Jingle Binge
By Brett White@brettwhite
Published Nov. 20, 2018, 2:00 p.m. ET
Photos: Netflix ; Illustration: Dillen Phelps
Where to Stream:
The Holiday Calendar
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Jingle Binge
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As soon as Halloween got outta the way, Netflix jumped straight to Christmas content with the release of seasonal sleeper hit The Holiday Calendar. The Christmas romcom focuses on hopeful photographer Abby and her quest to finally get out of her unfulfilling job snapping family photos. Oh, and she falls into a love triangle totally unexpectedly because that’s just what happens to plucky female leads during the holiday season!
Like A Christmas Prince before it, The Holiday Calendaris stacked with a fun cast of kooky, memorable characters from the hyperactive Fernando to the wise yet cool Gramps. And who could forget those two leading men, Josh and Ty? Odds are you recognize Kat Graham from her stint on The Vampire Diaries, or maybe you know that Ethan Peck is gonna have a big 2019. Maybe you know nothing about anyone in the cast! Whatever the case, here’s your rundown on who’s who in The Holiday Calendar, the film you’re no doubt gonna keep on rotation for the next month.
Kat Graham as Abby Sutton
Every Christmas romcom has to have a leading lady, and Kat Graham fills that role as professional photographer Abby Sutton. By “professional” I mean taking photos of kids with Santa, not the actual kind of globetrotting, award-winning photography Abby really wants to do. Graham is most known for playing Bonnie Bennett on 8 seasons of the CW drama The Vampire Diaries. Her film career includes playing the lead in 2011’s Honey 2 and Jada Pinkett in 2017’s Tupac biopic All Eyez on Me.
Quincy Brown as Josh Barton
When Abby’s longtime BFF Josh returns home from a lengthy trip snapping pics abroad, you just know things are bound to heat up between the two of them. A Christmas romcom’s gotta have romance! Quincy Brown plays Josh, a cool photographer that just wants to see Abby succeed (and maybe go out with him). Brown previously appeared in the feature film Dope, and you can also see him every week on the Fox drama Star.
Ethan Peck as Ty Walker
If you thought things were gonna be easy for Abby and Josh on their road to romance, you obviously haven’t seen any Christmas romcom. Ethan Peck plays philanthropic heartthrob Dr. Ty Walker, a seemingly great guy that might just win Abby’s affections. Peck’s got quite possibly the biggest role of his career coming up in 2019, as he’ll be playing Spock on Star Trek: Discovery. Other than that, Peck’s had recurring roles on That ’70s Show (where he played young Ashton Kutcher), Gossip Girl, and Madam Secretary.
Ron Cephas Jones as Gramps
Abby’s wise grandfather, the man who gifts her that maybe-magic advent calendar that once belonged to her grandmother, is played by character actor Ron Cephas Jones. You’ve seen Jones in plenty of other projects before, like the shows Banshee or Mr. Robot (where he played Romero). He’s also no stranger to Netflix; he played Winston Kipling on The Get Down and frequently popped up on Marvel’s Luke Cage playing chess king Bobby Fish. His most notable role, though, has to be his two seasons on NBC mega hitThis is Us.
Genelle Williams as Sarah
Genelle Williams plays Sarah, Abby’s sister (and the mother of Abby’s biggest fan). Hailing from Canada, Williams has been all over TV sets up north in shows like the werewolf drama Bitten and the doctor drama Remedy. Fans of sci-fi (and Syfy) will most likely recognize her from her lengthy stint playing Leena on Warehouse 13.
Laura de Carteret as Judy, Kevin Hanchard as Rudolph
Abby’s parents, the adorably named Judy and Rudy Sutton, are played by Laura de Carteret and Kevin Hanchard. de Carteret has an impressive resume, having popped up in Mean Girls as Taylor’s mom and guest spots on dramas like Suits, Queer as Folk, and Hemlock Grove. She’s also had regular gigs on Canadian shows like My Babysitter’s a Vampire, Seed, and the webseries Riftworld Chronicles.
Kevin Hanchard biggest role was as Detective Art Bell on the BBC America clone thriller Orphan Black. Since wrapping Orphan Black, Hanchard’s appeared on The Strain, Hemlock Grove, The Expanse, and Wynonna Earp.
Ali Hassan as Mr. Singh
Abby’s no-nonsense boss is played by Ali Hassan, a Canadian stand-up. He recently had a much more serious role on the political thriller Designated Survivor where he played Ambassador Salimi. He played Uncle Ravi on the educational kids series Dino Dana, and also appeared on another Canadian children’s show called Odd Squad. And this is of interest to those of y’all that are into the Hallmark Christmas movies: he’ll soon appear in Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe as Desmond.
Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll as Fernando
Josh’s excitable best friend Fernando loves Christmas, works as an Uber driver, and is obsessed with A Christmas Story. Like Hassan, Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll is another Canadian comedian having appeared in the comedy show Baroness von Sketch Show. He also plays Enrique on Kim’s Convenience, a critically-acclaimed show you can stream on Netflix.
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- Jingle Binge
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