‘A Christmas Story’ Star Zack Ward Talks Real ‘Magic’ of Holiday Classic and HBO Max Sequel, Details Big Charity Event at Original Movie House (Exclusive)

A Christmas Story is one of the most iconic holiday movies of all time, and now the franchise is back with a brand new sequel on HBO Max. PopCulture.com recently had a chance to chat with Zack Ward, who plays the original film’s bully, Scut Farkus, and he offered his take on the real “magic” of the original holiday film and its follow-up. Additionally, he offered some details on a big charity event he will be doing in Cleveland, Ohio at the original film house.

Opening up about A Christmas Story Christmas coming together, Ward explained, “There had been so many conversations about there being a follow-up film to the original Christmas Story, and then there had been a lot of options tossed out there and even a TV series, and they didn’t work. They weren’t the right voice. So we’d gone through this multiple times where it was yes and no and it was on deck, and then the writing just wasn’t there. It wasn’t until this one that it really all came together, it all gelled. So it’s a very happy surprise.”

Ward went on to note some crucial correlations between the original film and its new sequel. “There’s multiple levels to the movie. There’s a level where if you’ve never seen the original Christmas Story and you just want something funny and sweet for Christmas, it works,” he said. “Then there’s a whole different other level that connects not only to the original film but also more so to the original fans. What I mean by that is people who grew up knowing it and then are grownups now, and their lives are changing as you grow up, which is what happens in life. It actually addresses that in a way that is timeless. It’s always going to be that process that you go through in your life.

The actor then shared what he feels makes the iconic 1983 holiday movie so special. “Without giving away any spoilers, the thing I loved about the first movie, about A Christmas Story, that I think made it so classic, so relevant is that, look, there was no Santa Claus flying through the air with elves doing things in 30 seconds and traveling around the world and flying reindeer and bags of gifts that were endless and all the mythology of Christmas. There was none of that,” he said. “But there was magic.’

Ward elaborated, “There was real magic in the sense that it came from people’s imaginations, from a little boy and how he lived his life. So the crazy thing about A Christmas Story is that it is a Christmas film filled with hope, filled with passion and a family coming together. And the magic is in each of the characters without getting silly about it. It’s very honest, very real and I think that’s why people connect to it. The sequel or A Christmas Story Christmas carries that tradition.”

“It’s something that as you get older, you will connect with it more and it will tell more of your life story, whether you want it to or not,” he added. “I think that’s the beauty of a great movie is the more you watch it, the more you connect with it, the more you see. I think they did a wonderful job in making that happen, especially in an environment which has been difficult for filmmakers to make films that are not made by committee. You have a lot of people you have to please nowadays. You have to walk very careful lines about how you express things. I think that’s very important.”

Ward continued, “At the same time, you have to understand those rules and regulations in order to be inclusive in a very positive… at the same time, not dumb down the messaging. I think no matter who you are, where you come from, even if you’re not someone who celebrates Christmas, the story behind both A Christmas Story and A Christmas Story Christmas is really about the family. Christmas is just the timestamp that it’s wrapped around. These are moments in people’s lives. I think that’s the connective tissue that really, really works. I’m very proud.”

In addition to chatting about his iconic Christmas movie role, Ward also gave us some details on a big charity event he is part of that is coming up soon. “Saturday, December 17th I will be at the in Cleveland, Ohio from 10 o’clock in the morning to three o’clock in the afternoon,” he shared. “I will be signing autographs and taking photos, which will look amazing. We got this great photo background so we’ll turn it into a card for the family. And that’s all for free.”

He went on to share the purpose of the charity event, explaining, “The goal is that people, if they can, please donate to the Alzheimer’s Association. The Alzheimer’s Association will be there, as well. If you can’t make donations because you don’t have any money, and I totally understand that situation, then please just spread the word. There’s a lot of people that need help.”

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This is a subject close to Ward’s heart, as he shared with us that his “father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s two years ago. He’s stage six now, which is basically a walking coma. It’s sad, it’s depressing, it’s overwhelming, it’s heartbreaking. It is a nightmare and people need help with it. It is just life crushing.”

Ward went on to say, “So there’s a lot of people out there who could use some help. By supporting the Alzheimer’s Association, those people can make a phone call or people that they can talk to. Because when one person has Alzheimer’s, it ends up taking two to four people to take care of them. Those people are now losing money, losing time, losing their lives to take care of this one person. It’s not that one person’s fault, but it’s hard.”

He added, “So anybody who’s a caretaker for someone with dementia realizes it. It is overwhelming, man. So you need someone that you can talk to and just unravel on, and then regroup and go back at it and take care of somebody that you love while they melt inside their brains. It’s not to make this overly sad. Alzheimer’s sucks. If I could murder it, I would murder Alzheimer’s. Hopefully, we can find a solution and fix this because eventually, everybody who watches this will be older than they are now.” 

Both A Christmas Story and A Christmas Story Christmas are now streaming on HBO Max. For more details on Ward’s charity event, click here. Those who would like to know more about the Alzheimer’s Association and the work it is doing can follow this link. Check out our full interview with Ward in the video at the top of this page, and stay locked to Pop Culture.com for more of our chat with the beloved star!