San Antonio native Brian Villalobos stars in body-swapping flick Switched Up Christmas

Last year, actor and San Antonio native Brian Villalobos was seen in the film The Accidental Texan, which stars Oscar nominee Thomas Haden Church (Sideways). He also shared a scene with Oscar nominee Jesse Plemons (The Power of the Dog) in the HBO Max miniseries Love & Death.

Now, Villalobos is starring in a kind of project he never thought he’d get the opportunity to do.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be in a body-swap movie,” Villalobos, 44, told the Current during a recent interview. “There are bucket lists, and then there’s a bucket list that you didn’t even imagine.”

In Switched Up Christmas, Villalobos plays Joe Nelson, a talent agent and the father of a dysfunctional family that loses its Christmas spirit. When hit with a dose of holiday magic, Joe and his wife find they have switched bodies with their two kids.

During our interview, Villalobos, a 1999 graduate of Saint Mary’s Hall who now resides in Austin, talked about his favorite Christmas movies growing up, the surge in new holiday rom-coms and the body-swapping movie he couldn’t get enough of as a kid. Full disclosure: Villalobos worked as a writer and associate editor at the Current from 2005 to 2012.

Switched Up Christmas is currently available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime.

What drew you to a body-swapping movie set during Christmas?

I wanted to do it because it’s a Christmas body-swap movie! I was like, “I’m in. I don’t need to know anything else. I’m sure the script is nice, but I don’t care.” I was like, “Oh, my gosh! I get to do Big or Freaky Friday!” I also wanted to do something my kids could watch.

How did your kids respond?

We sat down and watched it together and, honestly, they really enjoyed it. Our daughter was like, “That’s my new favorite movie!” I was like, “Does she really mean it or is she saying that because Christmas is coming?”

What is your relationship like with Christmas movies?

I definitely have some Christmas movie holes. I’ve never seen A Christmas Story, which is kind of not allowed. I grew up loving Gremlins. It’s not only one of my favorite Christmas movies ever but also one of my favorite movies ever. I also grew up watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation before I was old enough to understand 70% of the jokes.

Does Switched Up Christmas fit the style of Christmas movies you remember as a kid?

To me, the movie feels like it was made somewhere between 1989 and 1996, mainly because of the body-swapping [aspect], its tone and [the cast’s] performances. The people I got to work with really nailed that style. I don’t think everyone on Earth can just slide into a ’90s comedy and seem like they’re not out of place.

Have you noticed how many new Christmas rom-coms there are on Netflix, Hallmark and Lifetime? There’s a new one called Hot Frosty where a woman falls in love with a snowman that transforms into a hunk.

I hear that Hot Frosty is burning up the charts! I have never watched one, but that’s not to say I wouldn’t. I am super-curious. I can see what the appeal is. They certainly seem very cozy. My [comfort zone] is more a movie about a 12-year-old boy stuck in the body of a hapless, frazzled dad. It’s less about a dashing ex-carpenter who comes back to his snowy hometown to woo the woman who runs her grandmother’s trinket shop.

When it comes to body-swapping movies from the ’80s, are you Team Vice Versa or Team Like Father Like Son?

I saw Vice Versa. I never saw Like Father Like Son. I saw 18 Again! where George Burns switches bodies with his grandson. It was one of those movies we had recorded on a VHS tape. I watched 18 Again! so many times for no reason. I didn’t understand it, but I kind of had it memorized.

I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but San Antonio has experienced a bit of a Krampus craze over the last few weeks because the city held its first Krampus Parade. So, does Krampus make an appearance in Switched Up Christmas?

(Laughs). Maybe in the sequel. But a Krampus parade that accidentally opens a portal to Hell sounds like a really good plot for a Hallmark Christmas movie. I would watch that, and if someone wants to make it, I’ll be in it.

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This article appears in Dec 11-17, 2024.