![Kimberly Williams Paisley](https://hollywoodlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/kimberly-paisley-exclusive-interview-ftr.jpg?quality=100&w=384&h=216&crop=1)
Netflix’s The Christmas Chronicles was viewed 20 million times in its first week on the streaming platform, making the Kurt Russell-lead film nothing short of a hit! In the movie, Kimberly Williams Paisley plays a grieving widow named Claire, who is the mother of Kate (Darby Camp) and Teddy Pierce (Judah Lewis). The actress, beloved for her role in Father Of The Bride, spoke to HollywoodLife.com in an EXCLUSIVE interview about the new magical holiday movie! “I did invest so much time in figuring out who Claire is, and just the emotional reality of what that must be like, going through your first holiday without your husband,” she explained. “I felt a lot of the pain of it as I was portraying the character, and what that must be like, trying really hard to pull the family back together, and to be there for her kids. But also, she has to make a living. She’s got to leave them on Christmas Eve to go to work, and that sometimes that happens. They’re all just trying to make the best of it.”
When Claire is working on the eve of the big holiday, Teddy and Kate team up to try to catch Santa on camera, but they end up putting all of Christmas in jeopardy when they crash St. Nick’s sleigh! “When the kids spend this whole night with Santa Claus it really sets them on a path of healing, for the first time really, since this tragic accident,” Kimberly said. She went on to rave over Kurt Russell’s portrayal of the jolly old man, himself! “He was so cool. He’s such a rocking, rocking Santa Claus. He’s kind of edgy and sexy, and a little bit bad,” she explained. “He’s got this fantastic red leather coat that we weren’t allowed to touch. They couldn’t get it wet. His beard apparently was real. I never tugged on it to make sure!”
Kimberly added, “He loves Christmas, and is Mister Santa Claus at his house, so I think in many ways he was born to play this role!” Plus, with a surprise appearance from Kurt’s real-life Mrs. Claus, Goldie Hawn, it’s hard not to think these two are the real deal! The Christmas Chronicles is now available to stream on Netflix — so get some hot cocoa and cuddle up with the family to watch the magic come to life!