Sarah Drew (“Grey’s Anatomy”) chatted about writing and executive producing “A Carpenter Christmas Romance,” which will premiere on Saturday, December 21st on Lifetime.
Jake Helgren directed “A Carpenter Christmas Romance” from a script by Sarah Drew. It was produced by Autumn Federici and Jake Helgren for The Ninth House in association with Apex Content Ventures. Sarah Drew executive produces along with Eric Levin, Allie Dvorin, John Turner for Apex Content Ventures.
First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt once said: “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” A woman that embodies this wise quote is Sarah Drew.
Sarah Drew opens up about her new Lifetime holiday rom-com
On the upcoming Lifetime holiday movie “A Carpenter Christmas Romance,” she said, “I am so excited about it. There is a little more spice and a little more romance. It is so much fun.”
“I love writing and this season that I am in as a creator,” she admitted. “It is really fun to see it come to life. This year, I got to go on set for a few days, so I was able to watch the entire process happen, which was a lot of fun.”
Sarah Drew on Mitchell Slaggert and Sasha Pieterse
Drew praised both of her lead actors Mitchell Slaggert and Sasha Pieterse. “Sasha Pieterse is so great as Andrea Metcalf; I just love her!” Drew exclaimed.
“Mitchell Slaggert is so fantastic as the male lead who is rebuilding a town after a devastating fire, and he is hunting for something beautiful in this sort of rubble,” she said.
“Mitchell is a movie star! He is so good, and he is absolutely wonderful. You just love to watch him, and he has so much going on in his eyes, which makes you fall in love with him on-screen,” she elaborated.
“I was also thrilled that Kaley McCormack landed the role of Ella, who plays Sasha’s sister in the film,” she added.
Sarah Drew on Jana Kramer, Adam Senn, and Max Ehrich
Drew also recalled “A Cowboy Christmas Romance,” which premiered on Lifetime last winter, which starred Jana Kramer, Adam Senn, and Max Ehrich.
“That movie was amazing even though I wasn’t able to be there in person for it. I was way more removed… I was really involved in the post-production for that one in terms of picking out music and notes on the cuts,” she said.
“Jana and Adam did such a wonderful job in it as the two leads, and we were thrilled with how well it was received, and it was exciting to get to make another holiday movie for Lifetime,” she expressed.
Drew also praised actor and singer-songwriter Max Ehrlich, who aside from acting in the film, also sings “All I Want Is You (Big Sky Remix)”.
“I love Max,” Drew exclaimed. “Max is so good, and he provided his beautiful singing voice for us as well on it, which was so fun.”
‘Mistletoe Murders’ series
On being a part of the “Mistletoe Murders” series on Hallmark+, she said, “It was so amazing. I am so proud of that show. It was an incredible to shoot it; it was very collaborative and my creative team is so incredible with such beautiful leaders. The set was so warm and fun. We laughed our butts off for 10 weeks straight.”
“Peter Mooney is an absolute dream to work with,” she said. “Peter is so talented, so funny, and such a good human, and it was such a heavenly experience to work with him.”
“It was really exciting to see al l the cuts come in… we knew we had something really special. This is elevated TV and I am really proud of it. I hope that more eyeballs get on it,” she added.
Sarah Drew on Andrew Walker
Drew had great words about Hallmark star Andrew Walker, and noted that she would love to someday work with him. “I love Andrew! His wife, Cassandra, is one of my best friends too. I love her so much… she is like a sister. Andrew and I have gotten close this year as well doing promo for Hallmark.”
“While I haven’t had the chance to work with him yet, I watched a couple of movies that he made with a couple of friends of mine, and I was very impressed with his work. Andrew is so talented,” Drew expressed.
‘Amber Brown’ series on Apple TV+
Drew also recalled being a part of the family series “Amber Brown” on Apple TV+.
“It was a really beautiful experience,” she admitted. “We shot that in the height of COVID, when we were so masked up. We were working with minors, so we had to be super careful with them.”
“Bonnie Hunt is a genius. I got to meet Ashley Williams while doing that show, and she has become like a sister to me. I adore her; we have so much fun together,” she said.
“Darin Brooks and Michael Yo were so amazing too,” she exclaimed. “I love those guys. We had the best little family out there. It was such a fun time. Darin and Michael are so phenomenally talented. That whole show was a good group of really good people.”
“Carsyn Rose was so fantastic as the title character Amber. I was totally heartbroken that we didn’t get a second season, but it was neat to see people really embrace it and love it. My kids loved it as well,” she added.
Advice for young and emerging actors
For young and aspiring actors, Drew said, “The biggest piece of advice I always give is to surround yourself with truthtellers in your lives. This industry is seductive and totally uncertain, so it is very easy to get swept up in all the different opinions that are thrown at you.”
“Just surround yourself with people who will tell you the truth, and who will love you in your highs and your lows, and who will keep your head on straight when the winds of the industry want to fly you off the ground or sink you down to the depth,” she elaborated.
“You need a really strong sense of identity before you even touch this industry,” she acknowledged.
Stage of her life
On the title of the current chapter of her life, she said with a sweet laugh, “Throwing crap against the wall, and seeing what sticks.”
Superpower of choice
Her superpower of choice would be “flying.”
“I would like to not think about a care in the world and let the wind take me; there is something really freeing about that and letting go of all the things that we hang onto. These things give me a sense of freedom and release,” she noted.
“I have three favorite things in life,” she revealed. “The first is galloping on a horse with the wind blowing in my hair, the other is dancing crazy wild at a wedding to the best playlist I’ve ever heard, and the third is watching children’s theater, especially my kids’ theater. Those are my three favorite things.”
Success
Regarding her definition of the word success, Drew said, “Success means knowing that I am living in my purpose. I feel I am successful right now.”
“The ultimate form of success is living fully into my purpose. My purpose is to be as present with my kids as possible and to tell stories that I care about with a whole heart and my whole self,” she added.
Closing thoughts on ‘A Carpenter Christmas Romance’
For fans and viewers, she remarked about the new Lifetime film, “This journey is a journey of hunting for the goodness even in the midst of the pain,” she acknowledged.
“Of course, I want people to feel all the romantic feels, and to feel a sense of finding the gold even when everything is falling apart,” Drew concluded.
To learn more about Sarah Drew, follow her on Instagram.
