Sasha Pieterse and Mitchell Slaggert star in A Carpenter Christmas Romance. The new film, which is part of this year’s “It’s a Wonderful Lifetime” slate, is now available to stream here and on the Lifetime app.
When novelist Andrea (Sasha Pieterse) hints her upcoming book may be taking a heartbreaking turn, her fans begin protesting, demanding their favorite character doesn’t get killed off. Needing a haven where she can finish her novel, Andrea flees to her family’s farmhouse in the town of Wildwood. Much to her surprise, she ends up running into her ex-crush, Seth (Mitchell Slaggert), an artisanal woodworker who’s helping rebuild the town after it was nearly destroyed by a fire. It doesn’t take long for sawdust and sparks of romance fill the air once the two team up and work together to reignite the town’s Christmas spirit. Is this romance just a holiday fling that ends when her trip is over? Or can the two build a love that is made to last?
Over Zoom, I spoke with the actors about how TV and movies can offer viewers comfort or an escape, why the holiday genre is perfect for romance, their favorite tropes, rom-com elements, and more. Keep reading for everything we discussed!
Mitchell, your character has some great lines that I want to ask you both about. The first one is the line Seth has about Andrea’s books changing the world: “It’s giving people a safe space to take a journey and feel their feelings. Sometimes an escape is what people need the most.” As actors, does that ever align with why you take a project, how you view a project or even the response from fans?
Mitchell Slaggert: Yes, because it is a full deep dive into a project like that. And so, when you are just laser-focused on something, you’re able to kind of block out whatever drama or problems that are going on. So definitely, it’s kind of pushing it to the side a little bit and just focusing on the task ahead.
Sasha Pieterse: I agree. To echo that, I feel like I’ve been lucky to be a part of projects that kind of accomplish this, whether they’re more serious or more lighthearted. I think we, like you’re saying, go to TV and movies for comfort. Pretty Little Liars reached people all over the world with bigger issues, I would say, and it was kind of done in a way that was comfortable and palatable but at the same time, maybe the first time they’d seen it on TV and in their situation, could have helped them in their life. I’ve been able to meet a lot of those people and have them explain it, which I think is really beautiful and lovely. On the personal side, I definitely do. The holidays, that’s a great example. Christmas movies bring joy and it’s something that you can throw on the TV and bake, wrap gifts, or do whatever you’re doing and it just kind of reinforces those happy moments. Yeah, I mean, I think film and television can definitely work wonders for your mood and for that escape and yeah, that is sometimes something that we need.
As far as going for a project for those reasons, I do think that definitely is what motivates me. This project, Sarah Drew wrote it, and I immediately felt drawn to the script because of her writing. She managed to put in so many layers, whether that’s the sexiness, of course, but the communication between them, even the women empowerment but at the same time, really understanding a character like Seth because I think ultimately Christmas movies can be very one-dimensional. They’re comfortable, we know the ending. We know essentially what’s going to happen for their storyline. It’s very cookie cutter and that’s not necessarily a bad thing but when you can throw in some more elements in there, I think it’s a really nice touch and it feels more engaging. I’ve definitely gotten that comment from people who have watched it already, which is they felt drawn to it, they felt more engaged rather than it just kind of being on the TV. I always love to be a part of projects like that. It doesn’t have to be really serious and dark for that to still catch your attention. So yeah, that was a long-winded answer, but essentially the same thing that Mitchell said.
That was beautiful. The next quote is “There’s always a way forward if you’re looking for it.” Is there a time in your career that this line made you reflect on?
Slaggert: Yes, I always wanted to join the military ever since I was a child. A bad car accident made me ineligible to do so and I kind of really had to figure it out from there. You could either beat yourself up and just stay in the gutter or you can find something else to do. I went off to college and then lo and behold, I got swooped up into this whole industry. So absolutely, just keep your head above the water and keep swimming.
Pieterse: That was a great answer. Yeah, I mean, I know a lot of people believe everything happens for a reason and I toy with that sentiment a lot, because in lots of ways, yeah, I feel like it always kind of works out, right? But I think there’s also a lot of preparation involved in that. I think ultimately people have a lot of different passions and maybe you haven’t discovered one yet and because of that, there’s always a path forward, whether that’s your career, relationships, or just overcoming certain hurdles in life. I think that we always have room to grow and evolve, and we’re really responsible for if we let that happen or not. So I like to think that there’s more responsibility when it comes to that path forward and I think if you are up to growing and up to facing a new challenge that will strengthen you, it’s always available.
Why do you think the holiday and romance genres go so well together?
Pieterse: I think it’s that comfort, right? So it’s the dreamy, swoon sort of feeling that comes from both the holidays and romance. I mean, I think ultimately, sorry, Mitchell, but most of these movies are geared towards women and not to objectify you, but usually, the men involved in these movies are kind of that ideal man. So I think it’s that ideal time, you want Christmas to be magical, you want love to be magical and I think because of that, those two things fit really well together.
Slaggert: Yeah, a holiday romance, I mean, there’s just an electricity in the air, everybody’s joyful. A lot of times, they’re around family and then if they’re out and about, there’s that aura about people just walking around and sparks can fly.
So perfectly put. Obviously, the romance genre has so many beloved tropes. Do you have a favorite trope that you love watching?
