HGTV Stars Make Acting Debut in New Christmas Movie: 'Not Something I Ever Would Have Put on My Bingo Card of Life'
HGTV stars Ben and Erin Napier say they never planned to act in a movie, but the idea was appealing when the opportunity became available.
The home makeover duo make their acting debut in the new holiday film “A Christmas Open House.”
The Napiers are best known for their show “Home Town,” in which they renovate homes in their hometown of Laurel, Mississippi, and the surrounding area.
The couple live in Laurel with their two daughters, 4-year-old Helen and 18-month-old Mae.
Appropriately, the new movie is set in their hometown.
“It felt crazy that anyone would make a movie in Laurel, Mississippi, and the people in Laurel, Mississippi, also thought it was crazy. Not something I ever would have put on my bingo card of life,” Erin told Fox News. “But we acted for three days.”
“A Christmas Open House” is now streaming on Discovery+, and it will air on HGTV next week.
Mark your calendars! Our movie, #AChristmasOpenHouse will air on @hgtv December 7! https://t.co/vVNZhVI6xm
— Erin Napier (@ErinRNapier) November 17, 2022
“While we were filming the movie, we were also filming ‘Home Town’ season six and ‘Home Town Takeover’ season two,” Ben said.
“While being home every night at 5 o’clock to be with our baby girls,” Erin added.
The busy couple balanced these things with Helen’s first year attending school, which she does three times per week, as well as completing the renovation of their 4,000-square-foot farmhouse.
“We bought a 1920s English Tudor-style farmhouse that’s out in the county outside of town. It’s really rural, and it’s quite nice. We both grew up on a farm. I grew up in rural settings and [was] always working on farms, so we wanted our daughters to have that experience,” Ben said.
“A barefoot, tangled hair childhood,” Erin said. “They’ve never looked at iPads or phones or anything like that. And we want to keep it that way as long as we possibly can. And our kids just want to be outside.”
A fun fact about their Christmas movie is that it was filmed in the summer, according to HGTV — and it was hot, with temperatures up to 95 degrees.
Ben said his biggest challenge on days like that was not sweating.
“A Christmas Open House” is about an Atlanta property stager, Melissa, meeting up with her old high school sweetheart, David.
The two decide to work together to fix up and sell her mother’s house.
But as the Christmas holiday gets closer, tensions between them grow — and a romantic relationship begins to develop between them.
The movie stars Katie Stevens, Victor Rasuk and Bobbie Eakes.
The Napiers play the roles of home restoration specialists Sarah and Henry Wright.
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