Hallmark’s highly anticipated Christmas film, “A Grand Ole Opry Christmas,” premieres on Saturday, November 29, starring Kristoffer Polaha and Nikki DeLoach. The movie airs at 8 p.m. Eastern, and encores will air throughout the season if you miss it the first time. Read on to learn all about where the movie was filmed and see behind-the-scenes cast stories. (You might be surprised at one of the fliming locations!)
‘A Grand Ole Opry Christmas’ Was Filmed on Location in Tennessee, with Additional Filming Locations in Missouri
The core of “A Grand Ole Opry Christmas” was filmed in Nashville, Tennesse, at — of course — the Grand Ole Opry House, according to press statements from Hallmark when the movie was announced.
“As the Grand Ole Opry celebrates its 100th birthday this year, this is the perfect time for us to partner with this beloved, iconic American institution and create Christmas magic together,” said Darren Abbott, Chief Brand Officer for Hallmark in a statement. “Nikki and Kris are fan favorites and we know they will beautifully bring to life this emotional and heartfelt story that is sure to become an instant classic.”
Brad Paisley wrote and performed original music for the movie.
Filming had to be scheduled around Grand Old Opry live shows, DeLoach told Southern Living. So cast and crew would often begin their work after the nightly shows had ended, sometimes as late as midnight, and then work through mid-morning.
“We wouldn’t be able to start shooting until after the tours backstage were done after the show was over. And sometimes that would be at 11 and sometimes that would be midnight. And then we would shoot all the way into the next day at 11:00a.m. and then go home, get a few hours of sleep, and go back,” DeLoach said. “So when I tell you that it was the hardest schedule that any of us had ever worked and everybody did it with such an incredible attitude and joy in their hearts. As hard as it was, there was not one single complaint on that set.”
Cast said filming at this location was especially meaningful to them.
DeLoach said in an Instagram post that they had an “embarrassment of country music royalty riches” in the film.
Missouri Locations Doubled for Nashville in Some Parts of the Film
A signficant number of scenes were also filmed in Missouri in August in the Kansas City region, where some locations “doubled” for Nashville, Startland News reported. Specific filming locations included the Crestwood Shops on 55th Street between Brookside Boulevard and Oak Street, Yahoo News reported.
One of the locations repurposed for the film was Brookside Jewelry in Kansas City—it was transformed into a Christmas-decorated storefront, Moviedelic reported.
Meet the Cast
Hallmark’s synopsis reads: “Gentry Wade (Nikki DeLoach), daughter of late country music icon Jett Wade – half of the famed duo Winters & Wade – abandoned her dream of a songwriting career and distanced herself from her father’s legacy following his tragic accident 30 years prior. When the Grand Ole Opry invites her to represent Jett at their centennial celebration at Christmas, she’s hesitant to return to the place steeped in bittersweet memories. Encouraged by her good friends, Gentry visits the Opry and, while seated in one of the vaunted venue’s oak church pews, is suddenly transported to 1995. Gentry’s lifelong friend Mac (Kristoffer Polaha) a country music talent manager, finds himself in 1995 as well. Thanks to some Christmas magic, Gentry gets precious time with her father, creative inspiration to finish the song she began decades earlier as a teen and learns surprising answers to questions about her father that have followed her for the last three decades.”
Nikki DeLoach is Gentry. She’s beloved among Hallmark fans for numerous films like “The Perfect Catch,” “Christmas Land,” “A Dream of Christmas,” “Truly, Madly, Sweetly,” “Love Takes Flight,” “Reunited at Christmas,” “Two Turtle Doves,” “Five More Minutes,” “Curious Caterer” franchise films, “The Gift of Peace,” and more.
Kristoffer Polaha is Mac. He’s a Hallmark fan favorite, with numerous movies including “We Wish You a Married Christmas,” “A Winning Team,” “The Christmas Quest,” “A Biltmore Christmas,” “A Dickens of a Holiday!,” the “Mystery 101” franchise, “Double Holiday,” “Small Town Christmas,” and more.
James Denton is Von. Fans loved him as the lead on “The Good Witch.” He also has a prolific career outside of Hallmark, with credits like “Desperate Housewives,” “Untouchables,” “The Pretender,” “JAG,” “Dark Skies,” and more.
Sharon Lawrence is Rita. She’s a six-time Emmy nominee and SAG Award winner, with credits like “On Becoming a God in Central Florida,” “Joe Pickett,” “The Lost Husband,” “The Shot,” and more.
Also starring, according to IMDb, are:
- Erin Cahill (Guide)
- Luke Benward
- Rob Mayes (Jett Wade)
- Braid Paisley (Self)
- Reegus Flenory (Customer 2)
- Eliza Hayes Maher (Young Rita)
- Megan Moroney
- Shanica Knowles (Reporter)
- LeJon Woods (Customer 1)
- Del Sable (Stagehand)
- Mickey Guyton
- Pam Tillis
- James Shaw III (Opry security guard)
- Tommy Kramer (Backstage VIP)
The movie’s directed by Clare Niederpruem.
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