Movies

David Krumholtz saved The Santa Clause 2 set from a fire

“I should have gotten money,” the actor tells EW.

Published on February 21, 2024 05:00PM EST

David Krumholtz played the essential role of Bernard the Elf in the first two Santa Clause movies — and on the set of the first sequel, he performed an even more important service.

While discussing his upcoming indie dramedy Lousy Carter with EW, the Oppenheimer and Numb3rs actor reflected on the time he saved The Santa Clause 2 set from near-disaster.

“I'm on the set, and it's a two-story set — the North Pole Toy Workshop — and there's literally 150 kids on this set at that moment,” Krumholtz tells EW. “The crew is setting up the next shot. And I happen to catch out of the corner of my eye a bunch of little kids, like 7-year-olds, gathering around smoke on the second level. And I'm like, ‘What the f--- is going on up there?’ And they're just looking at it like, ‘Whoa,’ and pointing to it.”

THE SANTA CLAUSE 2 David Krumholtz — David Krumholtz in 'The Santa Clause 2'.
Everett Collection

Fortunately, Krumholtz had his wits about him and diffused the situation. “Instead of freaking out, because I could have just went, ‘Hey!’ — I just slowly walked up there,” the actor recalls. “I walked up the steps to the second level and approached, and part of the lighting equipment was on fire. One of the gels in the light had overheated and there was an actual flame and fire. So I got the kids away and I slowly, calmly just walked down and said, ‘The set’s on fire. There's a fire. It's not just smoke, there's a fire.’”

Krumholtz said that he was rewarded for his quick thinking — but the prize wasn’t exactly what he was hoping for. “Everyone handled it really calmly, and the next day, there was a bottle of champagne from the producers in my trailer saying, ‘Thank you for saving us all,’” he says. “I wasn't drinking at the time, so it did me no good. Did I feel like I deserved more? Do I feel like I deserve more 20 years later? Yeah, I mean I should have gotten money,” he says, half-joking. “You know what I mean? Substantial money.”