Jen Lilley has been in countless Christmas movies over the years, but do you know which one of those films holds the title of her “favorite project to date?”
That movie is ‘A Paris Christmas Waltz,” which is premiering on Great American Pure Flix October 17.
Lilley plays Emma, a woman who is contemplating life’s next steps after quitting her job. When she meets Leo (“Glee” star Matthew Morrison), a professional dancer who is looking for an amateur partner, the two team up for a chance to sweep all of Paris off its feet.
Let’s take a deeper look into how both of these amazing actors prepared for their roles in this Great American Original Christmas movie.
It’s not easy to make a ballroom dancing movie when the two lead actors don’t actually know how to ballroom dance. But thanks to two straight weeks of dance rehearsals before filming started, Lilley and Morrison crushed the film’s dance scenes.
“I think it would almost be easier if I didn't know how to dance going into this,” said Morrison, who is trained in ballet, tap and jazz. “I had to unlearn a lot of stuff that I knew because ballroom and Latin are so different and such different counterpoints and timings and stuff, so it was really challenging to unlearn. But then once I got it, it was such a feeling of accomplishment… It was also special just having two weeks of just dance rehearsals before we even started shooting. It really built up the chemistry between her and I and going into it.”
That of course, didn’t make it any easier for the duo, who had to shoot a particularly difficult waltz scene with world champion ballroom dancers. Needless to say, they were a little intimidated.
“They were still correcting my frame while I was there,” Lilley revealed in a behind-the-scenes video.
“I was watching the camera playback and these waltzers would go by the camera perfectly framed…and then we come back like trotting like horses,” Morrison added, laughing.
Lilley was especially challenged with the dancing and even spent early mornings at home working on her form and rehearsing. In the end, her hard work paid off.
“I have never been more proud of a project I’ve worked on, and that’s saying a lot,” she wrote on Instagram after filming wrapped. “The dancing challenged me beyond belief, and we did it! (I definitely cried after our big finale dance tears of relief and joy and gratitude and pride). This movie will move your hearts and fill you with so much joy.”
Did you know that in addition to their superb acting and dancing, Lilley and Morrison also sing in “A Paris Christmas Waltz”?
That’s right, while Morrison’s music background is well-known from his days on “Glee” and on Broadway, Lilley’s musical chops were a fun surprise for many who didn’t know that the beloved actress is also a singer who released her latest album in 2020.
One of the songs the duo recorded was a version of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” which you can get a taste of the behind-the-scenes video below.
The duo even posted an impromptu take of “The Way You Look Tonight” to the delight of fans on social media.
“Make an album together please,” one fan wrote.
“Love your voices and your dancing was beautiful,” another said.
“I think [the film] really harkens back to, you know, Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, like it was just so classic,” Lilley said in a 2023 interview. “I mean, to me, it was what you would expect with a name like Great American Family, like Great American Christmas, it just hearkens back to everything, the movie industry in Hollywood.”
And if the dancing and singing weren’t enough to convince you stream “A Paris Christmas Waltz” on Great American Pure Flix starting October 17, just know there’s something extra magical about this special film.
Not only did the cast and crew have a blast filming on site in Paris and Romania, but the whole film really captures the beauty, wonder, and joy of Christmas.
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“The cinematography in this movie is so beautiful,” Lilley said. “I just hope that this movie becomes a movie that people go to every single holiday.”
“It is moving. It is romantic. It is wistful. It is joyful,” Morrison added. “I think it will bring so much love and cheer and happiness into your home.”
Mark your calendar and be sure to stream “A Paris Christmas Waltz” on Great American Pure Flix starting October 17! Not a member? Sign up for your free 7-day trial today.