‘The Christmas House’: Meet Jonathan Bennett, Brad Harder and the cast of Hallmark’s first LGBTQ Christmas movie
Are you ready to feel the cheerfulness of Christmas? Well, Hallmark is making good on its promise of inclusivity with ‘The Christmas House’. The movie features a storyline that is quite unique featuring a same-sex couple that will champion the idea of inclusivity besides celebration. The channel had earlier promised to include “LGBTQ storylines, characters and actors” in its spate of holiday movies this year.
“Diversity and inclusion is a top priority for us and we look forward to making some exciting programming announcements in the coming months, including announcements about projects featuring LGBTQ storylines, characters, and actors,” said George Zaralidis, from Crown Media Family Networks, Hallmark’s parent company. “We are committed to creating a Hallmark experience where everyone feels welcome.”As per New Now Next, ‘The Christmas House’ “features a gay couple and their journey to adopt a child.” It is one of the most anticipated films from the network that heralds warmth, positivity, soulful connections, celebration, and traditions—as a winning formula in its projects.
Before we head to watch the movie, meet the cast of ‘The Christmas House’.
Cast
Jonathan Bennett as Brandon
Born in 1981, Jonathan D. Bennett is an actor and model. He is widely popular for his roles as Aaron Samuels in the 2004 comedy film ‘Mean Girls’ and playing Bud McNulty in ‘Cheaper by the Dozen 2’. The actor has had recurring roles as Casey Gant in the UPN mystery drama ‘Veronica Mars’ and has hosted ‘Halloween Wars’, and ‘Cake Wars’. Jonathan’s other credits include Lifetime’s ‘Holiday High School Reunion’, 'The Assistants’, ‘Slightly Single in L.A.’, ‘Memorial Day’, and ‘Divorce Invitation’ to name some.
Brad Harder as Jake
Born in a small town in northern Alberta, Brad Harder was raised in Grande Prairie and shifted to Edmonton at the age of 18. There he embarked on a career of modeling and doing commercial work. The actor has kept his passion alive for acting and has been featured in many films and series. Some of his notable credits include CW’s 'Supernatural', DC’s 'Legends of Tomorrow', Bravo’s 'Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce', Syfy’s 'The Magicians', CBS’s 'Twilight Zone' along with many Hallmark films.
Ana Ayora as Andi
Ana Ayora is a Columbian American actress born in Miami, Florida. She is best known for playing Nina Cruz in the original series 'Banshee’. She was last seen as Sarah Barnes in The CW drama series ‘In The Dark’ and played the role of Witcher in Captain Marvel’s, ‘Agents of SHIELD’. Her career began with roles in projects like ‘Castle’ and playing Viviana in ‘Marley & Me’ opposite actress Jennifer Aniston. However, her career got a kick start with the role of Nuria Soto in ‘The Big Wedding’. She was also seen as Yolanda Vega in the Hallmark television movie, ‘Meddling Mom’ and as Ana in the series ‘Lincoln Heights’. The actress played Sofia Luna in ‘Major Crimes’ and appeared as Kamila in the series ‘MacGyver’. She also had a supporting role in Universal feature ‘Ride along 2’.
Robert Buckley as Mike
Robert Earl Buckley is an American actor born in Claremont in Los Angeles County, California. The actor graduated from the University of California, San Diego in 2003 with a degree in Economics. As a college student, the actor appeared as a contestant on ‘The Price is Right’ an American television game show created by Bob Stewart, Mark Goodson, and Bill Todman.Robert made his acting debut as a series regular on My Network primetime telenovela ‘Fashion House’ playing the role of Michael Bauer. He made his feature film debut with ‘When a Killer Calls’ a horror, released in 2006. His other credits include playing Kirby Atwood in ‘Lipstick Jungle’, Kyle Hamilton in ‘Flirting with Forty’, and Nik in ‘Killer Movie’.
He is well known for playing the role of Clay Evans in one of the CW’s longest airing drama series, ‘One Tree Hill’. He also appeared as Major Lilywhite in ‘iZombie’, a comedy-drama horror series.
Sharon Lawrence as Phylis
Sharon Lawrence is an American actress born in Charlotte, North Carolina. She is best known for playing Sylvia Costas Sipowicz in the drama series ‘NYPD Blue’. She also played some prominent roles in the hit series ‘Shameless’, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, ‘Desperate Housewives’.
Sharon starred in a wide range of films that include ‘The Shaggy Dog’, ‘A Friend’s Betrayal’, ‘The Only Thrill’, ‘Word of Honor’, ‘Aftershock-Earthquake in New York’, ‘Atomic Twister’ to name some. Her recent film work includes ‘Middle of Nowhere’ with director Ava Duvernay,’ Solace’ opposite Sir Anthony Hopkins, and ‘The Bridge Partner’.Her other credits include ‘Monk’, ‘Law and Order SVU’, ’Rizzoli & Isles’, and ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ to name a few.
Hallmark mentions that Brad’s most special experience in the industry has been his groundbreaking supporting lead role in Hallmark’s 'The Christmas House'. In this film, "he and Jonathan Bennett play the first married gay couple on Hallmark with his real-life son, Kael, in the role of their son."
'The Christmas House' premieres Sunday, November 22 at 8 pm ET on Hallmark Channel.