For a few years now, I have been aware of Peter Sullivan, writer/director/producer extraordinaire. In fact, I’ve interviewed him a couple of times, and he has always been eager to share while appreciating my support. This year, when I noticed that he had a few Christmas movies scheduled to come out, I knew the time for a follow-up interview was inevitable. Of course, I had NO idea he had nine Christmas movies in the mix (first one premieres tonight, October 26th)! So before that first movie of his–The Road Home For Christmas–makes its appearance on the Lifetime network, it is my honor and privilege to present our most recent interview (full of all sorts of tantalizing tidbits!).

RH: Last Christmas, you had several Christmas movies across various networks. Since these movies are returning to our screens for the holiday season, please share with us any special memories about any of the movies from last year’s Christmas line-up.  

PS: My Christmas Inn

This was the second of two Christmas movies we shot back to back in 2018. It was also my first time working with Tia Mowry and Rob Mayes, both of whom were joys to work with. We spent a lot of time trying to find the perfect little bed and breakfast for the movie’s Alaskan setting, and we ended up shooting at a wedding venue outside of Provo, Utah. I don’t know that it had ever actually been an inn, but the layout was perfect for everything we needed.

My Christmas Inn

It was great to have a little Sister, Sister reunion by casting Tim Reid and Jackee Harry, whom I’ve worked with many times, as Tia’s parents. Since they were supposed to be traveling the world during the holidays, we built a couple of sets for them in the backyard of the inn: including a cruise ship deck and a Hawaiian luau. We got actual hula dancers and a fire eater from Utah to perform in the scene and used digital effects to make this little backyard look like a Hawaiian beachfront.

Christmas Under Wraps

Christmas movie fans might recognize the town from the film as Payson, Utah, which is the same town where we shot Garland, Alaska in Christmas Under Wraps. Once again, I found myself shutting down the main street to build a Christmas festival, although I’d like to think we’d learn a few things since. The candy cane toss was a real, functional game, and it kept the crew occupied in between takes.

Jingle Belle

This was my third Christmas film with Tatyana Ali, and she’s become an integral part of the Hybrid film family. I love a good challenge when it comes to choosing projects, and while Tatyana and I had done a musical number before, in Dear Secret Santa, I’d never done such a music-centric film before. With Tatyana and her co-star Cornelius Smith Jr, we had two fantastic musical artists who were able to perform not only the movie’s two key numbers, but also a variety of smaller cues as they work together to write the perfect song. As someone who spent a lot of time writing about Christmas, I could relate to the challenge of having to create the perfect holiday piece. We also had a number of terrific musical artists in the film, including Loretta Devine, Valarie Pettiford and Obba Babatunde, even if they don’t all get to sing in on-screen. When it came to casting siblings for Tatyana and Cornelius, I had the idea of reuniting Keisha Knight Pulliam and Tempestt Bledsoe, whom I’d grown up watching on television. There’s something so surreal about going to work every day with such amazing people who have been a part of your life for a long time.

We shot the film in Utah in the middle of summer, and I remember shooting the ice skating sequence in triple-digit temperatures. We’d bought a plastic ice skating rink that was designed for training skaters in the offseason, and set up this rink in the middle of downtown Brigham City. People driving by must have thought it was nuts. But it was so terribly hot, and we had all of these skaters bundled up. Because the ground wasn’t as even as it was supposed to be for this rink, a lot of the shots were done with people sliding around in their socks. It was easier than using real skates! The same ice skating rink made a second appearance in the background of the town festival in My Christmas Inn, but I don’t think anyone actually got on the “ice” this time.

Vivica Fox

You’ve done an entire series of “Wrong” movies on Lifetime. Where did the idea for this series of movies come from? Any special moments from filming any of these?

