ComingSoon Senior Editor Spencer Legacy spoke with It’s a Wonderful Knife star Joel McHale about the holiday horror movie from RLJE Films and Shudder. The actor discussed playing two different versions of one character, working with Justin Long, and more. It’s a Wonderful Knife is now available on Shudder on AMC+ and everywhere you rent movies.
“A year after saving her town from a psychotic killer on Christmas Eve, Winnie Carruthers’ life is less than wonderful — but when she wishes she’d never been born, she finds herself in a nightmare parallel universe and discovers that without her, things could be much, much worse,” reads the film‘s synopsis. “Now the killer is back, and she must team up with the town misfit to identify the killer and get back to her own reality. It’s a Wonderful Life by way of Scream.”
Spencer Legacy: What drew you to It’s a Wonderful Knife to begin with?
Joel McHale: Well, of course, you start with the script, but I was going to say that I don’t like wordplay, so when I saw the title, I was like, “Oh man, ‘It’s a Wonderful Knife?'” And then I was like, “Oh, there’s no other name for this movie that would work.” It’s a perfect title because it’s a comedy horror holiday movie, and it’s using the same mechanism that It’s a Wonderful Life did. So it was the perfect name.
Then I read the script, and I was like, “This seems like it would be really fun.” They were very nice to offer me the role. I thought the writing was good, and the story was really good, so I was like, “Yeah, I’m in.” And I ran up to Canada, and we shot it pretty quick — that schedule was really tight.
In that tight schedule, you’re playing two versions of one character. What was the process of portraying that same character in two vastly different ways?
Well, I think Tyler MacIntyre, our fearless director — who was outstanding. He really guided those things and made it very easy to navigate the difference. The first version is almost like a Hallmark dad, then you dive into the noir version. So, with Tyler’s help, it wasn’t hard to make those transitions. The scenes are really intense on the darker side, and Jane [Widdop] is such a movie star that it was easy to be her scene partner. It was great. I had a blast, and it was a really good challenge.
In a lot of your roles, you play a very charming, funny, or outgoing guy, but then here, you’re this grieving and very intense and menacing character. Was it difficult getting in that headspace, or was it a fun challenge?
Yeah, it was a fun challenge, with what level to bring it in — like how intense and those sorts of things, which Tyler really helped clarify. But I think the scene with Jane, where it’s just her and I talking, really helped establish the rest of that journey, but helped me go, “All right, so this is where this guy is.”
Then, yeah, again, you get people like Justin Long — he’s extraordinary. I think it really does blend well. You get terrified, you laugh, and then you go back to being terrified. In these comedy horror genre holiday movies, the laughs have to be as big as the scares and the terrifying parts.
Speaking of Justin Long, he’s so great at being these abrasive and menacing but entertaining characters — especially in horror movies. He’s been on a roll with that. How was acting opposite to him in this genre?
He’s one of the best actors I’ve ever acted with. He’s so good. He’s so funny. As you’ve just mentioned, Barbarian, my kids — my 15 and 8-year-old just saw Barbarian and they loved it. That guy just has talent coming out of his ears. It’s just such a pleasure to work with him and I hope, someday, it happens again. He’s one of those guys where everything that comes out of his mouth is authentic. He was just so on top of it.
The natural ability, which he has honed, obviously, is pretty extraordinary. I think Barbarian, which he was co-lead in, shows, shows that he can do it all. The character he played in It’s a Wonderful Knife is more over-the-top, and it’s just so funny and so good — and, as you said, menacing, really creepy, and just so funny. When you can be menacing and funny, it’s pretty hard to do.
I imagine. We talked about your director a bit, Tyler MacIntyre. He has a lot of experience with horror, with things like a V/H/S/99 segment and Patchwork. What was working with him like, and how did that passion for the genre come through during filming?
He knew exactly what he wanted, which is so important in a director. [Laughs]. Because they’re the captain of the ship. It sounds … so it’s a bad thing to compare, but the opposite is somebody that’s not really sure, and that’s a recipe for disaster. He knew exactly what he wanted, which was so comforting, and he knew where the ship was going. When he got what he wanted, we moved on, and I was like, “Oh, this is why this guy’s going to be directing for as long as he wants to.”
With the genre, it’s hard to feel it while you’re doing it. The lighting was really different in the noir stuff, so that was a change. But he really knew what he wanted. When you get to set early in the morning and they know exactly what they want with the shots that they want and how they want them to appear, it makes the day go fast and it gives you the confidence of where this ship is heading. He’s really great.
Speaking of Christmas movies, we’re coming up on the 10 year anniversary of A Merry Friggin’ Christmas. How do you look back on that experience and working with Robin Williams on it all these years later?
Well, when I see 10 years, I’m like, “Wow, I’m old!” [laughs]. It is a bittersweet memory now, because Robin passed just as we were about to promote it. I’ve said this before, but that cliché of “Don’t meet your heroes” is definitely not true, because Robin was everything you could ever hope for in your hero and in a movie star.
He wore his emotions in these scenes on his sleeve, and he really taught me a lot. And I miss him. Every time I think about him, it makes me … it’s such a happy and sad memory. What a gift to the planet. I saw Lauren Graham literally last night, and we were like, “Wow. We’re very lucky.” The movie’s not necessarily the greatest, but boy, I got to spend time with Robin Williams and Lauren, and I’ll take that any day of the week.
The Community movie’s coming up. What are you most excited about in regards to getting production on that started with everybody again?
I think the most I’m looking forward to is hanging out again. Of course, we get to make a really great Dan Harmon movie. But seeing those people again … they are like family. After we did that table read during Covid, I was very emotional and I realized how miss I much those folks and what a special time that was. I can’t wait to just sit around that table again and see everybody, and I’ll cry like a baby when it’s over.
