Of all the movies shot in Edmonton, few are as notorious as Christmas in Wonderland.
The 2007 family holiday flick filmed in West Edmonton Mall was described by viewers as dreadful, except for Tim Curry’s performance. Not a surprise, considering the gifted English actor was known to steal scenes in movies like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Clue, It and Home Alone 2.
The Christmas in Wonderland cast included Patrick Swayze, Chris Kattan, Carmen Electra and Preston Lacy, but it was Curry’s campy portrayal as an RCMP investigator that was deemed the movie’s lone highlight.
Edmonton performer Donovan Workun, third from left, worked alongside Tim Curry in 2007’s Christmas in Wonderland, which was filmed in West Edmonton Mall.
Edmonton performer Donovan Workun worked alongside Curry in the movie and had nothing but praise for the celebrated actor, who died late Tuesday at the age of 80.
“He was an awesome guy. He was really, really fun,” Workun said on Wednesday. “The first time we ended up on set together, he had just flown in. He was really worried. He was pretty vulnerable. He’s like, ‘Oh, I just agreed to do this last minute, and I don’t know what the deal is.’ And he’s like, ‘Listen, I need your help. I need you to watch my eyes.’ His eyes were totally bloodshot from no sleep and all this travel. So he was like, ‘Every time we shoot, I’m gonna check with you and you tell me if my eyes are red. Maybe help me put my drops in.’ I’m like, yeah, 100 per cent. I’ll take care of you.'”
Workun remembered Curry as being “super funny and sassy” and a troublemaker on the set, but “in the best possible way.” Whereas Curry preferred to keep the working environment light-hearted, Swayze was more conceited.
“Patrick Swayze just kind of had this ego and this bravado about him that was kind of hilarious,” said Workun. “You’re shooting a movie in Edmonton, like dial it down a little bit.
“Tim and I, we’d be doing a scene and then in between takes, Tim would say some snide little comment just secretly to me, and we would laugh. Once he trusted me and knew I had his best intentions, he treated me like an equal, even though obviously he’s Tim Curry, and who the hell am I?”
For Workun, one gruelling scene stood out.
“We’re sitting there shooting, and we’re in now 24 hours straight. In between each take, Patrick Swayze would take his jacket off, unbutton his shirt, and then he had like four different vials of fluids that he was drinking, different cough syrups and stuff. Then he would just go, ‘I can’t.’ All right. And so then they would dress him, check his makeup. He would flub a line. He would undress. He would drink his fluids. He would get dressed again. So it was like 10 or 15 minutes between takes, which is unheard of.
“Patrick Swayze’s like, ‘I just can’t understand why I can’t get this line.’ And Tim Curry goes, ‘It’s because you haven’t f**king memorized them!’ I looked at Tim, and he looked at me, and we just laughed so hard.”
Patrick Swayze and Amy Schlagel in Christmas in Wonderland, shot in Edmonton.
Curry was remembered by Workun as being friendly on set, chatting with well-wishers and offering up autographs.
“He certainly didn’t have an ego at all. He was kind and generous and smart.”
Mike Robertson was a production assistant on Christmas in Wonderland, and while he didn’t have direct interaction with Curry, he recalled seeing him around the set making people laugh and cracking jokes.
“Tim Curry elevated the material,” Robertson said. “The guy was in a different movie; he was making it fun for himself.”
One amusing anecdote from the filming stood out in Robertson’s memory.
“Another PA, Ted, was hanging around and eating a sandwich by the craft services table. Tim Curry walked up to him silently and while keeping eye contact with him, bent over and took a bite out of his sandwich with a devilish smile,” Robertson said about the alleged incident. “(Curry) was a mischievous guy and knew he could get away with it.”
Related
Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the news you need to know — add EdmontonJournal.com and EdmontonSun.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here.
You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun.