He only works one day a year. Better said, one night a year, December 24th. It is already bad luck to be incapacitated precisely on that date. Santa Claus was so happy flying with his sleigh and his reindeer (at full speed, yes) when he lost control of his vehicle and crashed into two petty criminals in the Plaza de Cibeles in Madrid.

Santa Claus and one of the mangantes, Salva, end up in the same hospital. Santa Claus is well aware that he will not be able to perform his annual task so he convinces Salva to take his place. Santiago Segura plays Santa Claus in Joaquín Mazón’s new film, Christmas in His Hands, which hits Spanish theaters today.

Ernesto Sevilla, Pablo Chiapella, Unax Hayden and María Boto accompany Segura on this Christmas adventure, who explains the ins and outs of filming in a conversation with La Vanguardia.

When you were a child, were you more into Santa Claus or the Three Wise Men?

I was what there was. I couldn’t choose. But my mother was very modern and when she realized that we could only play with the Kings’ toys for a couple of days before going back to school, she started writing to Santa Claus and my brother and I were amazed that that possibility existed. What happened with the Magi was cruel, the monarchy has those whims.

You are already the king of the Spanish family comedy, but Mazón is hot on your heels. Have you chosen to collaborate with the competition?

I like Mazón’s vision of comedy because he has the audience very present. I loved Elite Corps, I found La vida padre very nice and From Lost to Rio was more hooligan. Mazón takes a script and improves it.

After the series Father There Is No More Than One and A Todo Tren, can it be said that you have specialized in children’s films?

I don’t make children’s films. I make family films that are different, because it pleases the parents, who are no longer obliged, and the children do not spend the entire film asking ‘what happened?’. When I had my daughters, I realized that they couldn’t watch my movies and this avenue opened up.

In Christmas in His Hands he participates only as an actor. What does he prefer, acting or directing?

It’s more pleasant just to act. More relaxed, because you dedicate yourself to it body and soul. Directing involves many responsibilities and can be an ordeal.

How did you compose such a well-known character as Santa Claus?

We each have our idea of ??Santa Claus. I imagine him to be a generous, kind and adventurous guy, a man of action because, after all, every December 24th he travels around the world to leave gifts for children. And the truth is that the elves are a little exploited making gifts all year round. With the foreman, played by Emilio Gavira, he has an interesting boss-employee relationship. The elf wanted to be his substitute, but Santa Claus opts for Salva and, as bosses usually do, tells him a joke about how you are better off where you are…

Did you hesitate before accepting the role?

They sent me the script and a list of four possible actors for the role of Salva. I said I would only do it if they gave it to Ernesto Sevilla. I also asked them to add more jokes. Sevilla said yes, they introduced more jokes and I really got into it because my name is in the project and I can’t lower the bar. I don’t want to disappoint the viewers who follow me.

What is your relationship with Sevilla, Pablo Chiapella and Joaquín Reyes, from Albacete, who also participate in Christmas in Their Hands?

They make me very funny. Ernesto Sevilla and Joaquín Reyes directed the series Chapter 0 made up of pilot episodes with invented scripts that was really fun.

His duet with María Botto a la Pimpinela will be much talked about…

Ha. It’s a bit absurd, but since I’m very kamikaze, I found it funny. I am a big fan of the Pimpernel. I met them when they were acting in Las Vegas and they knew about me because Argentina is one of the few foreign countries where my films succeed. Then I met them in the Canary Islands when I was filming Summer Vacation. We were in the same hotel and they were already making the joke that I was chasing them. Now we are friends, I have seen them in Madrid and Buenos Aires and I always ask them for tickets to their concerts.

Although it is a comedy, Christmas in Your Hands also deals with some serious topics such as the bullying that Salva’s son suffers…

Bullying must be reported. When I was little they did it to me because I was fat. Children are very cruel by nature and they can hurt you for being a nerd, too tall, too short or whatever. In movies, bullies get what they deserve, something that doesn’t always happen in real life. That’s what cinema is for, at least this type of cinema, to sublimate the viewer’s desires.

Is there one type of cinema better than another?

No. Cinema aimed at the general public is compatible with auteur cinema. There is cinema for everyone. Independent films can provide creativity and freshness. The important thing is that, regardless of their gender, they have quality.

In the film there is also a defense of public health, which carefully cares for Santa Claus and Salva…

There is no one in their right mind who is not proud of Spanish public healthcare. If you get sick in the United States, for example, you have to pay a brutal bill. A friend of mine felt bad in Miami. They operated on him and he was hospitalized for nine days. The joke cost him 290,000 euros. How do you deal with that?

You are thin now, how have you become Santa Claus, who has been a lifelong tripon?

With a creative belly based on prosthetics, a hair-by-hair beard and the suit, which always helps.

I understand that he did not make a new delivery of Torrente so as not to have to gain weight, but with this Santa Claus he already has the solution…

Yes. Although his face will look thin without the beard, Torrente’s belly is one of those that sticks to his waist thanks to his binge on fries and olives. So I can create a potbellied Torrent with a skinny face. The truth is that I would like to make a new Torrente because people ask me for it, but I can’t wait. I direct one film a year, I acted with other directors and I don’t want to saturate the market.

So will we have a new Santiago Segura family film for this summer?

Yes. I have already filmed Father There Is Only One 4. We are in the editing phase and it will be released on July 18.