Olivia Holt & Connor Swindells Talk Netflix’s Fun Christmas Movie Jingle Bell Heist | Interview
ComingSoon spoke with Jingle Bell Heist stars Olivia Holt and Connor Swindells about Netflix’s unique Christmas movie. The duo discussed their characters, what attracted them to the film, and more. It is now streaming on Netflix.
“Sophia (Olivia Holt), a sharp-witted retail worker, and Nick (Connor Swindells), a down-on-his-luck repairman, are small-time thieves with their eyes on the same Christmas Eve score: robbing London’s most notorious department store. Forced into an uneasy alliance, as secrets surface and feelings for each other deepen, Sophia and Nick put their relationship and the heist in jeopardy,” reads the official synopsis.
Tyler Treese: Olivia, a Christmas heist movie — you sold me in just those three words — but this is also very smartly written. It’s a lot of fun, and there’s a surprising amount of heart to this film as well. What really appealed to you beyond that basic concept and made you want to be a part of Jingle Bell Heist?
Olivia Holt: I really loved this script because of just how unique it felt. I really hadn’t read anything like it. And working with Michael was also a huge part of why I wanted to make it. He’s so talented and brilliant in so many amazing ways.
And then also when Connor decided he wanted to be a part of it, I also got really excited about making it so altogether. I was just a really excited person to make this movie. I love Christmas movies, and then throw in this genre of action and heist. All of it just sounded like a thrill. And yeah, I love these characters. I think they’re very human at the heart of it, and I love that.
Connor, the romance that happens doesn’t really get off to a hot start ’cause it starts with a bit of a blackmailing. But what did you like most about this connection really taking some time to develop? It felt more realistic because of that.
Connor Swindells: Yeah, I think you’re right. We had a great rehearsal period beforehand to kind of map it all out. I mean, it was short, maybe like a week and a half, but really useful.
And I think ultimately it’s just about the chemistry that we had together. We had a lot of fun. I think that reflects, you can see that we’re having fun in the movie, and it’s one of the main reasons why I love it so much.
Holt: Yeah, me too.
Olivia, I wanted to ask you about working with Natasha Joseph, who plays your character’s mom, because that’s really like the heart of Sophia’s journey. How was it working with her? Because even though she’s in a hospital bed for most of her performance, it’s still a very memorable performance.
Olivia Holt: It sure does. She is such a wonderful human and a really spectacular actress, and gave me a lot of realness to feed off of her energy and her essence already just has so much heart, and doing those scenes with her were particularly hard for personal reasons, and she just… I don’t know, she just added a whole other layer of love and good energy even through the heaviness of it all. I appreciate her for that as a scene partner.
But ultimately, I feel like because of their dynamic and because of the situation, it added a layer of wanting to root for Sophia in all of the ways. Watching this movie, you could so easily be like, “I don’t understand why I would root for either of these people,” but you understand why. And I think those little detailed moments are exactly why you do.
Connor, you also have some fantastic scenes with Lucy Punch. The whole sequence where you’re trying to seduce her is just so funny. How is it filming that sequence? Because you have to lean into the awkwardness, and you can’t be as suave as I’m sure you would normally be.
Connor Swindells: Yeah, it was fun. I think that was actually the first few scenes I shot with Lucy were when our characters initially met. Which was great. She was super fun, you know, she’s super funny, super quick, super clever, super smart. She had a great time with that character and really made the most of what little time she had on set. She’s great.
Thanks to Olivia Holt and Connor Swindells for taking the time to talk about Jingle Bell Heist.
Source: Comingsoon.net