Is Rent a Christmas Movie? Jesse L. Martin Decides the Matter for Good — Watch

Kimberly Roots
·2 min read
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The holiday season is in full swing, which means December 24th, 9 pm, Eastern Standard Time is gaining on us as we speak. And with all the wintertime hustle and bustle comes the oft-asked question: Is Rent a Christmas movie or not?

The 2005 film adaptation of Jonathan Larson’s hit Broadway musical starts off on Christmas Eve. It chronicles a year in the life of a group of artistic friends living in New York’s East Village in the late 1980s. The final scene takes place on the following Christmas Eve. As such, it has become one of those movies — like the eternally debated Die Hard — that some viewers think belong on the same shelf as White Christmas, It’s a Wonderful Life and Elf.

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So when TVLine recently talked with The Irrational star Jesse L. Martin — who played Tom Collins in both Rent’s original Broadway cast and the movie — we decided to ask for his expert opinion on the matter. And he gave it! (But you’re going to have to press PLAY on the video at the top of the post to find out where he falls on the matter.)

Meanwhile, NBC’s The Irrational returns to finish the rest of its first season on Monday, Jan. 29, at 10/9c — which means we’ll have to wait until Season 2 for a potential holiday episode. But that didn’t stop us from asking Martin how he thinks his character, Dr. Alec Mercer, would approach the yuletide.

“I think he may have a sort of, I won’t say ‘bah humbug!’ about the holidays, but what I will say is that he’s so consumed by his work that he may just be forgetful to how important it is to everyone else,” he says. “Good thing for him, he has his sister, Kylie, who’s played by the lovely Travina Springer, who will remind him in every single way what’s important, including holidays.”

Press PLAY on the video at the top of the post to hear what Martin has to say — including why Rentheads may want to pay close attention to The Irrational Season 2 — then hit the comments with your opinion on whether the musical qualifies as Christmas fare.

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