One of the stars of the new Netflix film 'Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey' has said it was a "great opportunity" to be part of what he hopes will become a classic movie.
Oscar winner Forest Whitaker, who appeared in productions such as The Last King of Scotland, The Butler, and Black Panther, plays a toymaker who comes up with a magical invention.
The movie, directed by David E Talbert, also stars Keegan-Michael Key, Ricky Martin and Hugh Bonneville, and includes songs written by John Legend.
Speaking on Screentime with John Fardy, Whitaker referenced classic films like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and said it was a great opportunity to play a role in that type of movie.
He said: "Those movies are really special and classic and you always wish as an artist that you want to play a character like that, you want to play a Willy Wonka, and to have this opportunity was a unique one and to do something that was so celebratory was also a great one too.
"To have the opportunity to do a musical was a unique one.
"I had been studying music when I was in college but I left it behind.
"I never got a chance to flesh out a character in a real musical and to actually sing a number of songs so this was a great opportunity that you look for with a great character and a great director doing a great project."
Such an honor to be part of this amazing movie. You can’t miss it! @netflix #JingleJangle#JingleJangleNetflix#JingleJangleMovie#EverythingIsPossible@netflixfilm@strongblacklead pic.twitter.com/5UCMKPsK7Y
— Ricky Martin (@ricky_martin) November 11, 2020
The singer Ricky Martin also stars in the film as a puppet and says the director David Talbert had written the part with him in mind.
He said his character Don Juan Diego is "vicious, sarcastic and cynical" and that he worked closely with Talbert to "create this monster"
Speaking on the same programme he said: "It was a great experience, I was honoured to be part of this project."
Martin said that while his concerts have been put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, he is hopeful that some good can come from the lockdown.
"I've been working since I was 12 years old and I love what I do and I don't see myself doing anything else.
"My passion is on stage, to have that direct contact with the audience and we're going to have to say goodbye for a little while but I'm sure that the cultural aspect of what a concert is, we can't lose and hopefully we'll get back there.
"There is a lot of good coming out of all this, time with our families, being able to share our truths about what we feel.
"This lockdown is kind of making us confront our demons and hopefully for the best."
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is available to view on Netflix now.
You can listen to the full interview here:
