Trivia / Bad Santa 2

• Actor-Shared Background: Willie claims to have been born in Little Rock, Arkansas, which is where Billy Bob Thornton is from. He also shares Thornton's birthday - August 4th.
• B-Team Sequel: Neither Terry Zwigoff, nor The Coen Brothers, nor the original writers returned for the sequel.
• Creator Backlash: Billy Bob Thornton stated in 2014 that he never expected a sequel to top the first Bad Santa, and only returned because of the pay and to help out other actors who needed the work.
• Dyeing for Your Art: Brett Kelly (Thurman) slimmed down a lot after 2003, and so was no longer recognized as the fat kid from the first movie. He wanted to return for the sequel but was required to gain at least 40 pounds to do so, so he went about eating lots of smoked meat sandwiches and Chicago deep-dish pizzas. He ended up gaining 50 pounds.
• Real Life Writes the Hairstyle: Kathy Bates wore a wig while playing Mrs. Claus, which she removes when out of costume. Her real hair was short due to filming American Horror Story at the same time.
• Recycled Set: The exterior police station shots were the same exteriors used for the precinct in Hill Street Blues.
• Saved from Development Hell: Billy Bob Thornton at first wanted the sequel to be released for December 2011, but filming didn't begin until January 2016.
• Underage Casting: Kathy Bates is only seven years older than Billy Bob Thornton who plays her son.
• What Could Have Been:
  • At first, Willie's father Earl was going to be the main antagonist of the movie. Since Willy's father was already described as a jerkass in the original film, the writers decided to have the antagonist be Willy's mother instead, subverting the common perception of mothers being more loving than fathers by having her be just as cruel and wicked.
  • Lauren Graham was approached to reprise her role as Sue, Willie's love interest. When scheduling conflicts with Gilmore Girls prevented this, the character was replaced with a new love interest.

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