Marla Sokoloff’s Lifetime Movie ‘The Road Home For Christmas’ Will Take Fans on a Surprising Journey [Exclusive Interview]

If you’re dreading your upcoming journey home for the holidays, just imagine having to do it on a road trip with your archrival.

You’re also a singer and pianist co-headlining a dueling piano show with them every night. Plus, the gig that would have paid for your respective flights home was canceled. In other words, you’re broke.

That’s exactly what Marla Sokoloff’s character Lindsey Scott is dealing with in Lifetime’s new Christmas movie The Road Home For Christmas airing Oct. 26.

The trip is even more stressful because while Lindsey is in a rush to get home in time for her new niece or nephew’s birth, said rival Wes Bailey (Rob Mayes) keeps getting job offers that Lindsey knows nothing about. She’s so demoralized that Lindsey considers quitting the music business for most of the trip.

I recently had the chance to chat with Sokoloff about her experience filming the movie and our shared love for the genre of TV Christmas movies. 

I was so struck by Lindsey’s struggle that I asked Sokoloff if she’s had similar feelings of burnout while working in the entertainment industry.

“Oh gosh, if I’ve had them? Yeah, of course,” she said. “I went through it even more so when I had my children because you have to take off time to have the baby and be pregnant. And so those were my main phases of just feeling like ‘maybe this isn’t going to happen for me anymore or maybe it’s time to step away.’”

Sokoloff didn’t stop working, and TV is better for it. In recent years she’s had memorable guest spots on popular shows like Grey’s Anatomy and The Fosters.

Of course, she also reprised her role as Stephanie Tanner’s friend and former bandmate Gia Mahan on Netflix’s successful Full House reboot series Fuller House. The show’s final season is currently in production.

“I’m so grateful to [the] Full House and Fuller House part of my life,” Sokoloff said, noting that Gia will always have a special place in her heart.

Christmas movies also have a place there, because of the opportunities they’ve provided her and other actresses to grow as artists.

The Road Home For Christmas is unique in that both Lindsey and Wes have impactful storylines and share the spotlight. “But for the most part, the leading lady is what the movie is about and I think that that’s what makes these movies so incredibly special and awesome and why we all are drawn to them. Because it gives all of these awesome actresses the opportunity to be the star in the movie,” Sokoloff explained. “I love that. That’s my favorite part about all of them, hands down.” 

Sokoloff will also make her TV directorial debut on Lifetime this December with Christmas Hotel. 

As for her favorite scene in The Road Home For Christmas — that would be hard to choose. “The second I read the script, I wanted to do this movie. It’s just such a different take on a Christmas movie mixed with music, which is one of my first loves,” she said. “I really was touched by all of the emotional story beats that were just really special and the relationship between my character and Rob’s character.”

Lindsey and Wes’s journey may seem stressful when it starts — but this is a Christmas movie. Very quickly, their road home is filled with holiday magic in the form of nativity plays that need rescuing, caroling nuns, pop stars in need of musicians for the night (Marie Osmond plays Cassie), and more.

Their determination to reach their destination is fueled by love, but not the kind you may expect. They’re motivated by a love for music, their friends, and of course their families. There are sparks between Lindsey and Wes, but they aren’t the main focus of the film.

The Road Home For Christmas is about so much more than romance, or even finding a way home for the holidays. On their travels from New Orleans to Ohio Lindsey and Wes discover what’s important to them in life.

It all culminates in one of the most heart-wrenching scenes I’ve ever seen in a Christmas movie. No spoilers, but it involves Lindsey and Wes, a hospital room, and a hymn played on the piano.

Watch the trailer for The Road Home For Christmas:

Sokoloff said all she had to do to get ready for the scene was read the emotion already present on the pages of the script. “For me as an actor, it was all in the material. It wasn’t really anything that I needed to prepare for. It was just so touching and beautiful.”

Whether they’re on stage, in a car, or at a booth in a random diner, authentic scenes like that are what makes Sokoloff so excited for people to see the film.

“They’re not manipulative where it pulls on your heartstrings and it’s like ‘we’re going to make you cry.’” You might just suddenly feel tears falling down your cheeks.

Get ready to laugh, cry, and sing along on The Road Home For Christmas. It may be a little bit early, but make sure you don’t miss the ride.

In the end, you might figure out what will bring joy back into your life. At the very least, your heart will be overflowing with holiday spirit just in time to trick-or-treat. 

The Road Home For Christmas airs Saturday, Oct. 26 at 8/7c on Lifetime.

10 TV Characters Who Really Love Christmas