[Warning: General spoilers ahead.]
Hallmark Channel goes country this Saturday night with the premiere of A Grand Ole Opry Christmas, which is both a love letter to and from star Nikki DeLoach and her late father, who she lost four years ago just after filming Taking the Reins with director Clare Niederpruem. She spoke to me about that experience here.
In the new film, which reunites her with Niederpruem and pairs her onscreen with longtime close friend Kristoffer Polaha, DeLoach plays Gentry Wade, a Nashville woman who long ago surrendered her dream of being a singer-songwriter and gets the opportunity to revisit that decision when a little country pixie dust sends her and her bestie Mac (Polaha) back 30 years to the farewell performance of her late father, Jett (Rob Mayes), who was part of a successful duo before setting down his guitar to spend more time with his family. Tracy Andreen and Hilty Bowen wrote the film, and Jamie Denton and Sharon Lawrence also star, as do a who’s who of past and present country royalty.
The symmetry is not lost on DeLoach, and the avalanche of blessings had her in tears before, during, and after the production, which was the gift that kept on giving. “It’s all part of the miracle that was this movie in my life, and it wasn’t just a God wink, it was like a God earthquake, the best, and one of the most profound experiences of my life, because when I tell you that my dad from above showed up and showed off, and God brought every single miracle you could ever imagine, and it all came together in this one project that I am so profoundly honored to be a part of,” she shares.
“I have cried so many happy tears doing this movie. When I found out it was Clare, I actually sent her a message and said, ‘It’s not lost on me. That part of the God of all of this is the fact that it is a full ‘C’ circle moment. Not just with Clare, but also with Eliza Maher, who plays young Rita in the movie. We did Taking the Reins together, and they were such anchors for me. And I will never forget how they showed up just as human beings and in their work. And for all of us on that set.”
“And here we are four years later on this movie, where it is about a woman who had this dream of being a singer songwriter. The luck didn’t go her way, but through the magic of the Opry and the magic of Christmas, she is launched back into the past when her dad was alive to reconnect with him.”
DeLoach spent her formative years as a member of iconic Mickey Mouse Club, and the movie came close to her own diverted path of a road not taken. “My dream was to be a singer and a performer. And my dad was such a huge part of that dream for me, and he would drive me to and from my vocal lessons, two hours, hours each way,” she says.
“Music was our love language, and we dreamed of going to the Opry. He always talked about, if you work hard enough, you could be on that stage. And it was a place that we wanted to get to together before he passed away. I’d been in Nashville so many times, but refused to go because I was like, ‘I’m not going without my dad.'”
“I walked away from the music business in my early twenties because it was such a profound creative wound. And it was such a heartbreak watching the adults behave the way that they did. Having that dream stripped from me, I didn’t stop loving it. So here I was playing this character.”
“I knew exactly that heartbreak and also lost my father. And then she’s going back in time to be reconnected. What I wouldn’t give, and in a way I’m being reconnected with my dad, right through the Opry, through this character by singing again for the first time in years. What that did to awaken my soul and connect me back to my dad. It was like he was saying, ‘Thank you. I told you not to give up.’ I could just feel that inside of her.”
Working with Polaha in their first Hallmark project together was also deeply impactful for DeLoach. “To do it with one of my best friends, Kris Polaha…we play characters who grew up and were best friends since childhood. Kris has been one of my best friends since I met him in 2004. And we have been through all the valleys together,” she explains.
“We didn’t even have to act. That was just there because of our deep love and respect for each other as artists and as human beings. And I love his family and he loves my family. And so there were so many things that came together in this one project, this one movie. And I will forever be grateful for this experience.”
One other magical wink of the Opry involved DeLoach getting to meet James Taylor earlier this month at his first show on that hallowed stage. “This is the goodness of the people at the Opry. I advise everybody, if you’re in Nashville, go to a show. Go do the backstage tour. I don’t even care if you’re interested in country music. You will still be blown away by the magic and sacredness of that building,” she says.
“And everybody who works in it, they had heard the story that I told about the Opry and James Taylor and one of the managers went up to Shaina Julian, who’s the head of our events, and [Chief Communications Officer] Annie [Howell]. They’re two of the best human beings who also happen to be exquisite at their jobs. And he said, ‘Okay, so we’re doing James Taylor’s debut, and we would love to surprise Nikki with having her come and be a part of it.’ So the tears just continued.”
“[When I found out], I just sobbed. I could not believe, never in my wildest dream did I ever think I would ever get to meet him. And he was the soundtrack of my relationship with my father from the time I was a child. From ‘You’ve Got a Friend’ to the daddy daughter dance at our wedding. We played James Taylor at his funeral. And his voice and his unique ability to tell a story through song and make it feel like it’s your story.”
“And they always say, ‘Never meet your heroes.’ But my gosh, they were wrong with this one. That man stood there with such humility and love and kindness as I poured my soul out to him. And I cried. And all of my friends, including Erin Cahill and her husband Paul, were there and we all got to meet him. And he spent so much time with us after his performance when he probably wanted to go home.”
Last week, DeLoach was announced as part of the new class of the Make Her Mark women’s director program at Hallmark Media. “[I’ve been] keeping this in my little back pocket, waiting for us to be able to announce. Years ago, my work wife Ashley [Williams], was putting Make Her Mark together [while] she was struggling and fighting to be a director herself and in the midst of her own battle to be a director. And I can’t even tell you the hours that she put in and how many shadows she did. And I just have to give so much kudos to her,” she points out.
