‘The Pioneer Woman’: Ree Drummond Revealed She Was ‘Nervous’ About Her Christmas Movie Acting Debut

Ree Drummond is adding another talent to her resume — acting. The Pioneer Woman star is set to make her acting debut in a Food Network holiday movie called Candy Coated Christmas, coming to discovery+ in November.

Ree Drummond is making her big acting debut

Variety first announced the details of Drummond’s acting debut on Aug. 25, noting that Discovery and Food Network are dipping their toe into the original scripted movie game. Kathleen Finch, Discovery’s chief lifestyle brands officer, told Variety, “Ree is the epitome of a female-skewing Food Network talent. We put her and all these fun ideas into a pot and came up with this fun idea.”

According to Variety, “[Candy Coated Christmas] revolves around a young woman (Molly McCook) who returns to her mother’s home town of Peppermint Hollow after her plans to launch a business are derailed by circumstance. Drummond plays the owner of a bakery who befriends the woman and introduces her around town. The role was penned for Drummond, who is known for her bright smile and cheery approach to rustic home cooking.”

‘The Pioneer Woman’ star shares more details

Drummond announced the news on her Instagram stories, posting a couple of photos from the movie set and noting, “Oh… guess what?!? I’m going to be in a Christmas movie!”

Another photo showed Drummond in character and she marked up the pic to say, “Do I look nervous here? There’s a reason for that! (It was my very first scene).” She added, “OMG I had so much terrifying fun.”

Drummond posted a series of photos from the set of the movie on Instagram and explained that she was so nervous about venturing into this unknown area. “Oh, hi! This is me filming my first scene in an upcoming Christmas movie,” she wrote in the caption. “Look at those tightly locked knees — I was certain I was gonna wind up fainting like those bridesmaids/groomsmen we used to see fall over on America’s Funniest Home Videos.”

She continued, “Anyway, yeah — I was nervous filming this movie, because I am not an actor and being on a movie set in Utah was a whole different experience than filming a cooking show in my own kitchen. Fortunately, once a woman hits her fifties, the possibility of embarrassing herself really doesn’t keep her from doing anything in life.”

Drummond noted the behind-the-scenes pics are “of my first (and probably last!!!) acting gig,” pointing out that her knees are locked in every photo.

Ree Drummond said she couldn’t pass up this opportunity

Drummond shared even more about her acting debut in a blog post on The Pioneer Woman website. “I’m so darn excited to share that I am going to appear in a new Christmas movie this winter!,” she wrote. “To say this has been a highlight of my year (my life?) is a huge understatement.”

She clarified that this hasn’t really been a career goal but she couldn’t turn down the opportunity. “First: I am not an actor. And I have no aspirations to be an actor — mostly because I can’t act, haha. (Just a small detail there.) I know this about myself, so when Food Network approached me a few months ago to let me know that they were stepping into the world of Christmas movies and wanted to gauge my interest in having a role in their first film, I experienced a few seconds of hesitation.”

The Pioneer Woman star admitted, “I envisioned all sorts of worst-case scenarios of forgetting lines, being awkward, and shutting down the entire production because I couldn’t get the inflection right on a single word. And/or tripping on something and falling.”

She pushed the worry aside and knew this was too sweet of a deal. “But then I came to my senses and thought, ‘It’s a Christmas movie!! No way am I passing this up!’ And I said yes basically immediately,” Drummond wrote.

Drummond gave some details about her character and what fans (who are so excited to see her in a movie!) can expect. “I play a small town bakery owner (hee hee), my character’s name rhymes with Ree, and it’s a relatively small, supporting role… but a fun one,” she explained. “There are some darling and amazing actors in the lead parts, and the story itself is so, so sweet. And romantic. And just happy and fun. It will get you in the holiday spirit, just like all the good holiday movies do!”