'Tis the Season to be Merry': 5 things to know about Rachael Leigh Cook and cast

The cast looks promising with Rachael Leigh Cook and Travis Van Winkle in the lead
Rachael Leigh Cook and Travis Van Winkle from 'Tis the Season to be Merry' (Instagram - @rachaelleighcook)
Rachael Leigh Cook and Travis Van Winkle from 'Tis the Season to be Merry' (Instagram - @rachaelleighcook)

Hallmark is ready to heighten your Christmas spirits with their new season special, 'Tis the Season to be Merry'. As the name says, this movie aims to bring in the joy of the festive and joyous occasion. 

The Christmas movie revolves around Merry Rozelle (played by Rachel Leigh Cook) who is currently looking for inspiration for her book on relationships. She is in awe when she comes across a charming aid worker, Chris Walters (played by Travis Van Winkle).

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Here's a look at who plays who in the Hallmark movie.

Cast

Rachael Leigh Cook as Merry Rozelle 

Rachel Leigh Cook is both an actress and model and began her career in the entertainment industry as a 10-year-old on commercials. At 14, was sent to read for a short film called '26 Summer Street', after which, she didn't look back. Cook is known best for her roles in 'The Baby-sitters Club', 'Tom and Huck', 'She's All That', 'Get Carter' alongside Sylvester Stallone, 'Texas Rangers', and a lead in the live-action take on 'Josie and the Pussycats'. Cook is also the voice behind several characters in both 'Robot Chicken' and 'Tifa Lockhart', from the 'Final Fantasy series'. 



 

Travis Van Winkle as Chris Walters

Travis Van Winkle is an American actor, known famously for his roles in 'Accepted', 'Transformers', 'Friday the 13th', and Season 3 of 'You'. He starred in 5 seasons of 'The Last Ship', a series regular in the drama, 'Instinct' on CBS, starring alongside Alan Cumming, and in 'Good Sam'. Van Winkle made his TV debut in an episode on the sitcom, 'Quintuplets', that aired on Fox. Ever since, he also made appearances on shows like, 'That's So Raven', 'Malcolm in the Middle', 'The O C', and '7th Heaven'. Some of Van Winkle's best TV work is seen with his recurring roles in 'Hart of Dixie' and 'Happy Endings'. 

Van Winkle studied at the McIntosh High School and later attended the University of West Georgia. While his time here, he dropped out to pursue acting, at the age of 20.

Other cast details 

The rest of the cast includes Adam Hurtig as James Smith, Amy Groening as Darlene Walters, John B. Lowe as Bill Walters, Karen Malina White as Sonia Hendricks, Paul Essiembre as Joe Manning, and Micaela Lozano as Julie.

'Tis the Season to be Merry' releases on December 19, 2021, on Hallmark. 

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