Why the Stars of Hallmark's First Lesbian Holiday Romance Hope It Inspires More LGBTQ Stories

Hallmark Channel is making a little bit of Christmas history with its first holiday movie centered on a lesbian romance. On the heels of last year's The Holiday Sitter, the network's first gay romantic comedy, Friends & Family Christmas hopes to keep the LGBTQ streak going.

Humberly Gonzalez (Ginny & Georgia) and Ali Liebert (Bomb Girls), who directed The Holiday Sitter, star in the groundbreaking Christmas film. It follows New York transplant and artist Daniella (Gonzalez), who is set up on a blind date with Amelia (Liebert), a lawyer who's turned to working nonstop after a broken engagement. They agree to pretend they're dating to appease their parents for the holidays, but as they spend more time together, the pair inevitably start falling for each other for real.

"It was honestly the right time and the right people, so it feels really special that it's us and we get to bring the story forward," Gonzalez, who is openly queer, told TV Guide over Zoom about the historic Hallmark moment. "I hope that [Hallmark] continues making more and more and more."

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"I'm looking forward to hearing the feedback of folks who watch this with their families over Christmas, and I'm anticipating people really loving this movie," Liebert, who is a producer on the film, told TV Guide. "As a queer person and a person who is in this movie, I'm very excited."

The stars of Friends & Family Christmas discuss the significance of their original Hallmark romance, what they wanted to avoid, and their hopes for future LGBTQ stories at the network. Plus, watch an exclusive sneak peek from the movie.

TV Guide: Friends & Family Christmas marks a big moment for Hallmark Channel with it being the first film to revolve around a lesbian romance. What excited you about your characters and about this story?

Ali Liebert: I was part of the process a little earlier than Humberly because I was a producer on it, so I was helping to make the story even clearer. One of the things that I loved right away was the title of Friends & Family [Christmas], and expanding that vision of what a traditional family can mean. I thought that was a wonderful title for this movie, and I love the fake couple trope. It's one of my favorite rom-com tropes. I was excited about that and I love how quirky and uptight my character is, so I was looking forward to playing with the comedy of that.

Humberly Gonzalez: When I got the script, the first thing I was curious about was, are we going to make it about the struggle? Is it about us struggling because we're queer? When I saw that their issues are just issues that come from the story itself, not because of who they are, I was very happy about that. Instantly I was like, "Wow, Hallmark is making a woman-loving-woman storyline." That's huge. That, on its own, was already alluring to me. I was like, "I'll play it, whatever it is." But I wanted to make sure it isn't just about they're gay. They're figuring it out. Their parents set them up and now they're having to deal with the results of that. I love that it's a fun story with trials and tribulations, and it has nothing to do with their suffering as queer people. 

Within the first few minutes of the movie, the tone is well-established. Both Daniella and Amelia have supportive parents who want their daughters to find love and be happy. Can you speak to the importance of showcasing that familial aspect as it relates to Daniella and Amelia's journeys?

Liebert: Part of the reason people love Christmas movies and Hallmark movies is because they are aspirational, right? They make us feel good. They make us feel warm and hopeful. And I think Amelia and Daniella are also humans who deserve all the same things as anyone else. The fact that both of these characters have families rooting for them and their sexuality is really not an issue is so beautiful. I'm personally very lucky. My family has always been supportive and doesn't really care who I date, just always wants me to be happy, which I understand is not the case for everyone. Hopefully our movie can be an example of opening your heart and community.

Gonzalez: "We thought that maybe this could be someone that you could meet," and I love how normal that is. They [parents] are not afraid. In this storyline, my mom is Hispanic and there's the cultural attachment to that. I don't hear a lot of Latino parents setting up their queer kid because there's so much shame and trauma attached to that. That's such a beautiful moment. It makes me so happy that both the parents are on board with who their daughter is, and wants to love, and they just want her to be in love and happy. It can be that simple. I love that the movie is normalizing that. Parents set kids up all the time. So why can't you do it when it's your daughter who loves another woman? And there is so much support and love. If anything, they're struggling with other issues when it comes to boundaries, so this is the last thing on their mind.

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This movie also leans into the fake dating trope, which can create a lot of comedic situations. What was the most satisfying aspect about playing that awkwardness between Daniella and Amelia in the beginning of their relationship?

Gonzalez: It was like acting on top of acting, that's the best way I can describe it. Oh, yes, we're shooting this movie and we're acting, but then we also have to act like we're this and we have to act in front of our parents. That's really fun because there's such a big world to explore within that, of how much we lean into it. I think it's such a fun thing for the audience to watch them pretend. But then they're like, "Wait, did you mean that? You wanted to do that, you actually wanted that." I think that's the funnest part. It's all a game.

Liebert: You can tell we're genuinely having fun together. One of my favorite scenes was hauling that bear up the stairs. That was no joke. We were laughing and sweating and it was a whole thing. 

There are several pop culture references sprinkled throughout, including nods to Taylor Swift and the movie, Carol. Do you have a favorite?

Liebert: I think that Taylor Swift line, and the gloves and the Carol of it all. It's just a gorgeous little Easter egg. 

Gonzalez: I would ask audiences how many rainbow decorations can you find in the movie? Because I know those were little Easter eggs too, whether it's an adornment on the tree or a lamb that happens to be a rainbow pattern. I wonder how many people will spot that. They're around the whole movie. 

What do you want people to take away or feel after watching this movie? 

Gonzalez: One of the themes I love in it is finding your source of inspiration. Within the love story of this movie, there's so much of that and there's personal growth for a lot of the characters. Yes, it's a Christmas movie and you're watching it for the comfort of seeing a queer story on TV, but I love where each character starts and where they end up. Both Amelia and Daniella are looking for their purpose. They're stuck in what they're doing for a career that they thought they wanted but maybe they don't. And they find through love and community and friends that they believe in themselves a bit more and push each other to reach their dreams. 

Liebert: I hope people laugh. I hope that people can sit around with their friends and family, whoever that may be and laugh and feel really warm by watching this story, which is a love story. Love is love. That really is the big picture. The director did a beautiful job, Anne Wheeler, in capturing the journey of both these women and the vulnerability and risks that it takes to tell someone how you feel. I love a grand gesture; I love where they lay it on the line. And this movie has all of those things, so I hope people find those as delicious to watch as we felt making it. 

What do you want to see from Hallmark in the future? 

Liebert: We can't begin to predict what Hallmark is going to do. But my hope, individually as a person, that diversity, inclusion continues to grow. The sky's the limit and personally, if Hallmark wanted to do a sequel of this movie, say in Europe…

Gonzalez: Yes! Let's manifest that! Maybe you see them traveling the world.

Liebert: And then maybe they get engaged when you're on your work trip...

Gonzalez: A marriage Christmas movie? That'd be so fun. But to echo what Ali said, I hope that there will always be queer Christmas movies every year — at least one but maybe, like, three — and see different people in these roles. I'm pretty femme presenting and I don't think that people like look at me now that there's like a stereotype of any sort, but I don't think when people look at me, not that there's a stereotype of any sort, but I think queer people look so different and whatever their identity is and their expression. So I hope to see different bodies in these roles, in queer roles, and that it isn't so scary to dig into that. There's an audience for it and I think the world is ready for it and they're ready to embrace different bodies, different skin tones, different ways of expression because they're out there loving.

Friends & Family Christmas premieres Sunday, Dec. 17 at 8/7c on Hallmark Channel.