This Sunday, Worry the Strolling Useless star Karen David stars with Tyler Hilton in a CBS unique vacation movie When Christmas Was Younger. Sheryl Crow wrote the title music, and Karen sang it within the film.
Luke Dawson’s (Tyler Hilton) profession is in peril, and he can solely save his job if he can safe the rights to a homey Christmas ballad Melody sang years in the past.
The issue is that Melody is a single mother who left her musical desires behind. Quickly, Melody reveals Luke the true that means of Christmas, and he helps her open up her coronary heart.
We chatted with Karen concerning the film, collaborating with Sheryl and her favourite vacation traditions.
Hello, Karen. I have been an enormous fan of yours from a few of your different stuff. You might have a formidable performing resume in tv and movie, however that is your first vacation movie. What appealed to you about taking part in Melody Douglass?
You realize, you are proper about that. I’m a sucker for an excellent vacation movie. I’ve my go-to’s with the household and my buddies that we watch yearly from the classics I used to observe as a bit of lady with my dad. Christmas is certainly one of my favourite occasions of the 12 months as a result of I could be totally current and spend time with my family and friends, whom I like.
That is why I like Christmas a lot, so doing a vacation movie at all times appealed to me, however I really feel so fortunate {that a} film like When Christmas is Younger touched on so many issues that I may relate to personally, particularly with the music facet of it.
I like that music is that this film’s star and the heartbeat of this movie. It made me nostalgic and went again to my singer-songwriter days, and I do know it was very comparable for Tyler. We may relate a lot collectively and with one another, our journeys, and our relationship with music.
So, to have that and this candy storyline after which to have Sheryl Crow write the title observe and having the chance to sing her music and unique music and a Christmas music at that was a dream come true. It was a win-win. It was a really quick sure once I learn the script and heard Sheryl’s music.
Sure, I noticed that you just sang the title music. Did you get to work along with her in any respect on it?
Sheryl and I went backwards and forwards, and she or he despatched the demos. One other surreal factor was that I used to be in London on the time heading dwelling, and I bear in mind being on the prepare, sporting a masks. All you might see had been my eyes coming out as a result of I used to be so excited when she despatched the demo.
She was doing the information vocals, and she or he sounded so lovely on it, and there she was singing away, taking part in on the piano, and listening to the uncooked vocals, and her imaginative and prescient from the start was magical too. So, I used to be nervous. I used to be so scared as a result of I needed to make sure that I did the music justice for her and that she was happy with it.
It was nerve-wracking, however she is such an unbelievable human being, and she or he’s so inspiring. Her complete journey is extremely inspiring and to have this chance to work along with her and report an unique music by her was a dream come true.
And what was it like working with Tyler Hilton, and the way did you guys play off one another so properly?
Tyler is a type of human beings. To begin with, he is so form, beautiful, and open. You at all times hope for a scene associate that can come to play and present up day by day and play with you and be there to cheer one another on and convey out the most effective in one another.
Tyler is that type of scene associate, and I could not have hoped for a extra magical scene associate than Tyler. We may bond a lot on many issues as a result of we each have music backgrounds and are actors.
We swapped many tales concerning the good battle and all of the rejections that make up a part of that journey, and all of the loopy tales that we might have from touring or being on the highway.
We may relate to one another on many ranges, however we additionally shared a love of music and the present of making music and performing. So, we had a lot in widespread after we met. He is beautiful and enjoyable to work with and insanely charismatic and proficient, and he made my job simpler to be current and benefit from the scenes we filmed collectively.
I am grateful for that as a result of it does not at all times occur that means. This really aligned with us, and we frolicked lots. We hung out attending to know one another and attempting to be accountable for each other and current for one another as a result of it was important for us to inform this story and be very grounded, real, and pure with our characters.
I bear in mind the primary time we rehearsed, and I informed Tyler how I ready. Due to my music background, compiling a music listing is one factor I’ve at all times performed with each character I’ve performed in preparation. I decide songs that remind me of my character or what’s occurring in a specific scene.
After I created this playlist, Tyler liked the thought a lot that he did one too. Then what was beautiful, which I’ve by no means performed earlier than, is that we shared one another’s playlists. That gave us an perception into the place we had been with our characters. I ended up taking a bunch of his songs and including them to my playlist and vice versa.
