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Image Credit: Kristin Locurto
Jonathan Bennett is no stranger to the holiday movie genre, but The Holiday Sitter will always stand out among the rest. The Mean Girls alum stars and producers the new Hallmark film, which is making history as the network’s first LGBTQ-led holiday movie. HollywoodLife spoke EXCLUSIVELY with Jonathan about this monumental moment for him, the network, and queer representation in the holiday movie genre.
Jonathan Bennett and George Krissa in ‘The Holiday Sitter.’ (Hallmark Channel)
“What a Christmas to be alive. I’m so excited to be leading the first LGBTQ+ led rom-com at Hallmark Channel with The Holiday Sitter,” Jonathan told HollywoodLife at That’s4Entertainment’s Christmas Con 2022 on December 10. “But what’s even more exciting is the fact that this movie isn’t just for a queer audience. This is for everybody because Christmas is for everybody. Hallmark Channel’s for everybody. The Holiday Sitter’s for everybody, and I know so many people are going to watch this movie and feel so seen and feel like they have a seat at the Hallmark holiday table.”
Because he was an executive producer of the film, Jonathan got to help “create the story from the ground up.” He continued, “That’s why I love creating the character of Sam that I got to play because I took from personal experiences. I think anytime you take a personal story or truth and put it on screen, you find so much heart and you find so much humor for people to relate to.”
The film stars Jonathan as Sam, a workaholic bachelor who is babysitting his niece and nephew during the holidays. He winds up recruiting some help form his handsome neighbor and sparks begin to fly between them.
The actor would “absolutely” love to “continue the story of Sam and Jason [played by George Krissa] because the fans are going to fall in love with it. I think since it’s the first time we’ve seen a queer meet-cute on the network, it’s important to follow the story and keep it going so you can see the relationship evolve.”
Jonathan’s former Mean Girls co-star, Lindsay Lohan, has also entered the holiday movie universe with her Netflix movie Falling For Christmas. Jonathan revealed if he and Lindsay have discussed joining forces in a holiday movie.
Jonathan Bennett at Christmas Con 2022. (Kristin Locurto)
“I think we’ve chatted about it, but we haven’t actually had a conversation about it. However, her and I did chat that we want to do something together,” he told HollywoodLife. “But if we do something together, especially a Christmas movie, I think we don’t want to play lovers because the audience has already seen us do that before. So we’d have to do something fresh, like play siblings or best friends. Something different, but I would definitely do a movie with Lindsay any day.”
As for a cameo in the upcoming Mean Girls musical movie, Jonathan is totally down. “I will do anything Mean Girls any day, every day, because I owe my entire life to Tina Fey and Lorne Michaels. Any time they call, I will pick up the phone,” the actor said. The Holiday Sitter premieres December 11 at 8 p.m. on Hallmark Channel.
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