Imagine meeting the man of your dreams. Now imagine finding out he’s a prince, destined to lead a country, with an overbearing queen for a mother. That’s the premise for Hallmark’s latest installment in its famous Countdown to Christmas series, A Royal Christmas. The sweet, made-for-TV movie starring Lacey Chabert and Jane Seymour airs November 22 on the Hallmark Channel and according to Seymour, it’s a story that will warm your heart and get you in the Christmas spirit.
“I love working with Hallmark,” the actress told Guideposts.org, “I love movies that are heartwarming and family-oriented because there’s not many around. These movies are about the human condition, they’re fun and they’re moving and they have some sort of morality to them. I think it’s a wonderful way to pass the season.”
This latest holiday film from the network definitely has its fair share of Christmas cheer, but it also tackles some serious family drama. At the beginning of the film, Seymour describes her character, the queen mother Isadora, as an “evil, horrible, nasty” person. Isadora has trouble accepting her son’s new girlfriend Emily, played by Chabert. But Emily’s presence only highlights Isadora’s bigger issue, her son’s unwillingness to follow tradition and accept the duty he has to his country, his people and his mother.
“I think it’s the idea that we have choices in our life and we also have duty and that your choices are not necessarily the choices your children are going to make,” Seymour said. “How do you deal with that? How important is duty versus your own happiness?”
For Seymour, the choice is a simple one: “I’ve always told my kids and I believe it myself, you can never go wrong in life if you’re authentic,” the actress said. “I think that’s what’s so lovely about Lacey’s character is that she’s authentic. Ultimately that’s what makes the queen love her so much. She realizes that’s something she never allowed herself to be and it caused her unbelievable pain and sorrow and missed opportunities.”
Making a holiday film with Hallmark was an opportunity Seymour definitely didn’t want to miss because it meant spending quality time with her own family. The actress’s daughter plays a vital role in the movie and even her sister snagged a tiny part in the film. It was a rare treat for the A-lister, who doesn’t always get a chance to spend Christmas with her entire family.
“We used to have our Christmas in what was referred to by my friends as a castle,” Seymour explained. “We had a home in England that was a thousand years old and we definitely had traditions there. There was a church on the property and we had a carol service there the day before and we invited the entire valley to our house afterward for mulled wine, mince pies and to sing Christmas songs at the grand piano. Now everyone’s got boyfriends and girlfriends and babies so we try to get as many of the family together as possible.”
She’s hoping that her new movie will bring other families together this holiday season: “I think that [Christmas] is the time of year when you really can stop and care about family and care about being thankful for everything you have.”
A Royal Christmas airs Saturday, Nov. 22 at 8:00 p.m. on the Hallmark Channel.
