HOLIDAZED Key Art | ©2024 Hallmark

HOLIDAZED, created by Claudia Grazioso, is a new limited series on the Hallmark+ streaming channel that follows six families on the same cul-de-sac in suburban Oregon as they all prepare for the December festivities in different ways. New episodes premiere Tuesday nights.

Dennis Haysbert stars as Robert Lewin, who is returning after several years’ absence to spend Christmas with his ex-wife Linda (Loretta Devine) and their family. Linda has invited her current boyfriend for the occasion.

Haysbert famously played U.S. President David Palmer in the first several seasons of 24. Later, he played God on LUCIFER. In between, Haysbert, a native of Northern California, was the lead on four seasons of the military action drama THE UNIT. Other television roles have been on series and miniseries including RETURN TO LONESOME DOVE and NOW AND AGAIN. Haysbert’s feature credits include the MAJOR LEAGUE films, LOVE FIELD, FAR FROM HEAVEN, WAITING TO EXHALE, HEAT, and THE DARK TOWER.

At a party thrown by Hallmark Channel for the summer Television Critics Association (TCA) press tour at Pasadena’s Langham Hotel, Haysbert makes time to talk HOLIDAZED.

“I think it’s a magnificent undertaking,” Haysbert says of the series. “I think a lot of people are going to relate to every one of the families. I related to more than one family in this show. I related to the Manetti-Hanahans, because I was raised in a large family, with six brothers and two sisters. So, I know that dynamic, I can identify with that.”

HOLIDAZED key art | ©2024 Hallmark Channel

Despite being known for serious fare, Haysbert points out that he has a lot of experience with television comedy. “I was weaned on three-camera, back in the day.” Some of Haysbert’s early work was on episodes of LAVERNE & SHIRLEY, THE FACTS OF LIFE, and GROWING PAINS, to name but a few. “So, I love comedy. And comedy always comes out better when you’re playing for real.”

There was a great sense of camaraderie among the HOLIDAZED cast, Haysbert relates. “We had a lot of cast-wide functions. [Executive producer] Gina [Matthews] would have dinner for us, and we’d have a great time. And we also did Pilates together. But the beautiful thing about the story and the way it was acted was that the people involved were always on set. Very rarely did we get a chance to go back to our own trailers. It really made this show so cohesive and together.”

This, Haysbert explains, is because the trailers were nowhere near the set. “I don’t know if it was planned. I don’t think it was. But it was really far. If you had thirty minutes of downtime, if the car picks you up and takes you to the trailer, you’re going to have to come back again. So, everybody stayed in the house [set], which informed how we performed, because we didn’t perform. We were a family. We spoke to each other, and not at each other, and that’s the beauty of this. So, you had a way to get to know everyone, and in such a way that it became intimate. If it becomes intimate, you can go anywhere.”

Dennis Haysbert at TCA Summer 2024 Press Tour promoting HOLIDAZED | ©2024 Television Critics Association

As God, Haysbert got to sing on LUCIFER. “That was a lot of fun,” Haysbert recalls. “It was a great cast, they treated me wonderfully, and I had a great time.”

Does Haysbert get to sing in HOLIDAZED? “No, not on camera. Other than ‘Merry Christmas’ [as part of a group].”

Having played both the President of the United States and God, are there any other powerful beings that Haysbert would like to portray? Haysbert smiles. “I don’t know if they’ve been written yet, but I’m very open to it.”

And what would Haysbert most like people to know about HOLIDAZED?

“That it’s a wonderful story, and no other Hallmark show gives you a better hug.”

Related :HOLIDAZED : Actor John C. McGinley discusses his new Hallmark holiday series – Exclusive Interview

Follow us on Twitter at ASSIGNMENT X
Like us on Facebook at ASSIGNMENT X

Article Source: Assignment X
Article:HOLIDAZED : Actor Dennis Haysbert gets into the holiday spirit in new Hallmark holiday series – Exclusive Interview

Related Posts: