas, but I think Cox's version should be among that revered few because he feels much more real than a lot of portrayals. I have to give Curtis and the whole production team of That Christmas a round of applause for picking him.
There are so many new Christmas movies coming out on Netflix or others that have already been released, like the dominating Hot Frosty or the fun Merry Gentleman, but despite this I'd recommend the Love Actually director's latest, particularly if you're in need of a cute movie night with the kids and want a fun animation that will definitely make you cry at some point, then That Christmas is the one for you. And who knows? You might fall in love with Cox's portrayal of Santa, too.
