’S
C OT T
ER S
WALT
W A LT E R S C O T T A S K S . . .
PETER
BILLINGSLEY
In A Christmas Story Christmas (Nov. 17
on HBO Max), Billingsley, 51, reunites
with the role and setting of
A Christmas Story, the
1983 family comedy
that became a holiday
classic. As the now-
grown Ralphie Parker,
he returns to Cleve-
land Street in Illinois
to give his kids a magi-
cal Christmas like the
one he remembers, and to reconnect
with childhood friends Schwartz (R.D.
Robb) and Flick (Scott Schwartz), his
younger brother, Randy (Ian Petrella),
and the bully Scut Farkus (Zack Ward).
2 | NOVEMBER 13, 2022
What souvenirs IN THE BEGINNING
did he keep from A
Christmas Stor y? Go to
Parade.com/ralphie
to find out.
How has Ralphie changed over the
years? In many ways, he’s very similar.
He has a wife, children, but he’s still
very much a dreamer and still pretty
relentless. If the answer’s no, he keeps
pushing. He knows what he wants,
[and] he’s trying to figure out his way
to get it.
Are you able to tease anything about
the story? The movie takes place in
Chicago in the ’70s. Ralphie gets a call
to go home to Hohman, where he grew
up, back to the house to put on a
Christmas for his children like the one
he had when he was a kid. In some
ways, it’s a midlife coming-of-age for
him, in a good way.
There’s another gauntlet that he has
to move through, similar to the original
in his pursuit of the BB gun. It’s fun be-
cause we’re still in a period piece, so
we’re able to take advantage of it. It’s
set in the ’70s, but similar to the origi-
nal, which was not really stated as the
early ’40s, it still sort of feels timeless.
This is very much the same thing.
And I can tell you this, which was
fantastic: We had the opportunity to
re-create the entire street where the
original house was. So, we built 11
structures, including Ralphie’s house,
the neighboring houses, ones across
the street and down the street. So
you’re transported back
very much to the feel of
the original movie.
There was a lot of
attention paid to detail,
to re-creating the
interior of the house
that maybe would be
slightly updated but
feels very familiar.
Is there anything from
the 1983 movie that still makes you
laugh? I’ve always had a fondness for
Darren McGavin’s portrayal of the old
man [Ralphie’s father] and his relation-
ship with Ralphie. He’s the one charac-
ter in the movie that Ralphie never asks
for the [Red Ryder BB gun], and he’s
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Before he was Ralphie, Peter Billing-
sley was in plenty of 1970s commer-
cials for such brands as Geritol, Sig-
nal mouthwash and Hershey’s Syrup.
He says the Geritol commercial is
one of his earliest memories. “I think
I was 2 and a half, just before 3.” He
remembers that the commercial
business back then was fun for a
youngster. “Yes, I played Little
League and other things, but it was
an opportunity to have a different
kind of experience. That was always
the thing my parents said: ‘If this ever
stops being fun, we’ll just stop. If
you’re enjoying it, we can find a way
to support it, but if it’s not, we’ll just
stop.’ It always felt exciting and fun,
and it felt challenging and was some-
thing that I really enjoyed doing.”
NOT THAT ELF
That’s Billingsley in another holiday
favorite, playing an elf su-
pervisor (called Ming
Ming) in El
Elf ! He didn’t
take a credit for the
role, but when eagle-
eyed fans finally
spotted him, it
was an internet
w
sensation.
the one who actually gives it to him.
There’s something about that father-
son relationship that I love.
Why do you think people cherish the
movie so much? One thing I’ve heard
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: VALERIE MACON/AFP/GETTY IMAGES; NEW LINE/EVERETT; EVERETT
fans say over and over again: “That’s
my family.” They’ll tell me that it feels
very real. It’s not the bubblegum ver-
sion that’s all perfect, nor is it dark.
There’s just a reality to it that I think is
relatable, from the parents and the
practicalities of life to the hopes and
dreams of kids, to the struggles of just
getting to school in the cold.
Other than Christmas, what’s your
favorite holiday? Thanksgiving. I think
there’s a lot of the same elements. Just
behind that is the Fourth of July. I just
love the coming together and the grat-
itude and being with loved ones and
the chance for reflection.