Party of Five’s Lacey Chabert and Scott Wolf Open Up About Their ‘Dream Come True’ Hallmark Christmas Movie

Lacey Chabert and Scott Wolf want to make one thing clear: They will never play romantic leads opposite each other. As always.

Twenty-three years after completing their six years as siblings Party of fivethe two actors meet again on screen this Saturday on the Hallmark Channel Merry Scottish Christmas, and they play brother and sister again. This time they are estranged and are going to Scotland to celebrate the holidays with their mother.

However, when news of the film broke, many fans online were quick to jump to a romantic conclusion. “We were all very quick on social media to say, ‘We’re just brother and sister. Calm down, everybody,'” Chabert, 41, tells PEOPLE.

“But people were posting puke emojis,” says Wolf, 55. “I mean, never. There was nowhere near the possibility of us playing love interests. Nobody’s less interested in that than the two of us.”

Chabert adds, “Nobody wants to see Bailey and Claudia fall in love.”

Scott Wolf and Lacey Chabert on ‘Party of Five’.

Columbia Pictures/Everett

Lacey Chabert on first-time experiences — including kisses — via Claudia Salinger on ‘Party of Five’

The kinship between the two actors is palpable, both on and off screen. “We’re brother and sister for life,” says Wolf.

Below, the actors share how Merry Scottish Christmas gathered (it took years!) and the details of their poignant “full circle” experience.

PEOPLE: It’s such a treat to see you two together again. Tell me a little bit about how this project came about and how you got back together.

SCOTT WOLF: I think the very idea of ​​having any chance to work together on anything is something that would be a dream for both of us. A few years ago I made a holiday movie for Hallmark. Because of that – because Lacey is obviously the queen of Hallmark and she’s done so much – when I did one, it was like, “Oh, wait a minute. They have to do one together.” And I think we both read all that and listened to all that.

LACEY CHABERT: I think I texted you and I said, “Hey, do you want to do a Hallmark movie together?” And you said, “Yeah, let’s make it happen.”

WOLF: This goes back several years. But we definitely wanted to make sure we had a really great script and story to jump into. And so with development, and then with COVID, it actually took all this time to finally do it. It’s hard to put into words how much it meant to get the chance to just spend time with Lacey after all these years. When we met, she was 11 years old, and when we worked together, we would see what an incredible professional she is and how much control and leadership she has on set. And she really guided the way towards this in a way that was really inspiring and fun and just made me really proud.

CHABERT: I love you so much.

WOLF: I love you too.

Scott Wolf and Lacey Chabert November 15, 2023

Olivia Wong/Getty

What does it mean to you to hear him say such things? Does the eleven year old in you still hear that?

CHABERT: Yes. I feel like who I am now as an adult, I look back and realize that so many good things are the result of the positive influence of Scott and the rest of our wonderful cast. And I am very grateful for that experience and that we were able to spend those six years together and be a family forever. Being on set that first day for this movie was really a dream come true. It was really surreal for me. I feel that I will always be your little sister and that you are always protective of me. He always took care of me. And it’s a very pleasant zone for me to be with you. I’m so thrilled that we got to tell this particular story of a brother and sister and how they found each other again, as they learned this new information about their family, which set them on a new path in life. Every day watching this film warms my heart, and sitting here with him.

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The brother-sister dynamic at the center of this film is so relatable. Lacey, was this a nice departure from the typical Hallmark romance for you?

CHABERT: I’m really excited about the way Hallmark is growing and the kinds of stories we can tell. And while I think everyone loves a good romance story – and I do – it doesn’t always have to be the main story. I love that this is brother-sister. I think it’s very relatable that these are two people who really love each other, but because of life circumstances they’ve lost touch with each other and they don’t really see eye to eye at the point in the story where we start with them. And I love that they find each other and see each other in a different light by the end of our story.

WOLF: We knew from the beginning that if the central part of the story was a brother and sister, it would be different from a lot of movies that people are used to seeing. We also knew there had to be romantic elements, and there are. But the fact that it stands out and the fact that we have the history that we have together made it really special. The feeling was unique and emotional. And like Lacey said, I think Hallmark is really expanding the scope of the stories they want to tell. We also like the idea that people, especially fans of the old series, will want to see us together and see all that warmth and connection. And those characters were not there. They were really in trouble with each other when this story starts and they have to earn their way back to each other. And so, in a way, there is a central love story, but it’s a brotherly one.

CHABERT: There are also a few Easter eggs for die-hard fans of our series. A few things that if you look closely enough. And maybe some dialogue.

WOLF: You have to be pretty careful here and there. But there are definitely little winks to the show where we met.

Lacey Chabert and Scott Wolf in Hallmark Channel’s ‘A Merry Scottish Christmas’.

the hallmark channel

How was it for you two off the set? Did you spend time together? Did your families join you? [Chabert has a daughter, Julia, 7, with husband David Nehdar; Wolf and his wife Kelley have Jackson, 14, Miller, 11, and Lucy, 9.]

WOLF: Both our families were there.

CHABERT: One of my favorite moments was when we got to the castle where we were filming in Scotland. It was a long day and we were in a big hurry to start shooting before the sun went down. And we were shooting a scene where we start inside the castle and then go outside. And while we were filming, I realized that all our children were playing in the yard. And it almost knocked me out of the scene because it was such a flash for me being a kid and just meeting Scott. And because our daughters look so much like both of us, because we looked so much alike in real life, I just had a complete flash of being 11 again with Scott, and the full-circle moment of that was really touching for me.

WOLF: Yeah, that was pretty amazing. We were filming for a while before our families came, so we already had ours [mimes mind-blowing]. But seeing our kids playing together on set outside a castle in Scotland was beautiful… You can’t even put into words the giant loving, full circle moment it was.

CHABERT: We both stopped and realized. We said, “Let’s not forget this moment. This is a real blessing.”

Kelley and Scott Wolf talk candidly about their 18-year marriage and their own party of five

Matthew Fox, Lacey Chabert, Scott Wolf and Neve Campbell at ‘Party of Five’. Columbia TV/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock

Were there any moments where any of you said, “Oh my God, you were doing stuff like that 25 years ago?”

WOLF: No, I mean, it’s such a different time and we’ve come so far. But the wonderful thing is that being together in the same room literally feels like time has passed, rather than time has passed.

CHABERT: A lot of time.

WOLF: Just seeing Lacey in this world leading and inspiring the whole crew and cast: She’s always been the kindest, sweetest person I’ve ever met. And so that carries over to how she is on set. If you’re going to do a Hallmark movie for Christmas, do it with this person.

CHABERT: Scott is simply the best. When people ask me about you, I say, “He’s kind or more kind than you’d hope he would be. He has a heart of gold and cares about everyone around him, and it’s always fun.” And we laughed so much and it was just the best three weeks of reminiscing and then new memories.

Merry Scottish Christmas premieres Saturday, November 19 at 8:00 PM ET on the Hallmark Channel.

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Source: HIS Education