December 26th 2024.
Danny Pellegrino, the host of the Everything Iconic podcast, recently shared some exciting details about his involvement in Hallmark's newest Christmas movie, Deck the Walls. This film, which premiered last month as part of the annual Countdown to Christmas celebration, features a rare LGBTQ+ love story and a sprinkle of sass, adding a refreshing twist to the network's usual holiday tropes.
In Deck the Walls, Ashley Greene stars as Rose, a Chicago-based designer who returns to her hometown to help her brother, Sal, with a charity house-flipping project. While back in Ohio, she teams up with her former rival Brysen to complete the project before their Christmas deadline, while Sal is forced to work with his high school nemesis Jake to ensure the renovation is a success.
Danny pointed out that in recent years, Hallmark has included multiple movies with queer romance themes and central plots. Deck the Walls continues this trend with a will-they-won't-they romance between Sal and Jake as they work to overcome their initial animosity for the sake of the charity project. And while the film follows some of Hallmark's well-known tropes, Danny assured that there are also some "little twists" that he is "really proud of."
One of these twists is the LGBTQ romance between Sal and Wes Brown's character. Danny shared that he is proud of the dynamic between the two male leads, as it is rare to see a straight and gay character portrayed as best friends in a project. He also expressed his pride in his character, who is not the usual gay stereotype of an assistant, but rather a successful business owner.
Danny's personal connection to the Hallmark channel goes way back, as he used to watch it with his grandmother and mother. He also revealed that his household is a big fan of their annual Countdown to Christmas. And while the network has made great strides in including LGBTQ+ representation in their films, Danny has been advocating for this for years, even dedicating a spin-off of his podcast to discussing holiday movies and their lack of diversity.
When asked about his hopes for the future of LGBTQ+ representation in Hallmark's holiday movies, Danny joked about wanting a sequel to Deck the Walls and exploring Sal's relationship with Claybourne's character. But on a serious note, he expressed his pride in being a part of a film that the whole family can watch and hopes that it will help expand people's minds and embrace LGBTQ+ characters.
Danny also shared his appreciation for Hallmark's open-mindedness and willingness to include LGBTQ+ characters in their movies, especially when other networks are producing so much holiday content without this representation. He believes that if there are going to be hundreds of original Christmas TV movies, there should at least be a few with LGBTQ+ themes.
In conclusion, Danny encourages everyone to tune in to Deck the Walls, which is currently airing on Hallmark, and to keep an eye out for more diverse and inclusive holiday movies in the future. With his new film, Danny has not only added to the magic of Hallmark's Countdown to Christmas but has also helped pave the way for more LGBTQ+ representation in the world of holiday movies.
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