(Photos: UPtv)

We all need something to lift our spirits this holiday season, and Liliana Tandon has just the thing… her brand new movie, A Ring for Christmas — which she wrote and stars in — premieres on UPtv as part of their ‘Merry Movie Christmas’ programming event!

LollyChristmas.com caught up with Liliana as she prepares for the premiere this weekend, and she dished on writing her first Christmas movie and working with co-stars Dean Geyer, Michael Gross, Lorraine Brocco and Charles Hittinger. Liliana also shared some of her favorite moments from filming and her cherished holiday family traditions.

Read on to learn a little more about this sweet and fun festive tale!

“A Ring for Christmas” is not your typical holiday-wedding romance! Can you tell us more about the film, and what inspired you to write this story?

A Ring for Christmas follows Angie Moore, a spoiled single girl who gets cut off 25 days before Christmas. But upon discovering the existence of a sizable trust fund that she will inherit once she gets married, she decides to find a man to marry… by Christmas!

Geyer and Tandon in A RING FOR CHRISTMAS (Photo: UPtv)

For most of my life and career, I have been solely an actress. I never thought that I’d want to write and create my own work. However, as most people know or can guess, the film industry is extremely difficult to break into. It’s hard to feel like you have any control or autonomy over your own career when you’re always waiting for someone else to give you your “big break.” A few years back, I got an idea for a web series, and after writing it, producing it, and starring in it, I was quickly convinced that creating work for yourself is the way to make things happen! It felt great!

I’ve always loved Christmas movies — classics and made-for-TV films alike. So when it came time to sit down and write my first feature, a Christmas movie seemed like a fun first story to tell. But you’re definitely right — A Ring for Christmas is anything but typical! It’s similar to the usual TV Christmas movies in all the best ways: it’s fun, festive, and up-lifting. But it definitely has some differences that make it special. The main character, Angie, is definitely flawed! She has experiences from her past that have shaped her, and not always in the best ways.

And though she makes the journey back to her small home town for all the wrong reasons, it is through re-connecting with her past that she is able to truly re-discover herself and the magic of Christmas. I think Angie is an extremely relatable character, and the audience will have fun watching her growth and transformation over the course of the movie. She was an extremely fun character to write… and to play!

Were you also part of the casting process? What was it like to work with Dean Geyer, Lorraine Bracco and Michael Gross?

This project was my baby, and I was extremely lucky that my producers at Storyworks (Michael Lurie, Alex Coscas and Jeffrey Giles) knew that and were generous enough to let me be involved in the casting process. I still have to pinch myself when I think about the unbelievable cast we had!

Dean Geyer, who plays Gabe, was very fun to work with! He’s best known for Glee, and I wish if I had known we’d get him I would’ve made his character a singer! But he and Charles Hittinger, who plays Tyler, were very fun to have on set — they kept things fun and light, which was extremely helpful when we were shooting in freezing weather and when we had really long shoot days.

Gross, Kate Avallone, Tandon and Brocco on set of A RING FOR CHRISTMAS (Photo: Instagram)

Lorraine Bracco and Michael Gross were absolutely amazing to work with. Lorraine is an Academy Award nominee and was in The Sopranos, one of the most iconic shows ever made, so to have her playing my mother was a privilege. She is an incredible, powerful presence on set — I was definitely intimated at first! But she was such an important part of the team. I remember one night we were shooting a scene in which the town lights the big Christmas tree in the town center. We shot the movie outside of Boston, mostly in Newburyport, Massachusetts, in March — which, anyone who is from the Northeast can tell you, is still the dead of winter! We were shooting outside in 12 degree weather… before windchill. It was absolutely freezing. It would’ve been understandable for Lorraine to stay inside until right before the director yelled “action,” and then go back inside right after he yelled “cut.” But she was out there with all of us, setting such an incredible example for everyone, and she definitely helped keep spirits up!

Michael Gross is just as kind and generous as you’d imagine! Salt of the earth. We had a few scenes together that were quite emotional, and he was so engaged with me and was right there in the scene with me. He was such a generous scene partner and made me feel so comfortable right off the bat. And after we finished our scenes, he asked me if we could take a picture together! Just that simple act meant the world to me. And that’s just the kind of person he is.

We often hear about Christmas movies that are filmed during the summer, but as you mentioned, you shot this movie on location in Massachusetts during March. Did the cold weather help you get into the festive mindset?

Yes, we shot in Massachusetts in March. It was definitely tough sometimes! But it is all worth it when you see the film — it looks absolutely beautiful. There is nothing like real snow! And you can see the actors breath when we talk. The production value that we got just by where and when we filmed is priceless. And the town of Newburyport is such a perfect town for a Christmas movie! It is so quaint, and the people there are so nice! They were so generous, allowing us to take over their shops and streets for a week. We decorated the whole town to look like Christmas, which was fun to keep the holiday season going and definitely helped set the festive mood! And it looks stunning.

Tandon in A RING FOR CHRISTMAS (Photo: UPtv)

What was your favorite scene to film?

The opening montage was so fun to shoot! We went with a tiny crew to the Bryant Park Christmas Shops, and just wandered around, window shopping and drinking cocoa. Not bad for a days work! I really felt like a kid again!

And I know I already talked about Lorraine and Michael, but any scene with them was amazing. It was like being in a masterclass for acting! Getting to learn and act with such industry legends was such an honor.

As I said previously, the guys at Storyworks were so nice to let me be a part of the casting process — and that meant casting some of my friends! Kate McGarrigle, Maddie Sykes, John Noble Barrack, and Rachel Kent are all friends of mine that have supporting roles. And in the tree lighting ceremony scene, there is an a cappella group that sings “Jingle Bells” — that is a real group called Backtrack Vocals! Mike Hinkle, the tenor of the group, is one of my best friends from NYU. It was fantastic to get to watch all of them work and to act with them.

What are some of your holiday traditions?

Traditions are definitely important in my family! We like to do the same things every year. We
always watch Miracle on 34th Street, and then my mom reads “Twas the Night Before
Christmas.” One tradition that has endured, no matter how old my sisters and I got, is that my
mom still likes to pretend to be Santa! We write a letter to Santa every year, leaving it by the
fireplace with a glass of wine instead of eggnog or milk. Then “Santa” writes us a reply that we
read in the morning, talking about things like the tough economy and climate change melting the
Nouth Pole snow! It’s absolutely hilarious. I was talking to my dad about this, and he told me
that my mom has special wrapping paper that she calls her “Santa paper,” and different paper for
her “parent paper.” Only presents that are “from Santa” are allowed to be wrapped with the Santa
paper, and she gets cross with my dad if he uses the wrong one!

I loved hearing more about A Ring for Christmas from Liliana, and I hope it made you as eager to watch the movie as it made me. Watch the premiere Sunday, November 8th at 7pm/6c on UPtv!

Stay merry!