“In the midst of all of that, she was thinking about the women behind her. And giving them an opportunity and making some kind of program, because she thought, ‘God, it has to be a little bit easier, at least than what I’ve gone through.’ And it’s so much of a reason why I love her so much. So she created Make Her Mark. [Hallmark SVP of original programming] Randy Pope and Annie Howell were such a big part of getting this program launched, so I also want to give a huge shout out to them. We can’t do anything alone and what an honor.”
DeLaoch, who has already branched into writing and producing with Hallmark, says Make Her Mark is arriving at the exact right time for her. Had Awkward been picked up for a sixth season a decade ago, she had been contracted to direct an episode. Now, years later, she’s getting that shot.
“[It’s more proof of] just having the faith that everything has its perfect timing because I am far more prepared today to step behind that camera when that day comes, with such deep humility for the job and for the role, because it is the hardest on set. I’m gonna be so much better at it because of all these other things that I did before,” she explains.
“The understanding of story as a writer, the understanding of budgets and what you’re up against making a movie, how many locations you can have, how many actors you can have, the ways that we have to do these hacks when we don’t have the money that we need to do the big shots, but make it feel like a big shot. All these years of experience, it just worked out the way it was supposed to work out.”
DeLoach has already shadowed Paul Ziller, who directed the last two Curious Caterer installments, and Lisa Soper, who directed the next two True Justice films coming next year. “They’re both so vastly different. I learned so much. I think that we should shadow as much as possible because there are so many brilliant directors and they all do things differently. And you learn what might work for you and what might not work for you, and you pick up on all those things,” she shares.
“I’m so honored to be a part of this group of women. They are extraordinary. We have a Make Her Mark text chain, and we talk to each other constantly, cheering each other on and lifting each other up, [helping if someone] had a question or a hard day. Crystal Lowe has been such a big part of cheering on every woman who has come up behind her. We have the opportunity because she killed it.”
“She is such a force, and now going through cancer treatment, directing from the [chemo] chair. She is such a source of inspiration for every woman out there. Not just women who want to aspire to be directors, but women who are going through the hardest of the hard and still showing up in their lives. And I get inspiration for her from her every single day. I can’t say enough about the program and Ashley and Randy and Annie and Crystal and just everybody who has made this possible.”
For fans waiting for the next Curious Caterer, she and co-star Andrew Walker are doing everything they can behind the scenes to get two more going. “I talked to [Chief Brand Officer] Darren Abbott the other day. I said, ‘Where are the next two Curious Caterers? We need to do two more,” she says.
“We have a script, we have an outline for the second one. The script can be written within a month. Our fans are begging for it. Andrew and I, a month ago, had a meeting with [Michelle Vicary], the head of programming about it. I just think it’s a no-brainer. And I’m hoping that we can get two on air, or we can do this in 2026.”
With the Christmas shopping season already underway, DeLoach is hoping people will shop local and small, and she’s teamed up with Raine Jewelry on a pair of bracelets that pay it forward to Children’s Hospital LA, which she credits with saving her son, Benny. “I’m always trying to think of things that I can do for the hospital, because the one thing people don’t understand, it’s not just for people that live in California, in Los Angeles. Children’s Hospital services all 50 states and 90 countries,” she explains.
“It’s the top specialty hospital in the world. And so we get kids from all over the country, especially kids that have rare cancers. They looked up online and found that the only doctor that knows how to fight that cancer is at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. So especially in these times right now that we are in, in our country with Medicaid being slashed, children’s hospitals all over this country are fighting to keep their doors open.”
“One of the things that I’m doing, besides being the co-chair of our largest fundraising initiative to keep the doors to our hospital open, is the Benny Bracelet. It’s a collaboration with the women at Raine Jewelry who have a heart for Children’s Hospital and a heart for giving back.”
“The proceeds go towards the hospital and it’s a beautiful bracelet. It’s a great price point, a great gift for your daughter, your niece, your sister, your mom, your wife. And I’m just encouraging people to shop with purpose this holiday season. There are so many local businesses.”
“Let’s support the economy of local businesses so that we are supporting our community and especially those local businesses that are giving back philanthropically to their community. So that is the idea behind it. There are many more collaborations that I’m building out in the years that follow with the idea of essentially building an entire website that you can go and shop at. And all the products are small business, female-led and have a heart for giving back. It’s like Goop for philanthropy.”
DeLoach is still on the promo circuit. Earlier this month, she co-hosted the Hallmark Christmas Cruise, which will be another documentary next year, and this morning, you may have seen her riding aboard the Hallmark Channel float at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. Next weekend, she’ll be in Kansas City at the Hallmark Christmas Experience and the following weekend at Christmas Con in New Jersey.
A Grand Old Opry Christmas premieres Saturday, November 29th, at 8 pm/7c on Hallmark Channel. The premiere will also be streaming on various outlets in the US and airing on W Network in Canada. It will be streaming the next day on Hallmark+ in the US and StackTV in Canada
Photos courtesy of Katherine E. Bomboy and Matt Hoover for Hallmark Media; videos courtesy of Hallmark Media.
