Kim Matula Opens Up About Her First Hallmark Movie, ‘Ghosts of Christmas Always’ [Exclusive]
The Bold and the Beautiful’s Kim Matula has a new home at Hallmark Channel. The former soap actor stars in the upcoming holiday movie Ghosts of Christmas Always, which airs Oct. 30. She talked with Showbiz Cheat Sheet about her Hallmark debut, what excited her about the movie’s script, and her favorite holiday traditions.
Hallmark’s ‘Ghosts of Christmas Always’ is a spin on ‘A Christmas Carol’
Ghosts of Christmas Always is “a little riff” on A Christmas Carol, Matula explained. She plays Katherine, who works for the Department of Restoring Christmas Spirit as a Ghost of Christmas Present.
This year, Katherine and her co-workers, the Ghost of Christmas Past (Lori Tan Chinn) and the Ghost of Christmas Future (Die Hard’s Reginald VelJohnson), are sent to earth to help a man named Peter (Ian Harding). But Peter isn’t lacking in the holiday spirit, leaving Katherine and her colleagues wondering why they’ve been given this unusual assignment.
“I don’t want to give anything away, but we definitely find out that there is more to it than just restoring Christmas spirit this year,” she said.
Kim Matula loved the script’s humor
Matula said that the story’s humor first drew her to the project.
“I read the script, and the thing that stuck out to me most is that it was funny. And I love comedy. Comedy is my first love,” she said. “So getting to do something that had a little bit of comedy in a Hallmark movie, I really wasn’t expecting to see that.”
Of course, Ghosts of Christmas Always isn’t just about the laughs. As it progresses, it also digs into “deeper heartfelt feelings,” she said.
The script’s fun vibe was mirrored on set, which was “another really pleasant surprise,” Matula said.
“Not every job we do is going to be really fun. That’s just kind of the way it goes,” she said. “This one, halfway through shooting, Ian [Harding] and I were like, yes, we’re ready to do the sequel. We’ll sign on now because we are having such a great time.”
Matula’s on-set bond with her co-star was strengthened through a personal connection. Harding actually went to college with her boyfriend, and though he and Matula had never met before, they had many mutual friends.
“Finally coming together on set, it honestly felt like two old friends coming together. It was so easy between us and so much fun,” she said.
‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ alum talks Christmas traditions and her favorite version of ‘A Christmas Carol’
Ghosts of Christmas Always airs the day before Halloween, and Matula admits that she hasn’t gotten into the Christmas spirit just yet.
“I’m going to let Halloween envelop me completely, and then I will move on,” she said. “Once November happens, though, then I’m into Christmas.”
For Matula, the holiday season always involves sitting down to watch her two favorite versions of the Charles Dickens’s classic that inspired Ghosts of Christmas Always: Scrooged with Bill Murray and The Muppet Christmas Carol. Also in regular rotation is Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life.
“That was a big one growing up. We watch that every year,” she said.
Another holiday tradition? Making sure her home looks appropriately festive.
“I’m a big decorator,” she said. “I decorate for the holidays really aggressively. It just brings me so much joy inside and out.”
“One of my most cherished childhood Christmas memories is driving around in the car, looking at Christmas lights, and I’m giving that to other people. I absolutely love it,” she went on to say.
“Watching cars drive in front of our house and slow down and stop to really look at the house and find the things that they love about it. I love seeing that,” she said. “I love knowing that I’m bringing Christmas joy to other people.”
Ghosts of Christmas Always airs Sunday, Oct. 30 at 8 p.m. ET on Hallmark Channel.
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