Played by Alan Conway with a sharp dose of attitude and sex appeal, Derrickson is no stranger to groin injuries.  Once People Magazine's "Sexiest Man of the Year", Conway had little success after Vendetta.  Some have gone so far as calling him the "David Carruso of the Eighties".     C. Thomas Murray lends the character McKeegan an uncanny flair for cold blooded violence.  Murray never aspired to be an actor; he was picked up in New York after a talent scout saw him "take a guy down" for smoking in a designated no-smoking area. After Vendetta, Murray went back to his former job as a butcher.  He still makes a mean pastrami sandwich.     In this episode, essentially a "Christmas Special", The Chief doesn't get much screen time.  This is unfortunate because renowned actor Martin Mitchell played The Chief like a bitch in heat.  Mitchell once said of his role in Vendetta, "Yes, that was me".  Regardless, Mitchell went on to become one of Hollywood's more memorable small time character actors.       Santa Claus. Need more be said?           The lovely Kathy Sutherland brings both sweetness and unfettered testosterone to the role of Santa's Wife.  In Vendetta we are shown a side of her that rings true the old adage: "Behind every great man, there's a woman with a gun".     Behind the scenes photos are finally here! Please note: some of these shots may be considered "spoilers", so please view them only if you've already seen Vendetta or you just don't care. In which case, what are you doing here?           The interrogation scene was the first scene filmed. Here, Jonathan Field (aka "McKeegan") sets up an early shot. Screenwriter Brendan Smith (aka "Derrickson") holds up a cue card to make sure his carefully crafted dialogue is delivered perfectly. Ghandi warms up "Mr. Fist". Yes, that's his real name. Ghandi, I mean. Not Mr. Fist. Although "Ghandi Fist" would be a pretty cool name. Field applies a little makeup to the lovely Sarah Norton (aka "The Elf"). Don't hate me because I'm beautiful. David O'Malley (aka "The Chief") gets ready to bust some balls. Sean Smith (aka "Santa") and Field go over the script. The phone booth scene is shot, like much of the film, in freezing temperatures. B Smith holds up a black mat to reduce the reflections on the glass. Because we care. The Brothers Smith are ready for the next shot. Santa on the run. Derrickson runs dramatically down the alley. The cool looking steam vent on the right just happened to be there. Santa attempts to get his fat ass up the wall. Field frames a shot of Santa through the iron mesh of the stairs. It's clever camera work like this that helped Vendetta rake in the big bucks at the box office. Derrickson takes a shot at Santa on the fire escape. Brendan, Jonathan, and Sean stuff the Santa suit before tossing it off a three story building. We take pride in a job well done. Note Sean's glue-and-cottonball eyebrows. It's not every day you're caught on film smuggling Santa's body in your trunk. There's nothing quite like a good kick to the sack. Would you like fries with that crotch kick? Santa has turned the tables. The Norwood Police show up to check out reports of Santa Claus waving a gun around in an industrial park. We somehow avoid arrest. We had a good laugh after the cops left, as we set up the dust tubing for Derrickson's bullet proof vest shot. It's amazing how many tries it takes to slide a gun into frame. First thing in the morning before shooting the infamous cottage scene, we see that B Smith's hair is in serious need of hair gel. The lovely Lauren Buckland (aka "Mrs. Claus") poses with her movie beau. Field adjusts B Smith's tie for their secondary role as tactical assault specialists. Mrs. Claus practices her game face. The attack begins... Oh well. Someone was bound to get hurt. A point blank shotgun blast is the only way to chill some people out. Lauren squeezed the blood out of the bottle with such force we spent the next hour cleaning it off the draperies. Field documents the aftermath. Sarah poses with her dog and gaping head wound. Field brings the cottage shoot to a close with a brief episode of solo barbershop crooning. After taking the Taco Bell emergency exit, Santa gets ready to bolt. Santa loses his lunch. Field helps S Smith readjust his belly after it is displaced by a 100 yard dash. B Smith, as a generic gunman, practices getting blown away by the spirit of Christmas. In a rush of improvisational energy, Thomas Sola (aka "Jesus" and "The Ninja") combines his roles in a breathtakingly divine display of martial arts action. There's just something about this photo. Sean Smith, who plays Santa, was a track star. It was all Brendan and Jonathan could do to keep up with him in scenes like this. Jesus gives Santa the usual messiah threat: "I'll be back". McKeegan pays his respects to an old friend. So who took all these pictures anyways? Who was behind both the 8 and 35 mm cameras when the rest of us were in front? It was the adorable Sophia Field. Pictured here at karaoke, she played no less than five roles in Vendetta in addition to filming and even directing many shots.     Special thanks to Sophie for taking these pictures despite my constant complaining on set, and for scanning them all in on a moment's notice when I wanted them.   Sophia is currently a photographer in San Francisco. Check out her site -- she might even be able to make you look as good as we do.