‘We Wish You a Married Christmas’ star on Hallmark’s new “feel-good” flick

Halloween may still be a week away, but Christmas lovers are already prepping for the holiday season. Well, it’s good news for those who can’t wait to snuggle up with a glass of eggnog and a heartwarming Christmas movie, because the Hallmark Channel has already begun premiering its festive line-up.

If you like your holiday romances to include cozy Vermont inns, alpacas, and ridiculously good-looking couples in crisis, then We Wish You a Married Christmas, premiering Saturday night on the Hallmark Channel, will be your new guilty pleasure.

Starring Jurassic World: Dominion actor Kristoffer Polaha and Riverdale mom Marisol Nichols, the festive flick is about a struggling married couple whose make-or-break Christmas vacation goes awry.

Along with a role in Wonder Woman 1984 (where his character was literally named “Handsome Man”), 45-year-old Polaha has starred in seven Hallmark movies, including the Dater’s Handbook (2016) with Meghan Markle and a Rocky Mountain Christmas (2017), as well as playing police detective Travis Burke in the channel’s Mystery 101 series.

Newsweek talked to the Hallmark hunk about making movies his children can enjoy, the magic of Christmas films, and why there’s always room for a good rom-com.

‘We Wish You a Married Christmas’

Although known for producing family-friendly films that all ages can enjoy, Hallmark hasn’t always been a bastion of diversity. Polaha said the channel is working to change that, with this year’s line-up including a broader selection of voices.

“Hallmark is evolving,” he said. “They want more diversity in the stories they are telling, the actors who are telling those stories, the writers who are writing those stories. Which I think is a wonderful thing.

“I think what people enjoy is when they watch a Hallmark movie, they are entering into this little snow globe, this Hallmark bubble, and the more inclusive, the better.”

Rather than opting for a “meet-cute,” We Wish You a Married Christmas focuses on a couple navigating a rough patch. Robby (Polaha) and Becca (Nichols) are on the brink of divorce, with the film following their attempts to rekindle their romance.

“When I read the script, I was like ‘How is this going to work, no one wants to watch a married couple falling apart [at Christmas],’ especially when there’s so many marriages in the same place,” Polaha said.

“But Marisol and I really took our time unpacking the script before we started shooting, and really talking about likeability of the characters, who is at fault, what is the disappointment and why.

“We looked at all these options and loading up their backstory, creating this life for a couple you ultimately what to root for.”

Polaha suspects married couples in particular will connect with this romantic comedy.

“It’s a very funny movie,” he said. “We got to do everything from a pratfall to more subtle comedy. It’s about really pushing through on vows and fighting for love.”

Films That Make You Feel Good

Since his days starring in Castle and Mad Men, the father-of-three has moved towards more family-friendly fare, something Polaha said was a conscious decision.

“In 2014, I did a movie called Where Hope Grows. I saw the reaction the film had with its audience,” he said.

Starring alongside actor and disability advocate David DeSanctis, the film focuses on the unlikely friendship between a teen with Downs syndrome (DeSanctis) and a “self-destructive” football player (Polaha).

“We showed the film all around America. All these young people with Downs syndrome were looking up at this giant silver canvas, watching someone who looks just like them and realizing anything is possible,” Polaha said.

“I want to be someone who makes content that makes you feel good. I don’t think there is anything wrong with that.”

‘A Star Is Born—On Surfboards’

When he’s not making Hallmark viewers swoon, Polaha co-writes romance novels with author Anna Gomez. Set in Hawaii, where Polaha spent a year filming North Shore (2004), the From Kona with Love series focuses on multi-cultural romances and family ties.

Written during the pandemic, the first book, Moments Like This, was released in February 2021, while the second book, Where the Sun Rises, came out in September.

Describing the novel as “A Star is Born on surfboards,” Where the Sun Rises currently has 4.7 stars out of 5 on Goodreads. Polaha intends to turn the novels into movies through his production company Podunk Productions.

“These books are written in mind for romance readers and the Hallmark audience, but we’re also pushing the genre and creating a universe,” he said.

“As an actor, you’re given a script and you have a finite amount of say. But as a writer, you to be the creator of an entire universe, it’s a really freeing experience.

“It’s a chance to tell more stories in a way I would like to tell them.”