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Filming a Hallmark Channel holiday movie typically isn’t a very hazardous endeavor (unless you’re afraid of overdosing on Christmas cheer, that is). But while making his new Hallmark movie Lights, Camera, Christmas!, John Brotherton discovered that the fake snow that gives the channel’s movies their magical charm isn’t always so wonderful. After he accidentally inhaled some of the faux flakes, he ended up having to pay a visit to the doctor, he recently revealed.  

John Brotherton and Kimberly Sustad star in ‘Lights, Camera, Christmas!’ 

Hallmark Channel’s newest Christmas movie takes viewers inside the making of a holiday rom-com. Lights, Camera, Christmas! stars Kimberly Sustad as Kerry, a woman who takes on an unexpected role as a costume designer for a movie that’s filming in her hometown.

“Somehow [my character] gets roped into helping this movie,” Sustad shared in a Facebook Live with her co-star, John Brotherton. The result is a surprising connection between Kerry and the movie-within-a-movie’s charismatic leading man, Brad Barton (Brotherton).

Sustad’s character adds “a little sprinkle of magic dust to the movie,” Brotherton said. “And everybody falls in love with [her], including Brad,” 

Brotherton recalls his ‘favorite memory’ from filming the Hallmark Christmas movie

Kimberly Sustad and John Brotherton standing outside of a trailer in the Hallmark movie 'Lights, Camera, Christmas!\
Kimberley Sustad and John Brotherton in ‘Lights, Camera, Christmas!’ | ©2022 Hallmark Media/Photographer: David Astorga

Brotherton said one of his favorite memories from filming Lights, Camera, Christmas! was a moment that was totally unscripted. 

“She tries to kill me with fake snow,” Brotherton said, laughing. “That was probably my favorite memory.”

“We had a great scene where we’re rolling around in fake snow,” he explained. “And it’s fake snow on purpose. I’m the actor teaching [Sustad’s character] about the magic of Christmas and fake snow. So we’re making snow angels, and she just decides to douse my face at point blank [range] with a big handful of fake snow. Well, I sort of inhaled that into my lungs, and that was fun.”

“He actually got fake snow stuck in his throat,” Sustad said, laughing. “And he had to get a doctor to give him muscle relaxers.”

“I felt horrible, but I laughed a lot,” she added. “I’m so sorry.”

Fortunately, Brotherton didn’t seem too put out by the incident. “I wouldn’t trade the memory for the world,” he said. 

Kimberly Sustad compared ‘Lights, Camera, Christmas!’ to ‘Notting Hill’ 

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Sustad’s character in Lights, Camera, Christmas! serves as a stand-in for the audience, according to the actor. “It’s fun because I am like an audience member stepping onto set going, ‘I have no idea [what’s going on],’” she said. Meanwhile, the romance between Kerry and Brad may remind viewers of the classic romantic comedy Notting Hill, she said. Her character is a bit like Hugh Grant’s awkward bookstore owner, who ends up falling for a Hollywood star played by Julia Roberts.

Sustad and Brotherton both said that they were excited to give fans a peek inside the world of Hallmark movie-making. 

“It is a lot of our world that we deal with, and being able to share that with the fans, it’s so fun. … it’s so fun for audiences this year to get a look at making a Christmas movie,” Sustad said. 

Lights, Camera, Christmas! airs Saturday, Nov. 5 at 8 p.m. ET on Hallmark Channel. 

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