As a seasoned actress and director, I can truly appreciate the journey of Alyssa Milano, from her early days as a child star to her current roles and directorial debut with “Christmas at the Plaza.” Her life in Hollywood is a testament to resilience, adaptability, and a relentless pursuit of creativity.
It’s hard to believe that such a well-known figure like Jennifer Love Hewitt, often referred to on Instagram as “The Holiday Junkie,” has never been cast in a Christmas movie before – it almost looks like an oversight or a strange anomaly in the film industry.
Finally, I’m diving into my first Lifetime holiday movie this week – “The Holiday Junkie.” As a dedicated cinephile and lover of all things festive, I can hardly contain my excitement! In this heartwarming tale, I step into the shoes of Andie, a professional holiday decorator and planner who brings joy to others during the most wonderful time of the year.
For Patricia Hewitt, this movie holds a deeply personal significance, not merely because her real-life spouse, Brian Hallisay, shares the screen as her complex romantic lead. Instead, the narrative was her own brainchild, birthed from the tragic loss of her mother, Patricia Mae, to cancer in 2012. For Patricia, Christmas transcended its traditional meaning, serving as a profound mindset rather than just a holiday. Hewitt recalls memories of her mother adorning their home with Christmas lights to brighten even the gloomiest days and surprising the family with a showering of artificial snowflakes in their front yard. In both “The Holiday Junkie” and her recently published memoir, “Inheriting Magic: My Journey Through Grief, Joy, Celebration, and Making Every Day Magical,” Hewitt delves into the complexities of grieving a loved one during festive seasons.
The Movie titled “The Holiday Junkie” embodies the classic elements and plot points typical of a Christmas flick: frenzied cookie making, nosy pals, potential travel disasters, and a heart-tugging conflict between a soft-hearted character and a grumpy Scrooge. Yet, it presents an endearing sincerity that seems genuine, as if the story itself were real. Despite the fictional nature of the plot, Hewitt’s performance (and her tears) appear authentic. In addition to acting in it, Hewitt also co-wrote, produced, and directed the film herself – marking her first foray into feature filmmaking. She believed that only she could do justice to the material.
At what stage of pre-production were you when you presented yourself as a possible director? To put it frankly, we were quite advanced by that point. With Brian already on board, my directing role was essentially the final piece that needed to fall into place before moving forward with filming. We had numerous tasks such as script development and arranging the shoot in L.A., which had to be done within a specific timeframe between me completing 9-1-1 and immediately returning to it.
Initially, I floated the idea, and almost at the same time, they proposed, “You know, we haven’t discussed casting yet, but what do you think about Brian for this role?” Brian and I had previously worked together on a Lifetime show called “The Client List,” which they still admired. I hadn’t initially considered him for this part as he isn’t typically associated with Christmas movies. However, when I suggested it to him, he showed enthusiasm, saying, “Of course, I’d love to be involved. It would be a blast, and it pays tribute to your mother.
Following your work on The Client List, you also collaborated with Brian on 9-1-1. How is it playing out a romantic relationship on screen? Does it ever feel awkward or tough?
Not really, the amusing thing was that Anna [White], the writer, was often present on set, constantly yelling, “Keep smooching, kids!” during our kissing scenes. The crew would also exclaim, “Ooooh, Andie and Mason!” So the only awkward part was their being goofballs about it.
The remaining part was delightful, and quite often, it’s either me rushing off to dial 9-1-1 or Brian and I are darting about, attempting to complete errands while our children are at school – occasionally grabbing a bite together, patting each other in the hallway. With three kids, we don’t have much time for prolonged gazes into each other’s eyes. We managed 15 days of that on this movie, and it was truly magical. Despite having a hundred tasks on this movie, my primary role was simply to gaze at him, be with him, and rekindle my love for him. And I did, and he reciprocated the feelings.
We finished the film with an impression of awe, commenting something along the lines of “What a wonderful idea for married couples! This was truly heartwarming.” The scene is filmed, so our children can enjoy it whenever they want, even if they might find some scenes inappropriate.
The idea for this story originated from your mom’s affection for holidays, and I began writing it approximately two years and a half ago. In the book, I mention experiencing grief during each pregnancy and birth because you missed out on having your mom there to meet and bond with them. It’s been my aim since then to keep her memory alive for your siblings in some manner, which is why creating this movie and book was crucial. I wanted them to have a tangible keepsake that embodies our love for Mimi.
Indeed, after giving birth (figuratively speaking), I felt compelled to pen down my thoughts about her. Until then, I hadn’t found the words or the courage to do so. It took me approximately 12 years, when I began writing the book, to reach this point. As I read what I wrote, tears would stream down unchecked. Brian, ever understanding, would reassure me, “This is good. This is a fresh wave of grief. Keep going and let it all out.
