This Sunday, Concern the Strolling Lifeless star Karen David stars with Tyler Hilton in a CBS unique vacation movie When Christmas Was Younger. Sheryl Crow wrote the title track, 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 exhibits Luke the true which 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 a giant fan of yours from a few of your different stuff. You’ve a formidable performing resume in tv and movie, however that is your first vacation movie. What appealed to you about enjoying Melody Douglass?
You realize, you are proper about that. I’m a sucker for a superb 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 slightly woman with my dad. Christmas is one in all my favourite occasions of the 12 months as a result of I will be absolutely 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 might relate to personally, particularly with the music aspect 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 might 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 monitor and having the chance to sing her music and unique track and a Christmas track at that was a dream come true. It was a win-win. It was a really quick sure after I learn the script and heard Sheryl’s track.
Sure, I noticed that you just sang the title track. Did you get to work together 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 keep in mind being on the practice, carrying a masks. All you possibly can see have 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, enjoying 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 track justice for her and that she was happy with it.
It was nerve-wracking, however she is such an unimaginable human being, and she or he’s so inspiring. Her entire journey is extremely inspiring and to have this chance to work together with her and document an unique track 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. Initially, he is so variety, pretty, and open. You at all times hope for a scene accomplice that may come to play and present up every single day and play with you and be there to cheer one another on and produce out the perfect in one another.
Tyler is that sort of scene accomplice, and I could not have hoped for a extra magical scene accomplice than Tyler. We might 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 wrestle 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 might relate to one another on many ranges, however we additionally shared a love of music and the reward of making music and performing. So, we had a lot in frequent once we met. He is pretty and enjoyable to work with and insanely charismatic and gifted, 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 would not at all times occur that method. This actually aligned with us, and we frolicked quite a bit. We frolicked attending to know one another and making an attempt 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 keep in mind the primary time we rehearsed, and I advised Tyler how I ready. Due to my music background, compiling a track record is one factor I’ve at all times executed with each character I’ve performed in preparation. I decide songs that remind me of my character or what’s occurring in a selected scene.
After I created this playlist, Tyler cherished the concept a lot that he did one too. Then what was pretty, which I’ve by no means executed earlier than, is that we shared one another’s playlists. That gave us an perception into the place we have 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 have 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 actually did for all of us. And for the bond that Tyler and I had, it was all by 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 previous 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 Checklist. These are my high three, however now, I’ve my Sheryl Crow track, When Christmas Was Younger.
I like that I’ve these candy recollections and such a implausible expertise hooked up to this track, which makes it so distinctive for me and pricey to my coronary heart.
Completely. It was such a superb film.
Oh, thanks. Which means a lot to us as a result of, Laura, everybody confirmed up each day, cheering one another on and desirous to carry the perfect out of one another, and we have been laughing and smiling. It was a dream understanding this was how we received to pay the payments. This is not a job. It is one thing that all of us get pleasure from.
We cherished engaged on this collectively, and that is simply what made it so additional particular. So, if that sense of neighborhood got here throughout and translated onto the display, that makes this so completely satisfied.
It did. I particularly preferred your relationship with the actress that performed your daughter. She seems to be a lot such as you.
I do know, the casting was so good, and Grace, who performs Bailey, is so wonderful. She’s such a professional, and she or he’s so variety and so pretty, and, and simply so adaptable. Each 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 have now many behind-the-scenes movies of us laughing, the place she’s serving to Tyler, and I run by 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 have been fairly enjoyable. So, for our final query, what are a few of your favourite household vacation traditions?
The very first thing after I take into consideration Christmas or the vacations is I consider my mother after I was slightly woman, 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 focus 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 will be this household ritual the place she had the music enjoying within the background. She would beautify, after which we would 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 one in all 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 we now 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 enjoying 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 completely different as a result of we’re simply transferring into our dwelling. We have been reworking for the final 16 months.
So, I am so unhappy as a result of these issues I advised you about, which I like doing, and I obsess over and begin doing simply earlier than Thanksgiving. I can not do it as a result of we’re not transferring into the home till after Christmas. Perhaps I can get a Charlie Brown tree and simply put it on the desk right here within the visitor home, and we might have a good time that method.
However I’m so excited to get the home prepared and looking out ahead to subsequent 12 months once 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 workers author for TV Fanatic. Observe her on Twitter.
