Hunter King, Tyler Hynes, Ed Begley Jr., Diedrich Bader, and Megyn Price also open up about working with Travis Kelce’s mom, Donna Kelce, praising her acting in the film, which is a partnership between Hallmark, the NFL, and the Chiefs.
Hallmark Channel is known for its holiday romance films, but what happens when they take their beloved signature formula up a notch and add in the Kansas City Chiefs?
Enter Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story, which brings two passionate fan bases together: Hallmark Christmas fans and Chiefs Kingdom. And the cast of Holiday Touchdown hopes that Swifties, who make up one of the largest fandoms in the world, will love the romance film as well — and not only just because of Taylor Swift’s relationship with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
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TooFab spoke with cast members Hunter King, Tyler Hynes, Ed Begley Jr., Diedrich Bader, and Megyn Price at the film’s junket. The group opened up about working on the Hallmark holiday film, which is a partnership with the network, the NFL, and the Chiefs.
The film follows Chiefs superfan Alana (King), who tries to win the Kansas City Chiefs “Fan of the Year” contest for her family of Chiefs superfans for Christmas. Along the way, she finds herself falling in love with Derrick (Hynes), the Director of Fan Engagement for the team.
The movie — which shot several scenes at Arrowhead Stadium — also features Jenna Bush Hager, coach Andy Reid, many Chiefs players, and none other than Travis Kelce’s mom, Donna Kelce.
When asked how they think Swift and Kelce’s fans will react to Holiday Touchdown, King and Hynes told TooFab they believe fans will love it.
“They will [enjoy it],” said Hynes, 38. “[Kelce’s] mom Donna’s in it. Do you know what I mean? And when she’s in it, it’s like you can’t help but fall in love with the whole thing. She’s just so fun and adorable and fantastic. And she’s got some scenes in there. She’s, like, doing her thing.”
“She’s so, so charming in it,” King, 31, agreed, before sharing why she believes Swifties will enjoy the film.
“I think that we as a collective — and I say we because I am a Swiftie — I think that Swiftie’s core values also align with Hallmark and the Chiefs. You know, Taylor is such an amazing role model for really anybody of any age of just how to conduct yourself and just putting family first and just self-respect,” she continued. “And there [are] just so many things that she would bring to the table. And I think that they’re gonna feel that in our movie of all the amazing qualities that she displays, I think that Hallmark brings to the table. And I think that they’re gonna feel that from us.”
Price shared similar sentiments while speaking with TooFab alongside Bader and Begley Jr.
“I think Taylor Swift’s whole message is positivity, inclusion, and family,” she said. “I mean the whole thing. I think it very much fits the vibe.”
Begley Jr., meanwhile, took a moment to throw in the incredible fact that he’s previously shared the screen with Swift when the two worked together on the 2022 film, Amsterdam. And not only that, they played Words with Friends together!
“She was a lovely lady. She played my daughter in a movie called Amsterdam, and I could tell you firsthand, she was a lovely, lovely lady,” Begley Jr. said. “Very professional, hugely talented of course. But I’ve never met anybody nicer on a set.”
“Ed is the only person on this panel who has played Words with Friends with Taylor Swift,” Price shared, to which Begley Jr. added, “She’s very good at the game, by the way, as you would expect.”
Hallmark Channel
Meanwhile, the stars also praised working with Donna Kelce on Holiday Touchdown, calling the mom of Travis and Jason Kelce’s acting chops “incredible.” Donna made her acting debut on another Hallmark holiday football-themed film, Christmas On Call, which aired last week.
“She gave us acting tips,” Hynes said. “Donna is beyond her years in terms of her acting career. We did a scene together, her first scene, I couldn’t remember my lines for the life of me, of the first few takes we were doing it. She was a pro. I was just drowning. And she was the best. She is an incredible human being. I don’t know how she manages to do so many things, including this movie. It’s been crazy to watch.”
Echoing her costar’s words, King called Donna “such a natural.”
“I’ve been doing this for a while,” she continued, “and no matter what set it is, every first scene of any movie I do, the first scene, I’m always so, so deeply nervous that you can hear my heartbeat usually, … on the mic, they can hear on the comms. Like, ‘We can hear a heartbeat.’ And I’m just freaking out inside. And Donna just walked in, just cool as a cucumber. If she was nervous, you never would’ve known. She just, she nailed it. She was incredible.”
Meanwhile, Price admitted that she was initially “worried” about Donna because she “didn’t know she’d done a movie before.”
“So I went back and I was like, ‘Here’s the deal. There’s an X where your mark is. Don’t be nervous.’ And she goes, ‘I’m not nervous!” she recalled, to which Begley Jr. added, “She’s very camera savvy. Very sound savvy. Everything.”
“She was fine,” Bader said, before Price agreed, “She needed no tips.”
“She didn’t need help from us,” Begley Jr. concluded.
See more from the cast of Holiday Touchdown in the videos, above!
Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story premieres on November 30 at 8 p.m. ET on Hallmark Channel
