The Stunning Transformation Of A Christmas Story Star Peter Billingsley

There have been numerous sequels to “A Christmas Story.” In 1988, “Ollie Hopnoodle’s Haven of Bliss” followed the Parker family on summer vacation. This time, Ralphie was played by Jerry O’Connell. “My Summer Story,” also titled “It Runs In The Family,” followed in 1994; this one was also about the Parkers during the summer. Ralphie was once more recast, this time by future “Succession” star Kieran Culkin. Finally, Braeden Lemasters played Ralphie in the confusingly-titled fourth film, “A Christmas Story 2.”

The series came back with 2022’s “A Christmas Story Christmas,” a Max Original. For the first time, Peter Billingsley reprised his most iconic role. Ralphie is now a father, dealing with kids of his own at Christmastime. He told People that he waited for just the right project. “If you re-approach something like this, you’ve got to get it right,” he insisted. He especially wanted to do right by the first film’s fans. “There’s not only a fan base for this, but it’s borderline sacred for a lot of people,” he said.

Billingsley told Entertainment Weekly that he slipped right back into character, even though he hadn’t properly led a film since 1985. “You get in that balance where you don’t want to be mimicking the things you did as a kid, but you want to be trying to channel him,” he said. “Since [Ralphie] never left me, it took a minute, but he got right back in there.”