Virgin River favorite Alexandra Breckenridge went all-in for her latest holiday film My Secret Santa — and that included spending long days buried under 15 pounds of prosthetics, padding and a full Santa suit. The transformation may have looked jolly on-screen, but behind the scenes? Not so much.
“It’s the most uncomfortable thing in the world,” the 43-year-old actress told Us Weekly. With a glued-on beard, mustache, wig and a fake belly, “my skin was just really angry,” she admitted. Eating was nearly impossible, and the hours-long sessions left her face “suffocating” under the makeup.
And while the bulky suit kept her warm during outdoor scenes filmed in below-zero temperatures, it was a different story indoors.
“In Santa’s Village, I was so hot,” she said. “I had ice packs in the front and back of my suit, and my prosthetics team kept fanning me. The photos from set are hysterical.”
Despite the physical misery, Breckenridge said the role was a creative dream come true. Playing Taylor — a single mom who disguises herself as an elderly Santa to land a job — let her essentially play “a character within a character.”
“It was the most fun I’ve had acting in a long time,” she shared. “I got to be silly and ridiculous.”
Still, she admits the project terrified her at first.
“I thought, ‘This could go terribly wrong if people don’t believe the character.’ But challenging yourself is part of life.”
To get into Santa mode, she looked to Tim Allen in The Santa Clause, but ultimately it was the costume that unlocked the character.
“Once everything was on, I found a walk. That’s when it clicked.”
Breckenridge also isn’t actually singing in the movie’s big musical moment.
“It’s not my voice — singing scared me more than playing Santa!” she laughed. She did play the guitar, though the song was “shockingly hard” thanks to her “tiny pinkies” and the freezing weather that left her fingers stiff.
Fortunately, building on-screen chemistry with co-star Ryan Eggold was the easiest part. The pair have been friends for decades, making their romantic tension — and Taylor’s complicated feelings for both Matthew and Santa — effortless.
“If you share a similar sense of humor, you fall into rhythm quickly,” she said. “It’s like rallying a tennis ball.”
With a charming cast and Breckenridge’s standout dual performance, My Secret Santa is already being touted as one of Netflix’s most delightful holiday releases of the year — and she hopes fans feel the joy behind all the hard work.
“I love Virgin River, but I wanted a role I could really sink my teeth into,” she said. “And this was definitely that.”
My Secret Santa is now streaming on Netflix.
