Exclusive: An Interview With Alicia Witt From Hallmark Channel’s “The Mistletoe Inn”

By: Kat Harlton
All Media Courtesy of Crown Media United States LLC

The Hallmark Channel recently released their list of new movies for the 2017 holiday season as part of their ‘Countdown To Christmas‘

Premiering on Thursday, November 23rd at 8/7c is “The Mistletoe Inn” Starring Alicia Witt and David Alpay.

About The Movie:

When aspiring romance novelist Kim Rossi is unceremoniously dumped by her soon-to-be-published romance novelist boyfriend, Garth, Kim takes stock and decides to take a leap. She signs up for a romance writing retreat at a quaint Vermont Inn shortly before Christmas, where a top romance novelist is scheduled to attend. Shortly after arriving, she crosses paths with Zeke, whom she initially finds to be intrusive and, naturally, ends up being her assignment partner. Worse yet, her ex-boyfriend, Garth, is also at the retreat. Despite these bumps in the road, Kim steps outside her comfort zone and ends up surprising herself. Equally unexpected is the attraction that seems to be building between her and Zeke that promises to take her down a road she never imagined traveling. Based on the bestselling novel by Richard Paul Evans.

We had the chance to catch up with star Alicia Witt about her role, her favorite holiday movie, and her music career.

Kat: Was there anything about your role that was particularly challenging?
AW: Finding the right balance between the comedy and the honesty of the rapid-fire dialogue was a fun challenge for me. I haven’t seen the movie yet, except for snippets in ADR – excited to see how it all turned out on Thanksgiving with everyone else seeing it for the first time! I felt lucky to have Dave Alpay as my costar; he made it easy and fun. Except when he pelted me with actual ice during our snowball fight. I still owe him for that. payback is sweet…

Kat: What was your favorite scene to shoot and why? (without giving away spoilers)
AW: There is a scene towards the beginning of the movie, where everyone meets and mingles for the first time at the Mistletoe Inn romance conference mixer. it was about 6 or 7 pages long, straddling a commercial break, and by the end of the day, we were just all in hysterical giggles. Casey Manderson who plays my unabashedly creeptastic ex is so funny we all had to struggle not to lose it during takes. and Lucie Guest is effortlessly hilarious. I will be laughing all over again watching it. Just hoping they keep the take where Dave (Zeke) misread Garth’s name tag as ‘Gark’. Please (crosses fingers)

Kat: Do you have any hidden talents (like being a romance novelist)?
AW: My other career as a musician is very similar in many ways to Kim’s dream of being a professional novelist. It’s something I related to over and over again in this role. when I started out as a musician, putting my neck out there with original music for the first time, I was very unsure if it was any good, or if I’d be taken seriously. And like Kim I knew that if it wasn’t what I was meant to do, it wouldn’t mean so much to me- but when you try a new career as an adult it is a lot scarier. I also dated someone at the start of my music career who reminded me a whole lot of Garth (Kim’s ex) – took himself so seriously that there was no room for anyone else in the relationship. Funny now but at the time it played into my insecurities as a singer-songwriter – just like Kim’s relationship to Garth.

To learn more about Alicia’s new album, and to contribute to her Kickstarter campaign, please CLICK HERE

Kat: Do you have a favorite Christmas movie?
AW: Frosty The Snowman.

Kat: Do you or your family have any special holiday traditions?
AW: I have just moved to Nashville so I am about to start making my own! one thing that it just wouldn’t be Christmas without is So Delicious vegan holiday nog. I love that stuff. It always feels like the holidays when that hits the grocery shelves!

“The Mistletoe Inn” premieres on Thursday, November 23rd at 8/7c

When aspiring romance novelist Kim Rossi (Alicia Witt) is unceremoniously dumped by her soon-to-be-published romance novelist boyfriend, Garth (Casey Manderson), Kim takes stock and decides to take a leap. She signs up for a romance writing retreat at a quaint Vermont Inn shortly before Christmas, where a top romance novelist is scheduled to attend. Shortly after arriving, she crosses paths with Zeke (David Alpay), whom she initially finds to be intrusive and, naturally, ends up being her assignment partner. Worse yet, her ex-boyfriend, Garth, is also at the retreat. Despite these bumps in the road, Kim steps outside her comfort zone and ends up surprising herself. Equally unexpected is the attraction that seems to be building between her and Zeke that promises to take her down a road she never imagined traveling. Photo: Alicia Witt Credit: Copyright 2017 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Kailey Schwerman

When aspiring romance novelist Kim Rossi (Alicia Witt) is unceremoniously dumped by her soon-to-be-published romance novelist boyfriend, Garth (Casey Manderson), Kim takes stock and decides to take a leap. She signs up for a romance writing retreat at a quaint Vermont Inn shortly before Christmas, where a top romance novelist is scheduled to attend. Shortly after arriving, she crosses paths with Zeke (David Alpay), whom she initially finds to be intrusive and, naturally, ends up being her assignment partner. Worse yet, her ex-boyfriend, Garth, is also at the retreat. Despite these bumps in the road, Kim steps outside her comfort zone and ends up surprising herself. Equally unexpected is the attraction that seems to be building between her and Zeke that promises to take her down a road she never imagined traveling. Photo: David Alpay Credit: Copyright 2017 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Kailey Schwerman

