Mitchell Slaggert. Photo Credit: Pete Ferrin.
Actor and model Mitchell Slaggert chatted about starring in “A Carpenter Christmas Romance,” where he stars opposite Sasha Pieterse. The movie will premiere on Saturday, December 21st on Lifetime.
Colin Powell once said: “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.” This quote applies to Mitchell Slaggert.
Synopsis of the rom-com
The synopsis is: When novelist Andrea (Sasha Pieterse) hints her upcoming book may be taking a heartbreaking turn, her fans begin protesting, demanding their favorite character doesn’t get killed off.
Needing a haven where she can finish her novel, Andrea flees to her family’s farmhouse in the town of Wildwood.
Much to her surprise, she ends up running into her ex-crush, Seth (Mitchell Slaggert), an artisanal woodworker who’s helping rebuild the town after it was nearly destroyed by a fire.
It doesn’t take long for sawdust and sparks of romance fill the air once the two team up and work together to reignite the town’s Christmas spirit.
Working with Sarah Drew and Jake Helgren
The film was directed by Jake Helgren and it was written by Sarah Drew (who also wrote “A Cowboy Christmas Romance”). It was produced by Autumn Federici and Helgren for The Ninth House in association with Apex Content Ventures
“Honestly, I have nothing but great things to say about Sarah Drew, who is such an energizer bunny of joy,” he said.
“Also, Jake is impressive! He is very efficient and it was a great learning curve too. We were able to crank this movie out in three weeks,” Slaggert noted.
“When I was filming this movie, I would study my lines for the following week, while I was shooting different scenes on that same day,” he added.
Working with Sasha Pieterse as his leading lady Andrea
Slaggert complimented Sasha Pieterse, who played his leading lady Andrea.
“Sasha is such a genuine soul. She is so sweet, nice, loving, caring, and a giving actress,” he admitted. “I have nothing but fantastic things to say about Sasha.”
Slaggert on ‘A Carpenter Christmas Romance’
On his new movie “A Carpenter Christmas Romance,” Slaggert said, “I thought it was a cool film. Once I read the script, I thought that it was adorable, and I said ‘let’s pull the trigger on this’. I think it worked out great in the end.”
Daily motivations
Regarding his daily motivations, Slaggert said, “You always have to leave something a better place than you found it this morning.”
“Whether it’s going to the gym, reading a little bit, or just getting some work done on what I’m building around the house, it’s about being productive and just getting something done, and just keep moving forward, otherwise I will go insane,” he elaborated.
“For me, it’s more of a necessity along with motivation,” he added.
Lessons learned from this screenplay
On the lessons learned from this screenplay, Slaggert reflected, “It makes me very happy to be on set and surrounded by really genuine souls.”
“As you can see in the movie, I am just radiating charisma, and that is partly because I am such a good time with everybody, making new friends, and just directly correlating with the outcome of the movie,” he explained.
Slaggert is able to relate to his character’s carpenter side. “It’s fun… I have a nice white house in the middle of the woods myself,” he revealed. “It’s a fun project even though I am still working on my house.”
The digital age
On being a part of the digital age, Slaggert said, “Honestly, it’s incredible. I feel we can each a lot more people, and it’s exciting. It’s a new frontier and I am exciting to see where it goes.”
Slaggert on his experiences visiting Greece
Slaggert shared that he has a love and affinity for Greece. “I need to get back over there. I’ve only been to Mykonos in Greece but I absolutely loved it there,” he said.
“I made friends there, and there were some killer mom and pop shops making yogurt every day… Greece was just fantastic,” he exclaimed. “I just love it there, and their ancient history is so rich and cool.”
Slaggert on his career-defining moments
Slaggert is a firm believer that adversity makes us stronger. “I’ve learned a lot from my mistakes. We are all human, and just don’t be a fool and repeat your mistakes. Learn from history.”
Stage of his life
Regarding the title of the current chapter of his life, Slaggert revealed, “Love and growth.”
Best advice that he was ever given
On the best advice that he has ever been given, Slaggert remarked, “I actually learned this from my mentor, who is a special forces guy.”
“Back in high school, I wanted to enlist in the Marine Corps, but when I was seven years old, I got into a bad car accident, and I lost a kidney from that, so the Marine Corps didn’t take me. In the time being, I didn’t know that, and I would wake up at 4 a.m. each day I would just run,” he elaborated.
“My mentor’s quote that he told me, which I keep in my wallet now, is ‘you can do anything you set your mind to, just don’t let your mind hold yourself back’. So, don’t let your mind get in the way of your progress.”
Advice for young and emerging actors
For young and aspiring actors, he said, “Keep your nose to the grindstone and buckle up.”
Slaggert defines success
Regarding his definition of the word success, Slaggert said, “Success means learning, meeting new friends, having some freedom, and the peace of mind that comes with it.”
Closing thoughts on ‘A Carpenter Christmas Romance’
For fans and viewers, he remarked about “A Carpenter Christmas Romance, “No matter how big of a hole you dig, you can always take yourself out of it.”
“Just keep your nose to the grindstone and work on something for the betterment of yourself and everybody… that really goes a long way,” Slaggert concluded.
American track and field icon Steve Prefontaine once said: “To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift.” Mitchell Slaggert embodies this wise quote from the running legend.
To learn more about actor and model Mitchell Slaggert, follow him on Instagram.