It’s so funny that these films are still going. I certainly never imagined such an ongoing franchise would emerge. I think the charm, besides a terrific recurring cast of actors including the great Vivica Fox, is that they’re very consistent in quality, tone and genre. I liken it to a fast-food cheeseburger. Sometimes that’s what you’re craving and, when you get it, you want to know exactly what you’re getting. They’re always suspenseful, fun, maybe a little over the top, but that’s part of the appeal.

The Wrong Roommate

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of meeting some very talented actors doing these films, and I’m proud to incorporate them in other projects. In fact, Jason Shane Scott, who I first met producing The Wrong Roommate, is in the film I’m shooting now.

And you did a couple of “Cheerleader” Movies. What was special/important about these films?

The Secret Lives of Cheerleaders

As I mentioned above, I love a good challenge. When the opportunity to do Secret Lives of Cheerleaders came up, I jumped at the chance. I’d never done a cheerleading movie before and I really wanted to see what I could do with the film’s various performance scenes. I knew that it would be more cinematic to focus more on the dancing component of cheerleaders, so I cast a number of talented young women who were not only fantastic actors, but also terrific dancers. We also cast a handful of real cheerleaders from the school where we shot the film and had them handle the stunt work. It looks so impressive in the film and yet, they’re just doing what they’d do at any given Friday night game.

I loved that the film wasn’t a traditional thriller. There was no real stalking or violence, but at the heart of the story was an underdog who just wants to be accepted and is willing to work hard to achieve her goals. While I certainly never had cheerleading aspirations, I could relate to her drive and ambition. I felt blessed to have found two tremendous leads in Savannah Lee May and Alexandria DeBerry who provided just the right combination of heart and snark.

The Wrong Cheerleader

Since Lifetime was planning a series of “Cheerleader” movies, we also had the opportunity to do The Wrong Cheerleader, which, in true “Wrong” fashion, had a more traditional thriller take on the subject matter. The great thing was that, in addition to “Wrong” star Vivica Fox, we also cast Cristine Prosperi, another member of the Hybrid film family. Cristine and Vivica both co-starred in the latest film in the Bring It On franchise and so it was a little bit like having cheerleader royalty on set.

The two films (Secret Lives of Cheerleaders and The Wrong Cheerleader) couldn’t be more different and yet, they fit together quite nicely.

I’ve heard a lot of buzz about Secret Obsession on Netflix. Why do you believe this movie has done so well?

I think there is a real desire for mid-budget thrillers out there. Going back to the late 80s and 90s, the theaters used to be full of them, movies like Fatal Attraction or Basic Instinct or Hand That Rocks the Cradle. Now, these films exist mostly as television movies, but we felt that there was a place for such a film with a slightly elevated budget and cast, not unlike its older counterparts. It was a script that I’d developed with Kraig Wenman a long time ago, and Netflix provided us with the opportunity to finally produce it. Fans of the thrillers that Kraig and I have been doing for years certainly found a lot to appreciate about the film, but in the process, I think we tapped into a new fanbase that had felt neglected. Hopefully, thanks to the success of Secret Obsession, we’ll be seeing more of them.

Please discuss all your upcoming Christmas movies and why the fans are going to love them.

I’ve got a lot of Christmas films coming in 2019. First up is The Road Home for Christmas, which premieres on Lifetime on October 26th. Like Jingle Belle, it’s a music-centric story, only this one has a lot more musical sequences. I wouldn’t go as far as to call it a full-fledged musical, but it’s certainly the closest I’ve been able to get. The story, which was written by a fantastic writer named Cassie Doyle, is about two dueling piano players who find themselves on a road trip for Christmas. What better way to create conflict than to have your two main characters literally at odds with each other for a living. Along the way, they get into a series of misadventures, including a run-in with Santa cosplayers, a van full of caroling nuns, and best of all, a country-western superstar played by the one and only Marie Osmond. Once again challenging myself, I think we had every type of musical performance you could imagine: from pre-recorded concert performances to live vocals we actually performed on set. Like Jingle Belle, I was fortunate to have two fantastically talented leads: Marla Sokoloff, who was in a film I’d produced a while back called Christmas Wedding Date, and Rob Mayes, who, in addition to acting, is also an up and coming country artist.

