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Last month, CBS announced its holiday season lineup, and its third offering, Fit for Christmas, will hit the network and Paramount+ at 8.30 pm ET on Sunday, December 4.
The channel has already aired Robbie the Reindeer and The Story of Santa Claus and has 15 other holiday specials, including Fit for Christmas, scheduled to hit the screens.
Starring Amanda Kloots, Paul Greene, and Rebecca Budig, it has been helmed by Jessica Harmon. Harmon was nominated in the Outstanding Directorial Achievement category of the Directors Guild of Canada Awards for her drama, Girl in the Shed: The Kidnapping of Abby Hernandez.
Amanda Kloots: Lead character, executive producer, and co-writer of Fit for Christmas
Amanda Kloots is known for co-hosting The Talk, apart from being a popular dancer and fitness instructor. The Ohio native has been hosting the daytime talk show since last year.
As a dancer, she has appeared in several Broadway musicals like Good Vibrations, Young Frankenstein, Follies, and Bullets Over Broadway, among others. She also came fourth in the 30th season of the dance competition show, Dancing with the Stars.
While talking about Fit for Christmas, Kloots narrated how her late husband, Broadway star Nick Cordero, was the story's inspiration. Cordero lost his life to COVID-19 complications in July 2020 at 41.
During that time of struggle, a depressed Kloots couldn't sleep most nights. On one such night, she toyed with the idea of a Christmas film centering on a fitness instructor, and the idea for Fit for Christmas was hatched.
Kloots and co-writer Anna White developed the script over a couple of years for CBS, and the shooting began in Vancouver in August. The actors shot wearing winter clothes like coats, scarves, and hats, but Kloots didn't mind the heat. She will be seen stepping into the shoes of Audrey in the upcoming film.
Paul Greene as Griffin
A staple actor for Christmas films, Paul Greene will be playing "a charming, mysterious businessman" Griffin in Fit for Christmas. He wants to transform the "financially beleaguered community center in quaint Mistletoe, Montana" into a "profitable resort property/ski lodge."
Audrey (Kloots), who takes fitness classes at the community center, opposes his plans. Greene says the movie is a "meet-cute overload," and his character "is a big softy."
Kloots spoke highly of her co-actor and said:
“Paul was a Christmas miracle. He was the best co-star a girl could dream to have. He was just so generous and kind and fun and easygoing — easy to work with. We had so much fun together; instant chemistry.”
Greene is known as the "King of Christmas" since he has been a part of more than 11 Christmas films. He has done two movies this year, Fit for Christmas and I'm Glad It's Christmas.
I'm Glad It's Christmas aired last month on Great American Family. In it, Greene played a jingle writer opposite Jessica Lowndes, who took on the role of an aspiring singer.
Rebecca Budig as Lisa
Rebecca Budig of General Hospital fame plays a character called Lisa in Fit for Christmas, Audrey's pal. She and her husband run a café in the community center and are on the verge of losing it, courtesy of Griffin's ambitious plan.
Audrey is their only hope. Budig says:
“She’s stressed about it, of course. She’s got her husband, who is a great support system, [but] they’re also trying to get pregnant at this time. [Now, with the couple possibly losing their shop’s location], they are like, ‘Well, we’re just gonna have to find a new place.’ I think they’ve lost hope. And that’s where Audrey comes in.”
It seems Lisa will support Audrey in her fight against Griffin, and her story will run parallel to theirs.
Fit for Christmas will mark Budig's debut Christmas film. Apart from the above-mentioned stars, the film will also see Mark Brandon and Jacklyn Collier in pivotal roles.
