Hallmark Holiday Heritage
The Hallmark Channel’s newest movie, “Holiday Heritage,” premieres on Friday, December 16, at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central. The movie stars Lyndie Greenwood, Holly Robinson Peete, and Brooks Darnell. Read on to learn all about where it was filmed and behind-the-scenes details.
‘Holiday Heritage’ Was Filmed in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Hallmark
According to the Ottawa Citizen and IATSE Local 634, “Holiday Heritage” was filmed in the Ottawa, Ontario, region of Canada.
Recently, “The Most Colorful Time of the Year” was also filmed in this location.
Lyndie Greenwood took to Instagram to comment on what it’s like during night shoots. “Night shoots can be rough…” she wrote.
She also shared her excitement about the movie, writing: “This is a special movie about Christmas AND Kwanzaa. I can’t wait for y’all to see it!”
Holly Robinson Peete did a Live video on Instagram straight from her dressing room in Ottawa, live from The Carlton Place. It was a quick hello to her fans where she talked a bit about her future plans, which include a project with her husband.
Darnell posted this wrap video on Instagram, saying: “Another one! #holidayheritage
This one was an absolute blast!”
On December 16, the day of the movie’s premiere, Hallmark announced that it was signing Darnell to a multi-picture deal, Deadline reported.
Meet the Cast
Hallmark
Hallmark’s synopsis read:
With the holidays approaching, Ella (Greenwood) returns home to convince her grandmother Tess (Darlene Cooke, “Mayor of Kingstown”) and her mother Micah (Robinson Peete) to heal past wounds in the family. Ella believes the best way to bring her family back together is to celebrate Christmas together, something they haven’t done since her grandfather passed. To make the holiday season extra festive, Ella enlists the help of Griffin (Darnell), the newly elected mayor and her ex-boyfriend. After spending Christmas together as a family, the three women decide to celebrate Kwanzaa and embrace its unifying message. In this heartwarming, multi-generational story, all three women celebrate the holiday season in a unique way and heal through reconnection.
Lyndie Greenwood, who was born in Canada, is Ella in the movie. According to her bio, she will be appearing in the next season of the comedy series “Shelved” on CTV. Her most recent appearance was in “Girlfriendship” on the Hallmark Channel, in which she starred alongside Tamera Mowry-Housley. Before that, she was in the Emmy–nominated Lifetime movie “Flint” with Queen Latifah, as well as the TV shows “Sleepy Hollow” on FOX and “Nikita” on The CW. She has also appeared in recurring roles on many TV series, including “S.W.A.T.” on CBS, “The Expanse” on Amazon, and “Star” on FOX. Among her other film credits is “The World Without You,” in which she co-starred with Radha Mitchell and PJ Byrne.
Brooks Darnell stars as Griffin in the movie. According to his bio, he was in the feature film “Total Recall” in 2012, the movie “All Yours” that aired on the Hallmark Channel in 2016, and the Christmas-themed Hallmark Movies & Mysteries film, “A Christmas Miracle” in 2019. His most recent roles were in the movies “Advice to Love By” and “A Winter Getaway” on the Hallmark Channel. Darnell has also been in episodes of “Bones,” “Breakout Kings,” “Nothing Personal,” and “Nikita,” in addition to having a recurring part in the Freeform series “Shadowhunters.” “Ghostly Encounters” is another series in which Darnell has appeared.
Holly Robinson Peete is Micah in the movie. According to her bio, she was in six episodes of “Morning Show Mysteries” films for Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. In addition, she has been a part of the network’s Christmas classics, many of which she has also executive produced. Most recently, she appeared in and executive produced “Our Christmas Journey” for Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. The film, which dealt with autism, was a topic close to her heart. It aired in 2021 during the network’s Miracles of Christmas programming event. In addition, she was in “The Christmas Doctor” and “A Family Christmas Gift.” She played Michelle, the town’s much-loved mayor, in all four of the “Christmas in Evergreen” movies that were shown on the Hallmark Channel.
Also starring in the movie are:
- Darlene Cooke (Tess)
- Jennifer De Lucia (Renee)
- Jennie Esnard (Dorene)
- Jason Verma (Jonah)
- Ciara Rose Feeney (Maisey)
- Rothaford Gray (Grandpa Riley)
- Kym Livingstone (Ms. Willis)
- Charlotte Plummer (Marilyn Strand)
- Damien Broomes (Rodney)
- Stephanie Herrera (Jessica)