One Fine Christmas

Carole’s Christmas

But this has been a busy Christmas for the company. We have a trio of Christmas movies for OWN, which happen to be their very first Christmas movies: One Fine Christmas with Vanessa A. Williams, Marla Gibbs, and Rick Fox; Carole’s Christmas with Kimberly Elise and, once again, Jackee Harry; and Baking Christmas which features, again, Tim Reid.

Baking Christmas

Staging Christmas

The Christmas Hotel

We have two OTHER Christmas movies for Lifetime: Staging Christmas starring Soleil Moon Frye, George Stults, and Jaleel White; and The Christmas Hotel starring Tatyana Ali and Sean Patrick Thomas. The funny thing about The Christmas Hotel is that it’s directed by Marla Sokoloff, my lead from Road Home for Christmas. So this is certainly going to be a memorable Christmas for Marla!

Check Inn To Christmas

But wait… there’s also a new Hallmark film, Check Inn to Christmas, which is a Romeo and Juliet take on the B&B business, starring Rachel Boston and Wes Brown.

AND… two ION films: Christmas Matchmakers with Vivica Fox and A Christmas Princess, which I co-wrote. It’s getting harder and harder to come up with fresh takes on the royal Christmas genre, so this one’s about an aspiring chef hired to cater the prince’s big royal banquet. Not to give anything away, but they just might fall in love.

Any other upcoming films/works you can mention?

Aside from the aforementioned Christmas movies, I’m currently in production on Fatal Affair, a new thriller for Netflix starring Nia Long, Omar Epps, and Stephen Bishop. It’s a story about a woman who discovers someone she thought was a friend might have more malevolent intentions for her and her family. Look for that one in 2020.

Your output of films seems to be growing practically every year. How do you keep your intensity going and keep from burning out?

I look for ways to continue challenging myself. If a project doesn’t scare me, then it’s probably not worth doing. It takes a lot of focus and I try to make the most of the day… even if it means getting to the office before 7 AM.

How do you plan to spend the holidays this year?

I think I might like to sleep in.

How on earth can you NOT admire someone with the drive, the passion, and the energy necessary for continuing to formulate amazing movies all year ’round? I have relished Peter’s movies for years across the wide spectrum of networks available, and I know that whenever I see his name attached to a project, there’s bound to be something about that I will cherish. He works with such a broad variety of talent, and even if the story is your typical Christmas movie, a biopic, or a flamboyant thriller, you can bet that he will utilize every penny of the budget and all of his creative resources to devise a movie that will dazzle, delight, and even impress. However, in spite of all this success he’s had over the years, this man never rests on his laurels. He proceeds to invest his time and resources in challenging the status quo while visualizing the next favorite holiday film, spooky thriller, or whatever captures his imagination. His company continues to be one that appeals to an extensive assortment of viewers, and I am rather enthusiastic for his upcoming Christmas fare.

I hope that everyone tunes into Lifetime for the premiere of The Road Home For Christmas tonight (October 26). {I’m grateful to note that my friends up north can watch the Canadian premiere on Super Channel Heart & Home on November 1st.} Moreover, while you await all these joyous premieres scheduled throughout the season (including the reruns of his previous holiday film classics), be sure that you visit his links below and consider following him where applicable. He does a rather good job of sharing behind-the-scenes movie details, especially during the premiere showings. With all the focus on the actors on-screen, it’s easy to overlook the people behind the camera who work ceaselessly to provide top-notch, entertaining films for us, and Peter is definitely one of the best I know!

FOLLOW PETER

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

IMDB

CHECK OUT MY OTHER INTERVIEWS WITH PETER

Interview With Director Peter Sullivan, “My Summer Prince”

Interview With Writer/Director Peter Sullivan, “Sharing Christmas”

Spread the love

Tweet