Courtney Lopez chatted about her new Great American Family movie “Once Upon a Christmas Wish” with her husband Mario Lopez. It premieres on Saturday, December 7th on Great American Family.
Legendary comedian Groucho Marx once said: “Behind every successful man is a woman, behind her is his wife.” This quote applies to Courtney Lopez.
Synopsis of the movie
In this new rom-com, Mayor Brian Ortega (Mario Lopez) is beloved in the idyllic community of Long Grove.
While decorating for Christmas with the residents, Brian discovers his childhood Christmas wish list which magically begins to come true, reminding Brian about the spirit and joy of the holiday.
Returning to town for Christmas is Brian’s childhood friend Nina Meyers (Courtney Lopez), and soon a connection becomes undeniable as she helps Brian face a new challenge for the town.
As Brian’s wishes come true, he inspires the town to showcase its warm culture and values in order to stop the modern world from stifling the charm and heart of Long Grove.
“This screenplay taught me that sometimes you want to move out of a small town for bigger and better things, and that is not always what is needed for the soul,” she acknowledged about the lessons learned from this script.
“This just shows you that what you have right in front of you — in most cases — is exactly what you do need,” she added.
Courtney on ‘Once Upon a Christmas Wish’ film
“This new film was a lot of fun to make,” she admitted. “Great American Family is such a great company to work for. They are absolutely amazing. We are so excited for it to premiere tomorrow. It is very special to us.”
“This is the first time that I get to play opposite my husband, and in this capacity,” she noted. “Our son, Dominic, is in this movie and he is just fantastic, and I’m not being biased. I am excited for the world to see him.”
“I think Dominic is going to follow in our footsteps in some capacity,” she foreshadowed.
She was drawn to her character, Nina Meyers, for several reasons. “I love that she is a real person who had a dream and decided to pursue it, and it didn’t go as planned, which happens a lot of the times,” she said.
“Nina found another career path to go down. Once I go back home, I realize why my life went down that journey… it was just meant to be in another way, and that’s what life is all about,” she admitted.
Great American Family Christmas Festival
Next weekend, Courtney will be at the Great American Family Christmas Festival at Northwell Park at UBS Arena, alongside Mario Lopez, which is presented by the venue and the New York Islanders.
“I am excited to come there,” she said. “I’ve been seeing the footage and the Instagram posts about it. I didn’t know what to expect, but when I saw everything that was going on there, I got really excited. I have friends coming in from Pittsburgh to see me, so I am excited.”
Advice for young and emerging actors
For young and aspiring actors, she said, “Follow your heart and your dreams. I’ve had a great support system with my family, and I couldn’t have done it without them. You need to stick with it, and keep going.”
The digital age
Courtney had positive remarks about the digital age, and how far we’ve along with the technology, especially from an accessibility standpoint (which allows people to stream movies on their devices).
Stage of her life
On the title of the current chapter of her life, Courtney said with a sweet laugh, “Survival and staying awake.” “I get to do so many incredible things and being a mom is my first and most important role,” she said.
“I want to do everything right and I want everything to be perfect. I want to be healthy and to share my love,” she added.
Courtney on ‘Access Hollywood’
“I love ‘Access Hollywood‘,” she exclaimed. “They are our second family… they are fantastic. I was on the ‘Access Hollywood‘ show yesterday promoting our movie. We are so lucky to have incredible people, staff and crew in our lives, and we truly consider them family.”
Courtney on Ermelinda Manos
Courtney had great words about fashion and costume designer Ermelinda Manos. “I love Ermelinda; she is the best. She has worked on multiple Mario movies. She is fantastic, and she is one of a kind.”
Success
Regarding her definition of the word success, Courtney said, “I wake up every day and I am just very thankful that I am healthy, and that I’ve been able to do what I love and it doesn’t feel like work.”
“I have a husband who I am head over heels for… we’ve been married for 12 years (and we’ve been together for 16 years), and that in itself is a success because you don’t find that often,” she expressed.
“Our family is a success and so is our life. I pinch myself every day and I am very grateful. I don’t take a moment for granted,” she concluded.
To learn more about Courtney Lopez, follow her on Instagram.
