‘Candy Cane Candidate’ cast list: Jacky Lai and others in Lifetime’s Christmas film

Meet the cast of ‘Candy Cane Candidate’ (Image via Lifetime)
Meet the cast of ‘Candy Cane Candidate’ (Image via Lifetime)

Lifetime’s upcoming movie, Candy Cane Candidate, is part of the network’s holiday event, It’s A Wonderful Lifetime. The film is a romantic comedy and feel-good drama that revolves around Julia and Parker.

After losing a political campaign, Julia returns to her hometown North Falls for Christmas and plans to drown her sorrows in eggnog instead of celebrating the festival. But her holiday spirit is lifted when she finds out she has to run for the emergency election of the mayor of North Falls.

Julia’s dream, however, gets crushed when she sees Parker, her high school nemesis, in the opposition party. As they work their way through their respective campaigns, the two land up in a toy drive together.

The synopsis of Candy Cane Candidate further reads:

“Julia begins to see a different side of Parker, and the ice between them slowly begins to thaw. As their political race comes to a head, Julia and Parker discover winning isn’t everything.”

On that note, let’s have a look at the cast members of the Lifetime drama.


Jacky Lai plays Julia in ‘Candy Cane Candidate’

Jacky Lai was the first Asian-American actress to lead a Lifetime flick titled A Sugar & Spice Holiday, which turned out to be a hit last year. She is best known for her roles in hit series, Shadowhunters and V Wars.

Lai has also appeared in multiple television shows such as Beyond, The Flash, and Really Me.

Going by her Instagram profile, it is unclear whether or not she has someone special in her life. However, she has recently got a four-week-old puppy who is yet to be named.

Lai will be seen portraying the female lead, Julia, in her upcoming Lifetime flick.


Jake Epstein as Parker

Born in Toronto, Canada, Jake Epstein is a famous actor, writer, and singer. He is popularly known for playing Chuck in Designated Survivor, Craig in critically acclaimed Degrassi: The Next Generation, and Brian in Suits.

Epstein is also a Broadway star who has appeared in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. He is married to actress Vanessa Smythe.

Epstein will play the male lead, Parker, in Candy Cane Candidate.


Kara Duncan as Lucy

Canadian actress Kara Duncan will be seen playing Lucy’s role in Candy Cane Candidate. She is also a professionally trained dancer who has done a few projects in movies and television to date.

Duncan has appeared in The Story of Miya, System Crash, Warehouse 13, The Young and the Restless, Cooking Up Love, and Christmas on 5th Avenue.

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In addition to the aforementioned cast, Candy Cane Candidate also stars Jinny Wong (Stella), Stephanie Herrera (Mayor Rodriguez), Mickeey Nguyen (Jax), Danny Vo (Noah), and Edwina Renout (Sylvie).

Candy Cane Candidate will air on Lifetime on Monday, December 20, at 8.00 pm ET. The film is written by Melissa Bustamante and directed by Pat Kiely.

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