Three-time Emmy award-winning actor Chandler Massey (“Days of Our Lives”) chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about being a part of the new original Hallmark holiday film “Next Stop, Christmas.”
‘Next Stop, Christmas’
Massey, Lyndsy Fonseca, Christopher Lloyd, and Lea Thompson star in this new film, which premieres on Saturday, November 6 on the Hallmark Channel as part of the annual “Countdown to Christmas” programming event.
Six-time Emmy winner Erika Slezak (“One Life to Live”) also stars in “Next Stop, Christmas.” “I had a couple of exchanges with Erika since I was in a few scenes with her,” he said. “Erika and I got to chat a bit off camera, which is great because she is a legend. She is so gracious and so nice so it was great to meet her.”
On being a part of “Next Stop, Christmas,” he said, “It was great, it was an honor and a delight. I played the character Ben and I thought he was really well-written. He reminded me of some guys that I grew up with. Ben is a down-to-earth town guy with a good heart.”
Synopsis of the film
The synopsis is as follows: Angie (Lyndsy Fonseca) is a successful surgeon in New York City but finds herself wondering what her life would be like if she had married her former boyfriend Tyler (Eric Freeman), who is now a successful sportscaster.
Angie takes the train home to spend the holiday with her family but when she arrives discovers it’s inexplicably 10 years earlier. At first, she’s naturally disoriented by her unexpected time travel but slowly acclimates.
With the advice of the train’s enigmatic conductor (Christopher Lloyd), Angie navigates her visit to this Christmas past as she tries to return to the present.
As she works to figure out how to get back to the future, Angie has the chance to reconnect with her family; she even teams up with her sister Kristen (Paige Herschell) to help her parents, Evelyn (Lea Thompson) and Marty (Matt Walton), rekindle their romance. Along the way, Angie gains a new perspective and discovers what – and who – is truly important to her.
The digital age
On being an actor in the digital age, Massey said, “It’s a trip. I’ve done over 1,000 episodes of ‘Days of Our Lives’ at this point, and most of them are lost in the ether because they air and they go, but the digital series ‘Beyond Salem’ is going to be up there for all of eternity. It is kind of nice because you can watch things whenever you want.”
When asked how he handles being dialogue-heavy in the digital drama world, Massey said, “Dialogue for me is a specialty at this point, stunts not so much, but I can do dialogue. The brain is a muscle.”
In “Days of Our Lives,” Massey had great words about working with Wally Kurth. “I love Wally, he is so great and he is such a charming guy,” he said. “Wally is amazing, a good role model and he’s a great musician too.”
For young and aspiring actors, Massey said, “if you are a phenomenal talent, then go for it, but if you are somewhere in the middle, kind of like me (where you are just okay), then have a backup source for income.”
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Massey responded, “Traveling.”
Life during the quarantine
During the quarantine, he acknowledged that the silver lining was that he met his girlfriend at a grocery store parking lot in Atlanta, Georgia. “I was able to move home and I met her there, so that was the gold lining actually,” he said.
Other hobbies he developed during the pandemic included being more fluent in Spanish, picking up different instruments (guitar and ukulele) and he also experimented with cooking. “I found out that cooking is not for me, I will never be a good cook,” he said. “I also got really good at watching TV too. That was probably my No. 1 skill, becoming really good at watching television.”
He opened up about his three Daytime Emmy wins for “Days of Our Lives.” “Those felt great. I was able to bribe the judges successfully all three years, so it was really gratifying,” he said, jokingly. “All kidding aside, those scenes I submitted were at the height of the Will Horton coming out storyline, and the Will and Sonny love story. I think those scenes really resonated with people and I happened to be the lucky guy that got the hardware for it.”
Spectrum Celebrity Events online fan event
Massey had great words about doing the Spectrum Celebrity Zoom event with Freddie Smith, hosted by Tony Moore from “Dishin’ Days,” which earned a rave review from Digital Journal.
A part of the proceeds went towards True Colors United, which implements innovative solutions to youth homelessness that focus on the unique experiences of LGBTQ young people. “That virtual event was amazing,” he exclaimed. “I want to do more of them, especially since I live in Atlanta now. Any time there is a virtual event, especially for a worthy cause, I am all in.”
Dream Loud campaign
Over the years, he enjoyed being a part of Brad Everett Young’s Dream Loud campaign, which works on preserving arts and music programs in schools. “It has been great,” he admitted. “I love taking any opportunity I can get to contribute to a worthy cause. It was a pleasure.”
Success
On his definition of the word success, Massey explained, “As I get older, success has less and less to do with career goals and more to do with day-to-day goals and it’s about me liking the person that I am. I want to make other people’s lives better and happier. If I do that, I am successful and that makes me happy. Success is about having strong relationships with the people around you.”
For his fans, Massey concluded about “Next Stop, Christmas,” “Watch it. I hope they are entertained and touched by how genuine the story is. If they walk away with a warm and fuzzy feeling inside, that’s the goal. This film kicks off on Saturday, November 6, and it gets the Christmas spirit going. I am really excited about this film.”
To learn more about Chandler Massey, follow him on Instagram.