When aspiring romance novelist Kim Rossi (Alicia Witt) is unceremoniously dumped by her soon-to-be-published romance novelist boyfriend, Garth (Casey Manderson), Kim takes stock and decides to take a leap. She signs up for a romance writing retreat at a quaint Vermont Inn shortly before Christmas, where a top romance novelist is scheduled to attend. Shortly after arriving, she crosses paths with Zeke (David Alpay), whom she initially finds to be intrusive and, naturally, ends up being her assignment partner. Worse yet, her ex-boyfriend, Garth, is also at the retreat. Despite these bumps in the road, Kim steps outside her comfort zone and ends up surprising herself. Equally unexpected is the attraction that seems to be building between her and Zeke that promises to take her down a road she never imagined traveling. Photo: Alicia Witt Credit: Copyright 2017 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Kailey Schwerman

When aspiring romance novelist Kim Rossi (Alicia Witt) is unceremoniously dumped by her soon-to-be-published romance novelist boyfriend, Garth (Casey Manderson), Kim takes stock and decides to take a leap. She signs up for a romance writing retreat at a quaint Vermont Inn shortly before Christmas, where a top romance novelist is scheduled to attend. Shortly after arriving, she crosses paths with Zeke (David Alpay), whom she initially finds to be intrusive and, naturally, ends up being her assignment partner. Worse yet, her ex-boyfriend, Garth, is also at the retreat. Despite these bumps in the road, Kim steps outside her comfort zone and ends up surprising herself. Equally unexpected is the attraction that seems to be building between her and Zeke that promises to take her down a road she never imagined traveling. Photo: David Alpay, Alicia Witt Credit: Copyright 2017 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Kailey Schwerman

When aspiring romance novelist Kim Rossi is unceremoniously dumped by her soon-to-be-published romance novelist boyfriend Garth, Kim takes stock and decides to take a leap. LLC/Photographer: Kailey Schwerman

When aspiring romance novelist Kim Rossi (Alicia Witt) is unceremoniously dumped by her soon-to-be-published romance novelist boyfriend, Garth (Casey Manderson), Kim takes stock and decides to take a leap. She signs up for a romance writing retreat at a quaint Vermont Inn shortly before Christmas, where a top romance novelist is scheduled to attend. Shortly after arriving, she crosses paths with Zeke (David Alpay), whom she initially finds to be intrusive and, naturally, ends up being her assignment partner. Worse yet, her ex-boyfriend, Garth, is also at the retreat. Despite these bumps in the road, Kim steps outside her comfort zone and ends up surprising herself. Equally unexpected is the attraction that seems to be building between her and Zeke that promises to take her down a road she never imagined traveling. Photo: David Alpay, Alicia Witt Credit: Copyright 2017 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Kailey Schwerman

When aspiring romance novelist Kim Rossi (Alicia Witt) is unceremoniously dumped by her soon-to-be-published romance novelist boyfriend, Garth (Casey Manderson), Kim takes stock and decides to take a leap. She signs up for a romance writing retreat at a quaint Vermont Inn shortly before Christmas, where a top romance novelist is scheduled to attend. Shortly after arriving, she crosses paths with Zeke (David Alpay), whom she initially finds to be intrusive and, naturally, ends up being her assignment partner. Worse yet, her ex-boyfriend, Garth, is also at the retreat. Despite these bumps in the road, Kim steps outside her comfort zone and ends up surprising herself. Equally unexpected is the attraction that seems to be building between her and Zeke that promises to take her down a road she never imagined traveling. Photo: David Alpay, Alicia Witt Credit: Copyright 2017 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Kailey Schwerman

When aspiring romance novelist Kim Rossi (Alicia Witt) is unceremoniously dumped by her soon-to-be-published romance novelist boyfriend, Garth (Casey Manderson), Kim takes stock and decides to take a leap. She signs up for a romance writing retreat at a quaint Vermont Inn shortly before Christmas, where a top romance novelist is scheduled to attend. Shortly after arriving, she crosses paths with Zeke (David Alpay), whom she initially finds to be intrusive and, naturally, ends up being her assignment partner. Worse yet, her ex-boyfriend, Garth, is also at the retreat. Despite these bumps in the road, Kim steps outside her comfort zone and ends up surprising herself. Equally unexpected is the attraction that seems to be building between her and Zeke that promises to take her down a road she never imagined traveling. Photo: David Alpay, Alicia Witt Credit: Copyright 2017 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Kailey Schwerman

When aspiring romance novelist Kim Rossi (Alicia Witt) is unceremoniously dumped by her soon-to-be-published romance novelist boyfriend, Garth (Casey Manderson), Kim takes stock and decides to take a leap. She signs up for a romance writing retreat at a quaint Vermont Inn shortly before Christmas, where a top romance novelist is scheduled to attend. Shortly after arriving, she crosses paths with Zeke (David Alpay), whom she initially finds to be intrusive and, naturally, ends up being her assignment partner. Worse yet, her ex-boyfriend, Garth, is also at the retreat. Despite these bumps in the road, Kim steps outside her comfort zone and ends up surprising herself. Equally unexpected is the attraction that seems to be building between her and Zeke that promises to take her down a road she never imagined traveling. Photo: David Alpay, Alicia Witt Credit: Copyright 2017 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Kailey Schwerman