Exclusive Interview
Inside Netflix’s Sexiest Holiday Movie of the Year with ‘The Merry Gentlemen’s Colt Prattes
When Colt Prattes first got the script for The Merry Gentlemen, he immediately thought of The Full Monty. “This is the most brilliant concept of taking a Christmas movie and adding a Full Monty overview. It was brilliant. It made me laugh multiple times,” the actor told Swooon.
The Merry Gentlemen was released on November 20 and has already skyrocketed to the #1 movie on Netflix. Well, when you have swoonworthy shirtless men dancing, the people will watch.
The actor plays Troy, the bartender at The Rhythm Room, who later joins the male revue to save the beloved establishment. Troy, handyman Luke (Chad Michael Murray), and more of their pals turn up the heat when they hit the Rhythm Room stage and show off their sexy moves.
Katrina Marcinowski / Netflix
Prattes revealed that Murray was “such a leader on set” and wanted to ensure they were all focused on The Merry Gentlemen. They didn’t want the dancing to “tip over into Magic Mike because Magic Mike is its own special thing, and we have our own special sauce over here.”
Speaking of Magic Mike, Prattes didn’t watch the film for any inspiration, but he does have a connection to the steamy film. “I happen to be in a friend group with Chan’s [Channing Tatum] friends, and the choreographers for the Magic Mike movies are friends of mine,” Prattes said.
Even though he was shirtless for a heavy portion of the movie, Prattes didn’t do much extra physical training to prepare for the role. However, he did admit that the guys were “mostly us doing push-up challenges before every shoot, and Chad always winning. He can do push-ups for hours.”
As Prattes, Murray, and the other members of the male revue filmed their performance, they actually had an audience watching them. “That whole audience was so engaged the whole time,” the actor said. “It was a really cool, one-of-a-kind experience.”
The Rhythm Room was saved at the end of the film, but should the Merry Gentlemen stop there? (No.) Prattes revealed he’s open to a sequel.
“The more the merrier,” Prattes said emphatically. “We’ve already been throwing it out there. I’m in. I want to do The Merry Gentlemen 2, 3, 4, 5. I would spend as much time as possible with this cast and crew.” He even revealed his sequel title idea: The Merried Gentlemen.
“I don’t know where the story takes him next, but wherever it is, he is so game for it because he just loves performing and making people smile,” Prattes said about Troy. “And that’s my favorite part about him. HIs whole goal is just to help other people.”
The Merry Gentlemen, Streaming Now, Netflix
