Exclusive Interview
‘Hot Frosty’ Hunk Dustin Milligan Talks Possible Sequel, ‘Elf’ Inspiration & More
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Hot Frosty.]
Have you ever wondered, “What if Olaf was hot?” Well, if you did, you’re in luck.
Hot Frosty has the perfect combination of silliness, Christmas magic, and vulnerability. Dustin Milligan manages to pull all of this off as a snowman who suddenly comes to life. The Schitt’s Creek alum’s ability to transform into a human being without knowing anything about the world is as endearing as it is funny.
His talents have been gracing the small screen since his lead role debut in 90210, and he has charmed an array of audiences ever since. Starring in his first Netflix holiday flick, Milligan spoke to Swooon and answered all your burning (okay, chilly) questions about the delightful movie everyone needs to see this season.
Petr Maur / Netflix
What intrigued you about Hot Frosty to begin with?
Milligan: You know, when I read the script, it was immediately clear that there was going to be a lot of joy to be had in playing this character and embodying this character who was brand new to the world. I think it reminded me of a lot of movies like Elf, Splash. There’s this movie with Martin Short called Clifford. It’s so good. It’s a wild one, but movies like Big as well, 13 Going On 30, all of these wish fulfillment type movies, where you have a character who sort of has to experience the world brand new or in a new body or in a new way. I couldn’t turn it down. It was way too enticing, and I was really grateful that everyone was on board for basically letting me play every single day and just be as wild and crazy and as goofy as I possibly could while I was fumbling through this learning curve for Jack as he quite literally just figures out what it means to be human.
What did you do to prepare for this role?
Milligan: Is it bad to say nothing? I really didn’t. I was kind of ready to dive in from the jump. The script only came across my desk, my proverbial desk, basically two weeks before we started shooting. So there wasn’t really much time to prepare for anything, which I like in a lot of ways. I was already very familiar with Lacey [Chabert], obviously, the Queen of Christmas, and was excited to jump in with her. And our director, Jerry Ciccoritti, I had actually worked with on Schitt’s Creek previously, years and years ago. So yeah, it was kind of just something where it very fortuitously, fell into my lap, and I was ready to go.
What was it like to play opposite Lacey?
Milligan: She’s wonderful and so kind, warm, and caring. There’s a vulnerability that we had to really lean into for our characters. She was a really great partner in that specific aspect, where we could rely on each other to just sort of feel safe and comfortable in some of the places we had to go in that aspect.
Jack is so innocent and childlike at times, with a lot of wonder for the world. What was it like to balance those aspects of the characters and get to really lean into it?
Milligan: That was the joy for me, getting to play someone who was just so eager to experience things, and then so excited by just whatever he was experiencing all the time. And there was just the inherent comedy that really appealed to me. There’s probably 45 minutes of extra movie that just got cut out of this, which is just all the improvising that I got to do in that world as Jack. And then also with our wonderful cast, with Joe Lo Truglio, Craig Robinson, Lauren Holly, Katy Mixon, all of us, and Lacey as well, all of us kind of playing together, and just really getting to explore all that, improvising a lot of stuff. It was just such a blast.
Petr Maur / Netflix
Were there any characters or people you were inspired by when bringing Jack to life?
Milligan: Like I said, Elf, Splash, 13 Going On 30, Big, Clifford, those movies were in the back of my mind the whole time. And then also, some of the old silent movies with Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. When you look at the physicality of those guys as well, that all was kind of bouncing around in my head throughout the shoot.
It feels like Jack and Kathy’s love story is just beginning at the end. Would you be open to a sequel? Has there been any discussion of it?
Milligan: Someone messaged me like, “You should do the sequel, and go to Hawaii,” not to spoil it for anybody, but I was thinking about that. I was like, “Oh, yes, a snowman in Hawaii. Why not? Sure.” I’m happy to dive in and play with these people again. This is such a joy to get to really just have fun every day at work. So if there could be more of that, then why not?
What do you envision Jack and Kathy doing next besides going to Hawaii?
Dustin Milligan: I mean, I think there’s a whole life ahead of them. I feel like Jack would find his niche in cooking. I think that was something in the movie that he really digs. Obviously, with Kathy owning the diner, I feel like that’s a natural fit. But who knows? Maybe they franchise the diner, or maybe he has his own food truck separate. So there’s Kathy’s cafe, but then Jack has a pancake truck called Jack Stacks, and they can combine their skill set and just take over the whole town food-wise.
What’s something that you feel Jack taught you?
Milligan: I think the vulnerability, and I think just really being present in life is something that, it seems so simple and so obvious, but having the opportunity to play someone who is experiencing things like brand new and looking through his eyes at the world, you really just start to get that sense of what is important, and how wondrous all of this really is, especially around the holidays. I mean, that’s when all the magic is truly in the air, when family and loved ones are around, and you really sort of get that sense of what’s important, not to be cheesy, but I do think that that was something that I took away.
Who would you want to start in a holiday movie with next if you would do another one?
Milligan: Oh, wow. The list is far too long. I mean the Netflix roster is pretty great. I feel like they’ve got a pretty incredible slate of movies coming out this year. So say anybody on there? Anybody new? I’m down for anything.
Since you are starring in a holiday movie, what are some holiday traditions that you like?
Milligan: I don’t know that I really have that many holiday traditions. I think, honestly, it’s ordering takeout, not really doing much of anything, and sitting around watching Netflix. Specifically, I was gonna say TV, but you know.
Hot Frosty, Streaming Now, Netflix