After the tragic loss of my mother, beyond wondering “How will I manage?” and “Is this real?”, another thought that struck me was, “Oh my goodness, all the enchantment I’ve experienced throughout my life seems to have vanished.” I mean, nothing would ever feel magical again since she embodied that magic, didn’t she? However, after the birth of my daughter, Autumn, during our first Christmas together, I found myself unable to wallow in grief for long. Instead, I was compelled to create magic because now I had a family. In this moment, I recognized that perhaps my mother’s magic stemmed from some form of sorrow as well. She and my father were divorced, and maybe it was born out of that pain for her. Perhaps we shared more in common at that time than ever before.
Is there any other way your mother influenced this story? Are there additional references to her hidden within the script of Holiday Junkie? In the movie, Kristin Chenoweth actually performs two voicemails of your mother. She was quite close friends with your mother and held her in high regard. Additionally, Kristin had a special bond with me as she too lost her birth mother, which is something we shared a connection over. When I asked her to be part of the film, she immediately agreed, saying “I’ll do anything for Pat.” This could be seen as a tribute to your mother.
When Mason hangs up the Christmas decorations in the room for me, it’s a clear echo of something my mother used to do for me as a comforting gesture when I was down or in pain. In the film, my mother would occasionally take me out of school on a whim just to celebrate life, and she truly did that. In the movie, her character is named Mimi, which was also the name my niece – my brother’s daughter, who was the only grandchild my mother got to know – affectionately called her.
In this film, you’ll find a sparkly Santa figure, which my mother gifted me around two decades back. Incredibly, I still bring it out during every Christmas season. The movie’s penguin characters are also significant; they symbolize my mom because she adored them and had the unique experience of dining with penguins on one of her final trips to Antarctica. There are many subtle details in the story that pay tribute to her.
The snow-making company that was responsible for creating snow for a scene in our movie surprised us by bringing real snow to my mother’s front yard. Remarkably, it was the same company we had used! When we contacted them, the man on the phone responded warmly, saying, “Of course, I’ll do anything for Pat.” It seemed that everyone went out of their way to help my mom, making her a memorable presence in the film.
Have you mentioned that you learned about your mother’s passing from the media before you were informed personally, and that such an occurrence was a somewhat familiar experience for you? I must say, it sounds like it was quite challenging for you at the time. To put it frankly, I endured a deep-seated anger for a considerable period. It was particularly tough for me not because they shared the news, but because during the first few months following her passing, I frequently had to remind myself to rise from bed, perform daily tasks, and move past the constant questions of “Why did this happen? What will my life be like now?” It wasn’t the knowledge that upset me; it was the struggle to accept the reality of her absence.
Outside my home, there were persistent paparazzi and curious individuals who kept asking about my emotions. Feeling invaded, I expressed that such inquiries were inappropriate. Since I wasn’t sure how I felt myself, I wouldn’t be sharing my feelings with a random photographer outside my house, let alone anyone else.
At one point, there was a man sitting outside my mother’s house while I was disposing of items from the house. I recall him being there. As I approached his car, I inquired about what he was doing and he said something along the lines of “I believe folks are just curious if you’re alright.” To which I responded, “I’m not alright, so please stop photographing me because I am not okay.” Essentially, he won’t be able to capture a positive image for me in my current state.
He was quite down-to-earth. He responded with, “I apologize. You’re correct.” He set aside his camera and asked, “How are you?” To which I replied, “I’m finding it tough, but I’ll be alright. I just need to step away from acting for a while. I need to escape the Hollywood lifestyle. I just need to be myself.
Initially, I found it challenging, let’s be clear, not because I don’t value their professions or their curiosity. After all, I’m a public figure, my life has been an open book for as long as I can recall. But when it came to her, it felt uncomfortable.
I’m pleased that the photographer was open to my ideas. He turned out to be quite approachable, and I had the chance to meet him a few times after that. Each time, he showed nothing but kindness towards me. In the end, it worked out fine, though it was certainly strange to learn about it for the first time when it was already being featured in magazines and talk shows. I remember thinking, “Hold on, what’s going on? How is this happening?
Which particularly challenging day on set do you remember the most, whether as an actor, director, or producer? For me, it was a day on the set of “The Holiday Junkie” where I had to perform a crying scene on the stairs. Unbeknownst to me, this scene was scheduled on the anniversary of my mother’s passing, making it an emotionally difficult day for me. Despite managing to hold it together all day, when we arrived at the location, I found myself overwhelmed and thought, “Oh no… Here it comes, here it will hit me, right in front of the entire crew.
I had the opportunity to share a particularly moving sob, as the team understood the reason behind it. I’d previously given everyone a heads-up. Will, our first AD, was so kind. He exclaimed, “Oh my God, why didn’t you tell me?” To which I responded, “I believe it’s for the best.” We arranged a photo of my mom and played a song that holds special significance to me, a tune I often listened to during her passing. The room fell silent, and surrounded by love and support, I simply sat and wept for her absence.
