In the upcoming holiday movie “Once Upon a Christmas Wish” audiences will get a unique treat as real-life husband and wife, Mario and Courtney Lopez, share the screen.
This new Great American Christmas film is about the mayor, played by Mario, of the idyllic town, Long Grove, who discovers his childhood Christmas wish list which magically begins to come true, reminding Brian about the spirit and joy of the holiday.
Courtney Lopez plays Nina Meyer, Brian’s childhood friend, who returns to town to visit her grandmother. Soon a connection becomes undeniable as she helps Brian face a new challenge for the town.
Their real-life son, Dominic Lopez, also plays a role in this movie as a young budding journalist at the local elementary school, Joey Delucca. Joey interviews the town’s mayor, which leads Brian to find his fourth grade Christmas list.
Known for their viral dance videos on social media, this family affair wouldn’t be complete without some great dance moves or singing by the Lopez couple.
We got to sit down with both Mario and Courtney on set to learn more about how they enjoyed working as a family on this film.
“I really wanted my family to be involved in my first film for Great American Family,” Mario said. “So, my wife, who's wildly talented, sings, dances, acts [in this film] beautifully [as well as] my son, Dominic, who also sings, dances and acts. I was honored to have them be in the film with me. This is a very special project, and it's come together great. And I'm very proud of them.”
Of course, this isn’t Mario and Courtney’s first time working together on screen. They host a nationally syndicated radio show called On with Mario Lopez, and Courtney regularly guest hosts Access Daily and Access Hollywood with Mario.
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“We're no strangers working together, but in this element, where we're acting opposite each other and we have a journey where we fall in love, it's a lot of fun and romantic,” Mario continued. “My wife and I met when we were both performing, on a Broadway show. I got to see how talented she was singing and dancing and acting. So, any chance I get to see her perform, I love it. Ironically, she doesn't do it that much for me, or at least around the house. So, I made sure I wrote it in the movie to get to see it. And she's knocking it outta the park.”
“Having been with him for 16 years now and just now having the opportunity to do something like this with him again and share the stage with him, with cameras, it's a little different, but it is very, very special. Our kids never saw us [on Broadway] obviously before they were born, so they didn't get to see that side of us, and now they get to at least experience a little bit of our love and how we connected behind the cameras,” Courtney added.
The Lopez’s acknowledge how special and rare this opportunity has been for them, which shows as they continue to prioritize their faith as a family.
“Our family has a very strong faith foundation, and we believe that that's something so important to have from the minute you wake up to the minute you go to sleep... I never take for granted everything that God has blessed us with, is blessing us with, will continue to bless us with. My family, my health, first and foremost. You just can't take things for granted. And I'm constantly instilling that in my kids because at the end of the day, I want them to know what's important,” Courtney explained.
All three members of the Lopez family made core memories on set of their first Great American Christmas film together, and it’s something they’ll never forget.
“It's something that the three of us [for the first time have] done together and seeing our names on the call sheet right underneath each other just brought pure joy to me. It’s just an experience that I will never forget, and we'll remember forever,” Courtney said.
Stream the Original movie “Once Upon a Christmas Wish” only on Pure Flix, starting November 28. Not a member? Sign up for your free 7-day trial today.
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