A California Christmas has begun its production in quarantine style, and this is one of the first movies to shoot on set in North America. It is expected to be released in the fourth quarter of 2020.
Lauren is co-starring in
A California Christmas with husband, Josh Swickard of
General Hospital and
Roped fame.
She co-produced this film with Ali Afshar of
ESX Entertainment, who is known for
Three Kings,
Godzilla,
King of Queens, and Daniel Aspromonte of
Roped.
A California Christmas was directed by Shaun Paul Piccinino.
In order to start filming A California Christmas, they had to meet strict COVID requirements, where the cast and crew all tested negative. The production received clearances from state, county, city officials and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). On set, everybody wears a mask, temperature checks are done frequently, and social distancing is practiced.
Fortunately, Lauren and Josh Swickard are able to film together without any restrictions becaues they are a married couple. They had met on the set of
Roped, which was released on Netflix this spring, which earned a glowing review from
Digital Journal. In the romantic film, also directed by Shaun Paul Piccinino, they played love interests and they became sweethearts in real-life when they married back in July of 2019.
The actress and screenwriter shared that she has written a few scripts. She acknowledged that she never thought her first script would be produced during a global pandemic.
"I feel so incredibly blessed that our team is working together through all of the challenges that come with COVID-19," she said. "We lose two hours each day due to our precautionary guidelines and we still make our days without losing a setup, our team is full of some of the hardest workers I've ever met," she added, praising the team.
"This is an interesting, uncharted territory and we are fortunate to be one of the first productions up and running, Lauren said. "Everyone on set knows what they are doing is new, and we are careful to follow all the guidelines and rules to the best of our ability. We also know the rest of Hollywood is watching us to see how it goes."
Lauren Swickard, who is formerly known as Lorynn York, is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio. She is represented by Powerline Entertainment, and she is known for her acting work in Netflix's
Dear White People, the movie
Airplane Mode opposite Logan Paul, as well as
Roped on Netflix and
Twisted Twin on Lifetime.
