Ben Lewis and Blake Lee Make History In "The Christmas Setup," Lifetime's First LGBTQ+ Rom-Com

Interestingly the couple had never considered working together before let alone on something so important quotI don39t think this is something we pictured for ourselvesquot Lewis pictured top left said when MediaVillage asked about the movie39s significance quotTo be honest I think the impact or the implications didn39t really sink in until later and the announcement about the movie was made online and we saw the feedback It39s probably good that happened later otherwise I think we would have felt too much pressure like the weight of being amp8216the first39 or something So ignorance was sort of bliss in this casequotquotThe only thing we talked about going into this was just how very grateful we feltquot added Lee top right quotWe were nervous because we had never worked together and we might we have marital spats onset and that would be embarrassing Actors sometimes have to audition at home on Zoom so sometimes Ben and I will help each other with those and they never end well But from day one we had a leader in our director Pat Mills and it was a positive experience all around So yeah we were nervous but we were able to just listen to Pat and be guided through itquotThankfully when it came to that allimportant onscreen chemistry there wasn39t a problem quotWe felt we were in very good handsquot Lewis explained quotBefore I even read the script I found out that Pat was directing I39ve known Pat for a couple years and wanted to work with him We read the script it was really fun and sweet and it was up to us and our chemistry not to screw it up There was a certain amount of pressure to that because we39ve been together for 10 years but we39ve never acted opposite each other We were as curious as anybody to see how that was going to translate onscreen But we feel good about what we didquotquotThe thing that I really loved about this script was there was no conflict or traumaquot Mills said of the film quotWorking with Ben and Blake and friends they did the hardest part for me establishing that chemistry They39re married Ellen is friends with everybody and it all made my job so much easier because we didn39t have to manufacture anything And with Fran involved amp8230 she gets along with everybody It was this warm family That was important to have on screen and totally different from anything I39ve done beforequotI39m cynical about Christmasquot he continued quotI came out at Christmas so I have this strange association with it But this I just wrapped my arms around it I listened to Christmas songs while directing and watched about 10 Lifetime Christmas movies to research what I was getting into I also wore a lot of red and green sweatersquotquotWe were really pleased to know that there was so much queer representation behind the film as wellquot added Lee quotWe had our producers our writer our director Everyone was working really closely with GLAAD so we felt like all of the boxes that needed to be checked were by a lot of different people Then a week later we found out Fran had signed on We were driving when we found out and almost crashed the car We just knew that the LGBTQ audience would freak out as much as we didquotFor Drescher pictured above getting the call to play Kate couldn39t have come at a better time quotI love Christmas and anything that is feelgood and spreads joyquot she shared quotI was in lock down for months nothing but me and my dog Then out of the blue Lifetime called saying amp8216Do you want to do this movie If so pack your bags you39re going to Canada in a week39 I got my negative COVID test work permit then busted across the border with my pup It was wonderful because I was beginning to feel scared about the outside world and that39s not healthy It was an amazing beautiful experience and it was great to celebrate Christmas in September with such a dear and lovely group of people otherwise I would have been by myselfquotquotAnytime you get to work with your real friends it39s a 39yes39quot said Wong quotI found out about the movie before my agents called me Ben and Blake texted saying amp8216This deal39s coming in39 and I would get to spend Christmas with them Knowing a lot of people from the LGBTQ community were involved was something I felt was needed for this and to support authentic storytellingquotI was happy to be part of Lifetime39s first LGBTQ Christmas filmquot she added in closing quotIt39s a film about a family and loved ones coming together that doesn39t play on stereotypes or anything like that It39s about humans that love one another coming together to celebrate Christmas That39s what it39s all about and we had the best timequotThe Christmas Setup will be telecast Saturday December 12 at 800 pm on Lifetime as a part of the network39s It39s A Wonderful Lifetime programming eventClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author 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Ben Lewis and Blake Lee Make History In "The Christmas Setup," Lifetime's First LGBTQ+ Rom-Com

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Ben Lewis and Blake Lee Make History In "The Christmas Setup," Lifetime's First LGBTQ+ Rom-Com

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"About That with Carl Mayer": Involved Media Connected Audience Fall 2024 Report (Episode 5) - By Carl Mayer

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