For Jen Lilley, working with director Bradley Walsh on LOVE UNDER THE MISTLETOE was all about having fun.
“Bradley’s just so fun, because he’ll work really, really hard, and then he wants to try fun things, and if it doesn’t work, [it’s okay],” she said in an episode of “Survived the Shows.”
Lilley shared that she “always appreciate[s]” people who work hard, without being “prideful,” and can still maintain a sense of playfulness.
“So it’s like, you can try something. If it didn’t work, they’re like, ‘Ah, that didn’t work,’ or, you know, whatever,” she said. “But if it does work, like, he’ll just keep upping the ante. And so I think that’s really fun.”
Lilley continued, “Like, I love taking direction. I never mind when somebody is like, ‘Okay, that’s great, we got it. What if we did it this way?’ It’s a treat for me as an actor, so Bradley’s kind of the same way. He does a lot of prep, and then he’s just willing to have fun, so I appreciate that a lot.”
Related: Christian Actress Jen Lilley Shares How God Leads Her to Roles
In Hallmark’s LOVE UNDER THE MISTLETOE, Lilley stars alongside Nick Bateman.
“Grace and her former high school crush, Ryan, work together to revive the beloved charity fundraiser and seem to constantly find themselves under strategically placed mistletoe,” a synopsis of the movie reads.
Lilley has starred in several Christmas movies over the years and shared her thoughts on why people are so drawn to the genre.
“It’s so funny because they’re not highbrow movies,” she told UVA Today in 2023. “But you’d be surprised that our biggest fans are people like homicide detectives and Supreme Court justices. With everything going on in the world…we’re like the mac and cheese of TV. We try to make people feel good.”
Lilley added, “People just want to sit down with a warm bowl of macaroni and cheese and know exactly where the movie is going. They can do their laundry and not miss a beat.”
In addition to her acting career, Lilley is also an advocate for foster care. She recently wrote a book, Called to Foster, intended to help parents who are considering fostering a child.
“I realized the only way I could really make a dent in foster care was to recruit more foster parents who are actually in it for the right reasons,” she told Splash Mags.
LOVE UNDER THE MISTLETOE premieres July 25.
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