Bethany Joy Lenz [One Tree Hill] and Victor Webster [Home for Christmas Day] are starring in Hallmark Channel’s new holiday movie Five Star Christmas this Friday, November 27th part of Hallmark Channel’s seven night Thanksgiving movie event.
Bethany and Victor joined Chelsie Overocker on the House of Hallmark to discuss the movie and why the audience is going to love this storyline.
If you have been following Bethany on social media, you know she has been taking on big projects during Covid. Not only is she filming Hallmark movies, but she is remodeling her kitchen, which we got a first-hand look at new chairs she is painting.
Victor immediately complimented her work as we started the interview.
“Bethany Joy is being an artiste and painting her furniture. It looks amazing.”
Bethany laughs.
“Yeah, that’s how I’m doing. I have these old chairs from Goodwill that I grabbed and we’re covering them with chalk paint. It’s my first foray into chalk paint. It dries a lot faster than I expected. So I am realizing I have to move quickly”
That’s cool that you are into DIY projects. We have been keeping up with your kitchen remodeling. How is that going?
Bethany: It’s going great! These are the dining room chairs. It’s all coming together one piece at a time.
Yes, because you were trying to decide which color green you wanted to paint the cabinets.
Bethany: Ah! You really have been following that’s great!
We have been following! You will have to keep us posted once your kitchen is completed. We also have been following both you and Victor on all of the Hallmark movies you have been in so far.
The audience is really going to like you two in Five Star Christmas. Your two characters, Lucy and Jake, meet in an unexpected way. Can tell us more about the movie and your characters?
Bethany: I play a woman named Lucy, and when she comes home, she finds out her home has been turned into a bed and breakfast by her dad. Surprise! Surprise! To the whole family. So I have to help him because we find out there is a critic in town where the review could make or break my dad’s inn. He doesn’t have any guests because he’s not super business savvy, so all of us in the family pretend to be the guests for the critic who we are trying to impress. Of course, Victor Webster plays this handsome stranger in town named Jake who comes to stay in our inn. He and I have some unique connections and start to fall in love. Then shenanigans ensue. [laughs]
Victor: Couldn’t have said it better myself. [laughs]
This Hallmark movie has a unique plot that is refreshing. It’s a fun love story about how Lucy and Jake connect with each other.
Victor: I love the fact that I’m kind of thrown into these shenanigans. All of her family that’s come home for Christmas has taken on all of these alter egos and have kind of gone with it. They’re bigger than life, use accents, and fake their names. [laughs] When you’re put on the spot and having to come up with things. That was something that was really fun for me. The script was fantastic the way it was, and each individual actor brought so much more character. Victor states, “it should be really funny.
Bethany: I really loved all of those elements too, and that was one of my favorite things about the script when I saw it was the idea that it’s an ensemble comedy. Hallmark…I don’t know if they ever did anything like that before. I haven’t seen anything. So that was really exciting the possibility of being able to do a true ensemble comedy.
The writing of the script is brilliant, and we agree that each actor brings a different element into the storyline. Bethany also shares what she loves about her character Lucy and how she can relate to her.
Bethany: For my character, I really loved that with Lucy, we find out pretty early that her mother passed away when she was young, and she really had to take a heavy role in raising her brother and sister.” Bethany explains. “I can relate to that feeling. I didn’t lose a parent, but I can relate to the feeling of sort of shepherding and needing to make sure everything is okay. Problem-solving and, you know, I feel like I’m that way in my life for better or worse. I’m sure it’s to my detriment many times [laughs] but I got that part of her and the need to be taken care of herself and have someone nurture her. Which is why she started to fall in love with Jake too because he had such a calming presence that maybe she wasn’t quite used to.”
That’s cool that you are able to connect with Lucy on a personal level, and we noticed those qualities about your character as well. We feel like Lucy’s weaknesses are Jake’s strengths that the audience will pick up on.
With the storyline, Lucy’s family members pretend to be guests and play a role in order to impress the critic. If you were put in this situation with your own family members, what role would you want to play?
Bethany: Yeah, I didn’t really get to play a role that was the only thing I was bummed about. I was like wait, everyone else gets to do something! [laughs]
Victor: I would have to go with the activities director. [laughs]
Bethany: Yeah, I don’t know. I guess I would have taken on the chef role. That would of kind of been fun. I definitely would use an English accent.
That would be having an English accent! We did enjoy the grandmother pretending to have an accent throughout the movie
Bethany: That was so fun I’m glad you loved that.
Victor: Interesting she would pick a Hungarian accent. Right?
Bethany: So random!
All of the actors bring so much humor to their characters. How was it working on set?
Victor: I feel like half the time, it was very difficult to keep a straight face because everybody was doing such a good job at playing their character and bringing so many great nuanced, colorful performances that I can speak for myself. A few times, we just kind of had to stop shooting because we were laughing so much.
Bethany: We did it was so fun. I love going to work with people who have ideas, you know, especially on a schedule like that; you’re shooting a movie in 15 days, and you got seven people in every scene, and you just have to show up with ideas because otherwise it will all just kind of fall flat. When everybody comes to the table with something..you’re really getting to go to work and play every day, which is one of the real draws of being an actor and storytelling is being able to play.
That’s the best part about acting is being able to come on set and play. What is a memorable scene that you enjoyed shooting?
Victor: For me personally, I think there were a couple of the dinner scenes that we shot and the slurping of the soup scene.” Victor explains, “That was a fun scene because everybody was kind of being caught off guard and off kilter. I was sitting right across from grandpa, and he was cracking me up. He is hilarious.
Bethany: Every line! I mean, I can’t wait for the audience to see every line that Jay delivered. He’s just so, so instinctively brilliant!
Victor: And so opposite of his character, which is always so great.
Jay Brazeau was incredible in this film, and we really enjoyed him playing Walter, a.k.a the “handyman.”
Here is an exclusive clip from Hallmark where you can see the interaction between Jake, Lucy, and Walter.
Not only was Jay’s acting great in the movie, but Victor makes his first signing debut on Hallmark with Bethany singing “Blue Christmas.”
Bethany: I’m glad you loved that.
Victor: That was my first time ever singing on camera, and thank goodness Joy came in and helped me out..bailed me out I should say. [laughs] That was a little intimidating scene for me, but I just decided to go for it and have a lot of fun. Joy is an incredible singer. She came in and polished it up.
Bethany is an incredible singer, but Victor, you really got into the song. Both of your performances are what made the scene so special.
Bethany: So endearing, isn’t it? So charming the way he does that I love it!”
We are finishing up our interview, and Bethany has already painted her chair, and it looks great! Very impressive.
Bethany: See what I mean? You have to work fast! I’ll post a final product, I promise.
Please do we can’t wait to see the remodel of your entire kitchen!
Make sure you all follow Bethany on IG @joylenz to see more photos of her home and on Twitter @BethanyJoyLenz for updates on her latest projects.
Follow Victor on IG @iamvictorwebster and on Twitter @webstervictor. His next project is working on a TV series called Motherland.
For more Hallmark related content, make sure you are following us on IG @houseofhallmarkshow and on Twitter @houseofhallmark.
Keep up with AfterBuzz TV for the latest in Hallmark news as well as all your TV entertainment news.
Watch the full interview here:
Thank you both for coming on the House of Hallmark, and Happy Holidays!
Victor: Thanks for having us!
Bethany: Thanks for having us! Happy Holidays.