On that day, everything was incredibly chaotic, far from the polished atmosphere of a movie set. Instead, it felt deeply personal and authentic, as if we were living through a genuine human experience. This raw quality permeated the film, making it all the more stunning, but it was challenging. I couldn’t help but think, “Oh my goodness, what have I put myself through?” Despite the struggles, it turned out to be just as I had envisioned, and I believe that’s exactly how she would have wanted it too.
Have I mentioned that The Holiday Junkie is my first foray into the realm of Christmas films? It seems like both Lifetime and Hallmark have been eagerly waiting for this moment, as they’ve never previously extended an invitation to create such a movie.
Are you kidding me? That’s surprising! I’m practically a living embodiment of Christmas movies – I might as well be a distant relative of Santa Claus, if ancestry testing were to confirm it unofficially.
I’m such a go-getter and a hustler normally in my business, but a Christmas movie has never been something I’ve gone out and searched for. So the only thing that I could say to myself in this process is that this is the one that was supposed to be the first. But now that I’ve done one, like, if somebody doesn’t come and offer another one, they’re going to hear about it because I love them and I had a blast. Send me all the scripts, guys; I’m ready.
“Were you able to sell this project directly to Lifetime, or did they outbid other studios such as Hallmark and Netflix?” This version aims to maintain the original question’s tone while using simpler language to make it more accessible to readers.
In the midst of my involvement with “The Client List” at Lifetime, I experienced a profound loss – the departure of my beloved mother. The grief was overwhelming, yet the environment at work provided a comforting refuge. They showed unwavering care and understanding, guiding me through the difficult times that followed her passing. There were several compassionate individuals who offered kindness and empathy during this trying period, making Lifetime feel like a sanctuary once more.
The pitch was pretty vulnerable. It was like, “I don’t have a script. I just have this thing in my heart that I want to do.” I was able to do that on the Zoom with people that I knew and who honestly had known her or known of her in our relationship.
Had the opportunity to direct before, but this was my debut feature film. What made that experience enjoyable, and what took me by surprise?
What struck me the most about directing this Christmas film was the hectic nature of its production schedule. In just 15 days, we filmed around 120 scenes, and I myself appeared in nearly all of those, if not more. The preparation was quick, and for the first time while directing, I had a hand in the editing process as well.
As a TV director, you briefly oversee your chosen quick cuts, then hand them off and don’t get to revisit them until they are broadcasted. In this instance, I selected the diner door chime sound effects, decided on the oven timer’s tone. For every rendition of the film, I had a say in the color-timing. Essentially, there wasn’t a single aspect of this movie that I didn’t contribute to. It was quite an experience, where we spent hours discussing minor details on Zoom, like “Oh, that chair sliding back doesn’t sit well with me. It sounds strange. We should remove it.” The process was exhilarating.
Throughout that entire experience, I found myself expressing something along the lines of, “Wow, you guys are amazing! I’m really enjoying this.” They seemed to be thoroughly delighted by it. Their reactions were something like, “Oh my goodness, she’s never done anything like this before!” I walked away with a tremendous amount of new knowledge.
Are there any upcoming projects that you’d be interested in leading, perhaps something centered around young adults? With my past experience as a child actor, I find the idea of working with a group of talented youngsters, sharing my knowledge, and witnessing their growth and success particularly enticing.
I would definitely love to do some more Christmas movies. I’d love to do an edgier Christmas movie — something like a Netflix comedy Christmas movie that’s got, like, some fun edge to it. And I really want to direct a 9-1-1, even though it would be bananas. I’m really open, but those are probably the three things that interest me the most.
Among the rising stars in Hollywood, there are a couple who truly catch my eye as potential collaborators on future projects. Lacey Chabert and I share a special bond through our mutual love for Christmas movies, so working together in that genre or any other would be a dream come true. As for Jenna Ortega, her talent is undeniable and I can’t help but feel drawn to the idea of directing her; it’s an opportunity I believe could lead to something truly remarkable.
Reflecting on the holiday mood, I can’t help but ask a heartfelt question: If you could share one piece of wisdom with your younger self, what would it be? Personally, I believe I would advise her to take things easier. While my early career was filled with excitement and passion, there was also an undercurrent of constant worry—worry that I wasn’t good enough or fear of not measuring up to other girls during auditions. I remember dragging my mom and the entire family into this whirlwind of show business, wondering if I would even make it to the next audition. Would they tell me to leave and go home? I feel like these concerns consumed me so much that I might have missed out on fully appreciating the success we were experiencing at that moment. In hindsight, I wish I could have relaxed more.
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2024-12-13 18:55