Holidazed Cast Members Discuss the New Hallmark+ Series

With the holidays fast approaching, there’s a wide variety of festive films to choose from. But with Holidazed on Hallmark+, viewers are taken through a story that follows six different families rather than just one.

I recently spoke with stars Holland Roden, Noemi Gonzalez, Erin Cahill, Lindy Booth, Rachelle Lefevre, Osric Chau, Dennis Haysbert, John C. McGinley, and Ser’Darius Blain about what viewers can expect from Holidazed. (You can watch the full interviews below.)

Holidazed takes a fresh look at the holiday season and shows how six different families are more similar than they might have thought. 

On why Holidazed is an important story to bring to the screen:

The cast explained why they felt this was an important story to bring to the screen.

“It’s just new. It’s not only new for Hallmark, but new for Christmas mini-series in general,” Roden explained. “I love the anthology aspect, and with 37 principal cast members, it can feel almost overwhelming when you first meet them all. Then, by the end of the pilot, you’re falling in love with each storyline, and you have to see where each path goes.”

“The way that the show taps into the neighborhood dynamics is really fresh to see, and also how it all webs in the tapestry of the story,” Gonzalez said.

“It’s such a reflection of the melting pot that is our country,” Cahill said. “It’s all just so different, so I thought it was such a beautiful reflection.”

Chau added that everyone knew this show was going to be something special. “That doesn’t always happen, but when you’re on set and feeling the energy, I think that was very exciting to be a part of,” Chau explained.

“When I talked to Gina about this show for the first time, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m in. I want to be a part of it,’” Booth said. “I was so excited to be part of this amazing, big, fun, dysfunctional family.”

“I told my sisters when I got offered the role, and they were like, ‘Oh my God, that’s so much fun. You’ll get to just go and be you.’ I took that as the highest compliment,” Lefevre shared.

“I think it shows viewers that we’re all the same,” Haysbert added. “We may be different shades of colors or our eyes are shaped differently, different sets of wealth or things like that. But it comes down to camaraderie, family, and love.”

“Sometimes, we start to feel like the victim in our own house. We forget that everyone’s experiencing almost the exact same thing,” McGinley said. “Each household during the holidays is facing its own conflicts.”

“There’s a great lyric in a Paul Simon album that goes, ‘Breakdowns come and breakdowns go; what are you gonna do about it? That’s what I’d like to know,’” McGinley continued. “And that’s what each family is charged with—‘What are you going to do about it?’ We get to see that in each household.”

For Blain, what makes the show special is “representation of self.”

“Everyone gets an opportunity to see the mirror put up and see their own and their family’s reflection in it,” Blain explained. “Storytelling is all about presenting a problem and either providing a solution or at least starting a conversation, and this starts a lot of conversations and provides a lot of solutions.”

Watch the interviews with the cast members of Holidazed:

On the show’s most meaningful scenes:

With the holidays bringing out so many emotions, I wondered if there were any scenes that were particularly meaningful or emotional for the cast to film.

“Lindy and I had a sister conflict scene, and we both tapped into something real about what it’s like to be a sister and to be so sad that you can’t find your way with someone you love so much,” Lefevre said. “In a weird way, it was amazing to get to go there and do something like that.”

“It wasn’t upside down, but I got like the Spider-Man-in-the-rain notebook kiss moment,” Chau shared. “You build up to that moment, and at a certain point, nothing else in the world matters except that moment of love.”

“Lighting up the Christmas tree, which is like the most bland answer, but it’s so true because of John,” Roden explained. “He’s like the most enthusiastic person in the grumpiest way possible. The way he lights up the Christmas tree… it’s got the Chevy Chase vibe. It’s very nostalgic. “

“For me, it was our storyline and how we processed it,” Gonzalez said. “Those conversations that you might be avoiding or need to have to clear the air—figuring out how to go through that with grace.”

“There was a scene with Sebastian Billingsley, who played my son, and Ian Harding, where he talks about his late father,” Cahill shared. “Everybody on set was moved that day. It was so touching.”

“I can’t give away the story arc, but Virginia Madsen’s character has profound challenges in our storyline,” McGinley said. “Some scenes really resonated for me, as both John and the character. To dig into that in what’s largely a comedy was thrilling.”

“It’s about putting your own personal wants and desires aside to make sure the person you care about is happy,” Blain added.

“It’s not something I can pinpoint, but sometimes you just have to understand that it’s not about you; it’s about the collective,” Haysbert said. “You just have to put everything aside and just be grateful.”

On Holiday Traditions:

Sticking with the holiday theme, I asked the cast which traditions their characters would share with them in real life.

“I have a fried egg on top of a tamale for breakfast on Christmas morning,” Gonzalez said. “People usually have it for dinner, but that is a part of my Christmas routine. And with my character being a chef, I think she would do that.”

“I always cook and bake cookies at Christmas; I love chocolate chip cookies. So I think Nora would definitely do that,” Cahill said.

“My family makes gingerbread houses, and my sister is definitely the proper maker,” Roden shared. “Then we have a contest at the end. I’m like, ‘No, I have a Swan Lake at mine. I’ve got interesting shingle work,’ it’s very abstract.”

Describing the series with a holiday song:

Since Holidazed Season 1 covers many topics and storylines, I asked the cast to describe the series with a holiday song.

“’Jingle Bell Rock’ for me. It has that energetic vibe,” Blain said. “I was thinking of the Home Alone scene where he’s dancing with the dolls and setting up all the traps.”

Haysbert’s answer, meanwhile, was, “Anything by Nat King Cole,” 

“I think it was a song written for the soldiers in World War II or resonated for them called ‘I’ll Be Home for Christmas,’” McGinley explained. “And while that’s not necessarily something that I would immediately connect for, I think metaphorically, ‘I’ll be home for Christmas’ means I’ll be present for Christmas. I’ll be with you; I’ll be engaged with you.”

“For parents, sometimes that can be the biggest challenge,” McGinley added. “I’ll be engaged with you. I’ll reciprocate what we’re doing here. I’ll be on the receiving side, and I’ll hit the ball metaphorically back to you. And I’ll be home for Christmas really resonates for me.”

Holidazed is available to stream on Hallmark+.

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