There has long been a physical element to the performances of actors’ actor J.K. Simmons. He first started working during his time on the prison drama Oz, in which he and many of his castmates filmed nude scenes (Christopher Meloni first broke out his famous butt on that show). His intense, Oscar-winning turn in Whiplash has an inherent physicality to it. And while filming Terminator: Genisys, Simmons reportedly worked out with Arnold Schwarzenegger himself at bodybuilding paradise Gold’s Gym in Venice Beach.
But he might have just taken on his most demanding project yet, getting more shredded than ever before in order to play one of the most iconic figures in modern pop culture. No, not a superhero or mythological character. We’re talking, of course, about Santa Claus.
In a set of new stills from the set of the new festive comedy Red One, an absolutely ripped Simmons can be seen pumping iron in character as Saint Nick himself, while being spotted by The Rock.
Red One, set to be released in 2023, also stars Chris Evans (Knives Out), Nick Kroll (Big Mouth), Lucy Liu (Strange World) and Kiernan Shipka (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina). A co-production of Amazon Prime Studios and Dwayne Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions, the movie is described as “reimagining holiday mythology” and is expected to launch a whole new franchise. Which means that Santa Claus might be about to enter the canon of all-time great action heroes… as is his right.
Philip Ellis is a freelance writer and journalist from the United Kingdom covering pop culture, relationships and LGBTQ+ issues. His work has appeared in GQ, Teen Vogue, Man Repeller and MTV.