It painted the scene the place we had been emotionally so far as making ready for these scenes. That was particular. I like that the music unifies everybody and brings everybody collectively; it definitely did for all of us. And for the bond that Tyler and I had, it was all by way of this shared love of music.
On that notice, what are a few of your favourite Christmas songs to sing?
The place do I begin? I like the outdated nostalgic classics like Have Your self a Merry Little Christmas to Chestnuts Roasting. One of many favorites that I’d at all times sing was My Grown-Up Christmas Record. These are my prime three, however now, I’ve my Sheryl Crow music, When Christmas Was Younger.
I like that I’ve these candy recollections and such a incredible expertise connected to this music, which makes it so distinctive for me and expensive to my coronary heart.
Completely. It was such a wonderful film.
Oh, thanks. Which means a lot to us as a result of, Laura, everybody confirmed up every day, cheering one another on and desirous to deliver the most effective out of one another, and we had been laughing and smiling. It was a dream realizing this was how we received to pay the payments. This is not a job. It is one thing that all of us take pleasure in.
We liked engaged on this collectively, and that is simply what made it so further particular. So, if that sense of neighborhood got here throughout and translated onto the display, that makes this so comfortable.
It did. I particularly preferred your relationship with the actress that performed your daughter. She seems a lot such as you.
I do know, the casting was so sensible, and Grace, who performs Bailey, is so wonderful. She’s such a professional, and she or he’s so form and so beautiful, and, and simply so adaptable. Every time Monica, our director, guided us in a scene, Grace would make these adjustments. She’s simply such a expertise at such a younger age.
I naturally felt very maternal for her, and I received to know her and her mom and her lovely household, and all of us received alongside so properly and had a lot enjoyable. We’ve got many behind-the-scenes movies of us laughing, the place she’s serving to Tyler, and I run by way of some line adjustments and the scene once more.
It is simply pleasant. The dynamic between the three of us was distinctive.
Sure. The three of you had been fairly enjoyable. So, for our final query, what are a few of your favourite household vacation traditions?
The very first thing once I take into consideration Christmas or the vacations is I consider my mother once I was a bit of lady, she would take out these lovely garlands, and she or he would painstakingly wrap these garlands across the stairwell, and that was the very first thing she would do even earlier than placing up the tree.
She put a lot care and love and care and a spotlight in the direction of these garlands, and the way she put the fairy lights and wrapped that over and layered it with the bows and the bobbles and made the home really feel so magical and so festive. She would play her favourite Christmas songs, from Dean Martin to the Anders Sisters to Motown.
I am so grateful to my dad and mom and my sister as a result of that is the place that love of desirous to sing began. It was from my household, in order that they performed these Christmas songs, and it could be this household ritual the place she had the music taking part in within the background. She would adorn, after which we might put up the tree collectively.
She made that point collectively as a household so magical that now, my husband laughs at me as a result of, as I stated, Christmas is certainly one of my favourite occasions. It’s so particular to me as a result of it is a chance to meet up with family and friends and be collectively.
So, I do the identical issues my mom does, like choosing out the music for placing up the tree and making certain that now we have family and friends and do it collectively. It is simply that ritual of placing up the tree collectively and that sense of neighborhood that I like a lot and having good meals and Christmas songs taking part in within the background.
I used to be so unhappy as a result of we do not have stairs and our home is all on one degree. I can do the garlands once more with what my mother did across the fireplaces. I am enthusiastic about that. This Christmas is barely totally different as a result of we’re simply shifting into our dwelling. We have been transforming for the final 16 months.
So, I am so unhappy as a result of these issues I informed you about, which I like doing, and I obsess over and begin doing simply earlier than Thanksgiving. I am unable to do it as a result of we’re not shifting into the home till after Christmas. Possibly I can get a Charlie Brown tree and simply put it on the desk right here within the visitor home, and we may have fun that means.
However I’m so excited to get the home prepared and searching ahead to subsequent 12 months after we can do it correctly in the home.
When Christmas Was Younger airs at 8:30/7:30c and eight pm PST on Sunday, December 18, on CBS and can stream on Paramount +.
Laura Nowak is a employees author for TV Fanatic. Observe her on Twitter.
