The ‘Sopranos’ Star Who ‘Bad Santa’ Was Written For

Terry Zwigoff’s Bad Santa premiered in 2003 and became an immediate box-office success. Described at the time as “It’s a Wonderful Life meets South Park,” it tells the story of a foul-mouthed alcoholic named Willie, played by Billy Bob Thornton, who works as a department store Santa every year to rob the mall he works at with his dwarf friend Marcus (Tony Cox). The film was well-received upon release and has since become a holiday staple. However, it was a troubled production from the start, and it was practically a Christmas miracle that it got made at all.

For starters, an R-rated Christmas movie was a tough sell. Universal passed on it because they thought it was misogynistic and anti-Christmas, among plenty of other things one would consider harmful. Miramax’s Bob Weinstein bought it