Author Samantha Herman can’t get enough of the holidays and falling in love. So of course she writes Christmas movies for the Hallmark Channel.
Viewers can now watch her eleventh project for the channel, titled Christmas Island, both filmed and filmed in Canada. The TV movie follows Kate Gabriel (Rachel Skarsten), a commercial pilot looking forward to spending her vacation with the Sharpe family on a luxury vacation in Switzerland. During the flight, a snowstorm forces them to land at a small airport in Maritimes, Canada.
Although pragmatic air traffic control officer Oliver Macleod (Andrew Walker) doesn’t want to divert the plane, he directs them to nearby (and very real) Christmas Island, their safest option. Fate does its job and brings Kate and Oliver closer together as they help the Sharpe family make the most of it by participating in some local holiday traditions. Spoiler alert: It’s probably a romantic relationship.
Herman spoke with Deadline about her love of holiday films and how they inspire her, writing strong female characters, and what lies ahead. She noted that before we got on Zoom, she was planning her upcoming Hanukkah celebration while watching World Record Christmas, another 2023 Christmas movie offering on the Hallmark Channel. Yes, she is a true superfan.
DEADLINE: You’ve written several Christmas movies for Hallmark, which is interesting because you’re Jewish. What inspired you?
SAMANTHA HERMAN: Yeah, I’ve done eight Hallmark Christmas movies and the other three are non-seasonal. I also did a CBS Christmas movie. I don’t know… why that is, the double irony. There’s this whole holiday Hebrew thing, which is about being Jewish and somehow becoming a Christmas connoisseur, and being single and somehow becoming a romance connoisseur. I think it comes with Christmas because I didn’t really celebrate it as a kid. We did some of the classic stuff like baking cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve and giving a few presents just to feel like we were part of the Christmas spirit.
We didn’t have a full Christmas. I’ve never decorated a Christmas tree or built gingerbread houses, nor had lights for the house – none of that. But we had friends and family who wanted to invite us, and later in life I had friends who celebrated. I’ve never had any particular personal connection to it, other than watching Christmas movies, which I love.
DEADLINE: What are some of your favorites or what inspired you?
HER HUSBAND: I still remember seeing it clearly Alone at home and I still watch it every year without fail. We didn’t have Hallmark in Canada, but we did have other channels sublicensing the content. I watched her films as often as they were available, just as a fan. When I moved to the US in 2007, I went to Chicago to study law. I remember calling to set up my cable and internet and asking about the Hallmark package. I’m really not saying that because it sounds good, it’s all true.
I like romantic movies, books and romantic ballads. I just love love. And maybe it’s partly because I haven’t had much luck in love myself, but I’m just drawn to it. And so the combination of love – most of these films have some sort of romantic connection – and the magic of Christmas is the perfect synergy.
DEADLINE: In christmas island, The female protagonist, Kate, is not a stereotypical damsel in distress. Why was this important to you?
HER HUSBAND: I think part of what’s done is like a girl returning to a small town and leaving behind everything she’s worked for [to be with a man]. I don’t feel like it, so I won’t do it. The channel encourages us to break away from this outdated stereotype. I think it is important that a woman with strength, ambition and quirks is portrayed so that people feel they are seeing a real person and not a cookie cutter.
DEADLINE: Do you have any plans to make a Hanukkah film in the future?
HER HUSBAND: I would like to. I have to do it differently and trade a Christmas tree for a menorah. But I already have some ideas for other stories I want to tell.
DEADLINE: Do you have any wishes you’d like to share with us now that the holidays are so close?
HER HUSBAND: If you have a blind date for me, call me.
Source: Deadline
Joseph Fearn is an entertainment and television aficionado who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a keen eye for what’s hot in the world of TV, Joseph keeps his readers informed about the latest trends and must-see shows.
