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Actor Zack Ward talks revisiting his iconic bully role in 'A Christmas Story' sequel
'A Christmas Story's' Scut Farkus has been striking fear into kids' hearts since 1983. Now actor Zack Ward is returning to the iconic role in the sequel 'A Christmas Story Christmas.' He talks with Paul Milliken about the new movie and his work with the Alzheimer's Association.
Nearly 40 years ago, Zack Ward made an indelible mark on pop culture history when he took on the role of "Scut Farkus" in A Christmas Story.
Oh, you remember him. The bully of all bullies. The one in the raccoon hat. But it turns out a bit of role reversal behind-the-scenes led to the character we all know and…well, love to watch.
"They put the wardrobe on me, they put the hat on me, I met the guy who plays Grover Dill, Yano Anaya, one of my best friends in the world now," Ward remembers. "And we walked out on set, and they said, ‘[Director] Bob Clark, here’s your Scut Farkus, and here’s your Grover Dill. I’m about a foot taller than him. So, Bob Clark said, ‘You get his lines, he gets yours.’"
A Christmas Story was released in 1983 and has since become one of the most treasured films in movie history. And now, Ward and several of his castmates are back together again, starring in A Christmas Story Christmas, which premiered on HBO Max this month.
"There were moments when we would be shooting and on set, and we’d all sort of just stop, and look around, and start smiling, and just give each other a hug," says Ward. "It’s never going to happen again. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime, twice experience."
On December 17th, Ward will return to the real A Christmas Story house in Cleveland, where he’ll sign autographs, take pictures with fans, and collect donations for the Alzheimer’s Association.
"My father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2020, and I spent the better part of a year looking after him. And for those of you who don’t know, Alzheimer’s can be very sneaky. You don’t recognize it when comes up. And you think people are just being a little quirky. And then it sort of nosedives. And when it nosedives, it nosedives hard," Ward says.
For more information about Alzheimer’s disease and to locate resources, click here.