Hot cold takes the concept introduced in the song “Frosty the Snowman” to new heights, turning it into a romantic comedy. The Netflix original is one of several Christmas films coming to the streaming service this holiday season, with this entry adding a festive dose of magical realism to the platform. The stars of the film Mean Girls‘Lacey Chabert and Dustin Milligan’ Schitt’s Creek as the romantic leads, alongside comedy powerhouses like Brooklyn 99Joe Lo Truglio and The officeIt’s Craig Robinson.
Chabert plays Kathy, a woman who still mourns the death of her husband, which occurred two years earlier, as Christmas approaches. One night, she places a scarf on a snowman displayed downtown, only for it to come to life during the night. Taking on the name Jack (Milligan), the now-sentient snowman struggles to adjust to his corporeal form as he grows closer to Kathy. However, his existence is in danger unless he finds a way to stop his imminent meltdown.
Screen speech interviewed Lacey Chabert and Dustin Milligan to discuss what it was like playing a newborn snowman, forming a romantic dynamic, and what it was like on set with so many of the comedic cast members.
Hot Frosty has more layers than viewers might expect
Life is hard for a snowman brought to life.
Screen Speech: Dustin, I’d love to hear a little bit about what it was like to get inside the head of a character like that, because it’s someone who is both kind of born a certain way but also learns really quickly, and I’m really curious about that.
Dustin Milligan: Yeah, it was interesting for me to read the script, because this character is, I think, not what you expect from a title like Hot Frosty. Maybe you’re not expecting the film in general to be as complex as it is, but with Jack specifically, he’s not just a one-note idiot, or entirely new. He, as you said, was kind of born into the world, but he was born into the world with this enthusiasm for learning and discovery, and I think especially with an enthusiasm for connection.
And that’s why he immediately connects with Cathy, because she’s the one who brought him to life through the magic and whimsy of this scarf that she puts around him. And it’s something that I’m really excited about, because in the arc that he goes through, he’s learning very quickly what it’s like to be alive, but also what the most important thing about being alive is, and that connection, and being with friends, family and loved ones.
Lacey, your character at first, very understandably, is very reticent to open up to Jack in any way, especially in a romantic sense. What do you think it is for her character that pushes her over the edge in that aspect and gives her a change of heart?
Lacey Chabert: Well, she’s going through grief after losing her husband two years earlier, and I think it’s scary – it’s so much easier for her to love other people and not herself. And there’s a scene we have in the car where Jack – she really lets her guard down and explains a little bit about the broken pieces of her heart, and Jack just tells her how he sees her, and I think that really changes something. in her, where she feels safe enough to have that little glimpse of the possibility of opening her heart again.
I think navigating grief, and perhaps sadness during the holidays, is a place many people find themselves in, and I hope the film offers some hope and reassurance. I think there’s a great comfort in the community that’s in this film, and in the way the community comes together, especially at the end of the film, and in the comfort they find just human connection, with the snowman, who may not be human. at all.
Dustin Milligan: Who knows?
Lacey Chabert: But it’s a great connection, the way they come together before he doesn’t melt down.
The cast of Hot Frosty was always “ready to play”
The film’s incredible comedic cast generated a lot of buzz
Like you said, there are a lot of layers to this movie, and I like that it has that really fun, silly layer on top of the deeper stuff as well. I’m curious in the filming to know if there were any scenes that were particularly difficult for you guys to get through just because there were a lot of breaks, or something like that?
Lacey Chabert: Yes, there were a few. I always found it difficult to film in the diner with everyone, with the entire cast, Craig [Robinson]and Joe [Lo Truglio]and Lauren [Holly]and Cátia [Mixon Greer]. Everyone was so funny when they were all together. Normally I was the first to break.
Dustin Milligan: I mean, we were very blessed with this cast. Everyone was so amazing and so willing to just play. We were excited because there is a blooper at the end of the film, which is so rare to see. But part of us thought, “Yes, but it could easily take another 25 minutes.” Because there are so many things that we were improvising with each other, and so many breakdowns. I think it’s a testament to the joy we had, the joy we had while we were filming it, and I think – ideally – the audience will have watching it.
More about Cold Hot (2024)
Two years after losing her husband, Kathy magically brings a beautiful snowman to life! Through his ingenuity, the snowman helps Kathy laugh, feel and love again, as the two fall in love just in time for the holidays… and before he melts.
Source: Screen Rant Plus