- - Nathan Kress Details the 'Pressure' He Felt Voicing Chuck E. Cheese in New Christmas Film: 'I Had To Sit with That' (Exclusive)

Angela AndaloroDecember 19, 2025 at 2:00 AM

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Jon Kopaloff/Getty; Chuck E. Cheese

Nathan Kress (left), Chuck E. Cheese -

Nathan Kress voices Chuck E. Cheese in the new holiday film, A Chuck E. Cheese Christmas

The film follows Chuck E. and his friends trying to help Santa bounce back from holiday burnout with a fun surprise

Kress tells PEOPLE about taking on a beloved character that's been part of childhood for so many

Nathan Kress is stepping into some big shoes this holiday season.

The actor, 33, has lent his talents to taking on a beloved childhood figure, Chuck E. Cheese, in A Chuck E. Cheese Christmas. The new holiday film follows Chuck E. Cheese and his friends — Helen Henny, Jasper Jowls, Bella Brinca, Munch, and Pasqually — for a magical adventure filled with music, laughter, and endless cheer.

Speaking with PEOPLE about the family Christmas movie, Kress admits it was a little "daunting" becoming Chuck E. Cheese.

"It was a lot of pressure. And it sounds crazy thinking about, like, it's just a cartoon character. But it's not though! I feel like people have this weird innate expectation of what that character might actually sound like in a narrative-based cartoon environment and not just at your birthday party, kicking off a song," he explains.

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Chuck E. Cheese

Scene from "A Chuck E. Cheese Christmas"

"I had to sit with that for a while and figure out, who is this guy and what's his energy level? What can you bring to it that's got some heart and some character to it? Surprisingly enough, it sort of took a minute and I actually had to come at it from a relatively deep acting process, which again, sounds insane, but I think it actually came across. It's thankfully been facilitated by a very heartfelt, really sweet script and just a good story."

A father of three, Kress appreciates a children's movie that has something for anybody, and A Chuck E. Cheese Christmas delivers.

"I think it's definitely going to resonate across generations. You've got the slapsticky stuff for the kids, but then you've also got the steady stream of one-liners that are going to fly right over those kids' heads, and those are for the adults," he says.

Chuck E. Cheese

Chuck E. Cheese

"And then it wraps up with all these Christmas bangers that are absolute earworms that are going to be stuck in your head for weeks. It's sprinkled with a little bit of everything. But it was a tough process at first, figuring out what this guy from my childhood really sounds like. And what do I think other people think that he sounds like, without just being an impression of the other recorded versions of the characters from the location? So you had to have it be sort of hearkening to something familiar, but also not an impression or a caricature. It was finding that fine line."

The actor thinks that his character's "infectious joy and energy" make him "the perfect Christmas representative."

"That's kind of what the whole story centers around. The entire town is experiencing Christmas burnout, and that extends all the way up to the big man himself. Santa is getting burned out. So Chuck E. takes it upon himself to bring back the Christmas spirit by throwing an epic Christmas party for Santa, which as you can imagine, is a little difficult, being a quasi-omniscient character who knows everything that you're doing," he shares.

Chuck E. Cheese

"A Chuck E. Cheese Christmas"

"It's something that only Chuck E. Cheese, the original party animal, can handle. So in a way, that part made it really easy because he's just so well-suited for Christmas spirit and warm, cozy feelings."

He adds, "And it's fun because now I'm curious to see how he handles every other holiday. How does he do Flag Day? How does he do Super Bowl Sunday? How does he do everything, Pencil Awareness Day? I don't know. Chuck E. Cheese can turn anything into a party. So it's a really fun opportunity to be able to do somebody that's just so fun and joyful and to put on that mantle and to do a character that's so ingrained in my own childhood and try to turn it into a living, breathing, narrative-based character now."

Kress has appreciated this role as "a fun and unexpected challenge," adding, "but I walked out of the booth just feeling happy. Chuck E. sort of rubs off on me a little bit."

"So I hope it just becomes that thing where, especially when you need that holiday pick me up, December 1st rolls around and you just need that jumpstart for Christmas, that it's just that thing that exists in the zeitgeist of mandatory Christmas watching to get you in the spirit, get your jammies on, get your hot cocoa and turn on a Chuck E. Cheese Christmas. It's the thing that kicks off the whole season.

A Chuck E. Cheese Christmas is now streaming on Prime Video and YouTube.

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”