Freeform has added an exciting film to its holiday lineup. Set to premiere on Sunday, November 25, The Truth About Christmas stars Kali Hawk from New Girl and Damon Dayoub from Freeform’s Stitchers.
The Truth About Christmas centers on Jillian (Hawk), a successful political consultant, confident in her ability to put a spin on anything whose next big project is the upcoming mayoral campaign for her boyfriend, George (Dayoub). On the way to meet George’s family for the first time during the holidays, an unusual confrontation with a toy store Santa results in a drastic change in Jillian where she can’t stop herself from wildly spilling the truth.
We recently spoke to Kali Hawk and Damon Dayoub about their upcoming roles on the comedy film. The duo also dished about their favorite holiday memories and much more.
Check it out below!
How was the experience of working together on The Truth About Christmas?
Kali Hawk: “I loved it! I loved working with Damon. He was so nice and really enjoyed every minute of it. The director Jay Karret was amazing. He specializes in doing great comedy material and he just put his whole force and energy into making this movie great. So I felt very energized working with everyone.”
Damon Dayoub: “We had so much fun. When you’re doing a comedy, you want to enjoy the people around it and have a good time. From the beginning, chemistry was there and it all worked. She brought out the best in me, I brought out the best in her and became a perfect on-screen marriage.”
Going based off the charisma and energy from both of you, how did you guys prepare for your roles?
Kali Hawk: “Honestly… Do you want to know that truth? I Insta-stalked him a little before meeting him in person (laughs). And it worked out great because my character is interested in him. It gave me some really good information. When I first got the movie I knew what it was going to be about but I didn’t know who my co-star was going to be and when I found out it was him, I saw that he was someone who really cared about his family and values. Everything that I saw prior, contributed to the profile I build of what that guy that I’m supposed to be in love with looked like.”
“As far as my character being very career driven and focused, I loved that about her and I definitely felt that way at times (laugh). But I don’t know how you can feel so driven about Hollywood the way you can be about politics but there was an intensity of the Hollywood life that I was about to draw upon.”
Damon Dayoub: “I went with ways that the character was like me and unlike me. For “George” wanting to be a public servant and be the mayor of New York, this was just the beginning of his career. I also took it as a learning lesson. I was to do something like that, what would I do. I definitely took on a lot of the political landscape that going on, what is important for me as a human being, what I look for in leaders, and I try to embody that in George. Another thing is that he has flows and some of his flows he can’t help.”
What’s a favorite holiday memory that you can share?
Kali Hawk: “When I was two-years-old, my father gave me a pair of diamond earrings and I remember the box, I remember looking at them (laughs) and basically my ears weren’t pierced at that time. But I just remember the feeling and see them sparkle. Years down the line, I talked to my dad about that and now, I own my jewelry company. I’ve always loved jewelry, I don’t know if it’s because he fostered that throughout my life but he kind of told me that even though my ears weren’t pierced, he saw something beautiful and he wanted me to have it. In my adult life now he’s like, you know things don’t have t make sense, sometimes it’s okay to just do something because you love it.”
“That’s my Christmas memory, my dad giving me some sparkling earrings that made no sense but it carried on a whole lifetime of self-worth because of it.”
Damon Dayoub: “My mom when I was in high school, she would put together two baskets with baked goods and cash [money], and my sister and I would each pick one basket. Then we would drive around neighborhoods that needed extra help and we both would choose a basket and we would give it to the family of the house we choose. It was really touching and till this day, I still remember those moments.”
Have you been able to carry that as a family tradition?
Damon Dayoub: “I have not, but I’ll tell you one thing, I was just a teen when we would go around giving these two baskets out but once we were done, I would feel like such a great human being and it made me cherish those values for Christmas and the holidays.”
Ultimately, what do you hope those who watch The Truth About Christman take away from it?
Kali Hawk: “I hope that they take away the message of self-acceptance and forgiving yourself. All of the characters in the movie have this veneer that they’re trying to appalled not just for the holidays but throughout their lives, everyone is kind of playing a role and through this crazy sequence of events, we’re all given the gift to be ourselves and to be able to love one another. Especially between the relationship of George (Damon Dayoub) and me, you’d think that after all the crazy things he sees Jillian do in the movie, he’d be like ‘enough, goodbye’ but if anything that makes him love her even more. I really thought how everything played out was so amazing because now that we see it on T.V., it plants a seed in your mind of accepting people and growing with them in different ways.”
Damon Dayoub: “You also take a good laugh away from it too.”