Pieterse: I think that what is great about Christmas movies is the humor involved in it. I think we’re seeing a lot more Christmas movies that are kind of making fun of themselves in a good way. I think there’s one that’s very much a common one, which is the woman going back home to her childhood area and falling in love or falling back in love anyway. So I mean, I love that aspect of it, not because I think it’s realistic in any way, shape, or form but it’s more of that comedic relief where we all know it’s going to happen. In fact, I love Just Friends for that reason. Just Friends is actually a great Christmas film. I don’t think it’s top of mind when people think of Christmas films, but I love, for that reason, the spin on it. Ryan Reynolds’ character coming back to his hometown and facing all of his childhood trauma, and so, yeah, I think that would be my pick. It’s hard to find a Christmas movie that doesn’t have that trope in it. What’s yours?
I love the one that you said if I’m watching a Christmas movie, I feel like it’s a comfort. Right now, enemies to lovers has had my heart for a minute. The one that always breaks me is right person, wrong time. That trope kills me because it’s just the circumstances. If this wasn’t happening, then they’d be fine, so just skip forward a little bit.
Pieterse: Let it happen already. I think that we have that in our movie, too. We do have that in our movie. I think, spoiler alert, that’s part of it. That’s part of what I loved about the communication aspect is Andrea also kind of realizes in a way that — it’s not that she’s overreacting by any means, but she really addresses that childhood trauma aspect of it. It’s like, it might seem so silly when I say it out loud, but that is a real wound that’s still there. Wish it wasn’t but it’s still there and I think a lot of us can relate to that, and that’s what I appreciated about that sentiment.
She not only got her closure, she got her happy ending.
Slaggert: An absolute win-win. I would say, I guess, I just have a lot of great family memories of watching Christmas comedies, like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, you throw that on every year. Elf is [another one].
Pieterse: Love Elf, The Grinch, Home Alone.
Slaggert: Just always still quoting it.
Pieterse: I’m so guilty of buying them. Now, I’m just like, ‘Okay, well, why rent them? I’m going to do this every single year, might as well just buy them on Prime.’
No, you might as well buy them, you’re saving yourself money in the long run. Well, I have to say, Andrea triggered me a little bit because while I love that she wanted to make her ending real, I had flashbacks to all the character deaths that made me sob. So, which character’s death would you have liked to change?
Pieterse: So here’s the thing, I love movies and television that kill off main characters. I’m so here for it. I think it’s great, even if it makes me sad, I’m like, yes! Not everything has a happy ending. So I am an Andrea. I absolutely am that like, no, life isn’t perfect. That’s always my vote [don’t change the ending] as terrible as that is.
Slaggert: I know how to answer this one. Anytime they kill an animal, I can’t.
Pieterse: That’s fair. There we go.
When I see an animal in certain movies, I have to turn it off. I can’t do it.
Slaggert: Yep because I know where this is going to go. I’m going to cry later.
Pieterse: So true, even down to like Marley & Me. I sobbed during that movie. I knew it was going to happen. Totally knew it was going to happen.
Slaggert: You still can’t prepare yourself for it. It’s so heartbreaking.
Pieterse: For me, I love a shocking death. So I don’t think that I would change one. I think the animal answer is actually perfect because yeah, if I know that an animal is going to die in a movie like that — like Marley & Me, I was forced to watch, I don’t want to watch that. I would never choose to watch it because I know what’s going to happen and I know it’s going to make me upset.
One of the things that I love about romance films is the different elements, like a rain kiss scene…
Slaggert: [The rain scene] was hilarious to film.
Pieterse: Yeah, torrential downpour.
I was like, ‘Oh, are we getting a rain kiss?’ And then all of a sudden, they’re back inside. They ripped it right away.
Pieterse: You still got the wet T-shirt, it’s fine.
Slaggert: There’s a really funny prop guy on set, his nickname was Art Daddy and he was really enjoying spraying me down with a hose, just getting a chuckle out of it.
Pieterse: I have video evidence and I feel like once the movie’s out…
Slaggert: He’s got the biggest smile on his face, just hosing me down.
Pieterse: Biggest smile, definitely the water pressure was too much. It was kind of cruel. It was great. I loved it.
Slaggert: It’s fine, I have brothers.
Well, you definitely have to post that. Which elements are your personal favorites in a romance movie and did you see any of them present in A Carpenter Christmas Romance?
Pieterse: Okay, I’m going to be real transparent here, rom-com is not my go-to genre. I love love, so I don’t know why that’s not my thing. Right now, I’m either watching a cooking show or a really dark drama. But my rom-coms, they have to be slapstick. I want some dirty jokes in there like Forgetting Sarah Marshall style. The too-cheesy rom-com, I can’t do. I live for the crazy physical comedy moments, when something so ridiculous happens or someone says something so crazy. I live for that sort of thing, like Wedding Crashers. Hilarious, there’s so many things in that movie that are just so… it’s technically a rom-com. It’s so great.
Have you seen Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates?
Pieterse: I did. Yep, that massage scene. You know what I mean? Situation, circumstance, physical comedy, that’s what I love.
Slaggert: I really enjoy watching the build and then, when the pressure gauge just blows. So you got a slow burn and then all of a sudden, you’re like, ‘Oh, there it is!’ There’s some of that in this.
Pieterse: Does American Pie classify as a rom-com? I don’t think so. That’s funny, there’s some love in there.
Thank you so much for your time. The movie was fantastic and I had the best time speaking with you both.
Slaggert: Likewise.
Pieterse: Likewise, this was so fun. Appreciate it. I will definitely post that video, you will not be disappointed.