Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut is all for the magic of Christmas movies — but she’s not a fan of illusionists in her personal life.
The actress, 32, stars in OWN’s Mistletoe & Matrimony and her character, Olivia’s love interest, Isaiah (Etienne Maurice), has a few tricks up his sleeves (literally) to try and win her back.
Chestnut exclusively told Us Weekly on Thursday, December 12, that her costar can and “actually did” the magic tricks on set. “That’s what was funny too. Our [director of production] on the set, he was actually a magician as well,” she shared.
She noted that Maurice, however, had a little help honing his skills, which impressed her on set.
“He said he lived next door to — do you know the Magic Castle in L.A.? Apparently growing up, Eti lived next door to the founder of that,” Chestnut said, referring to Los Angeles’ famed Magic Castle where guests can enjoy dinner and a show performed by magicians. “Isn’t that wild?”
She continued: “If I remember correctly, it was the founder or their kid. Either way they lived next door, and he was already close to, like, the magician world. So he kind of already had a leg up in this way.”
While Chestnut was impressed by her costars’ talents, she told Us she’s hesitant about dating a full-fledged magician herself.
“I’m OK with magic tricks. I’m not OK with the illusion mind tricks because that scares me,” she confessed. “I feel like David Blaine and those kind of guys, I feel like they’re aliens. Like, there’s no way these people can actually do this. It’s so cool to me.”
When it comes to Mistletoe & Matrimony, the characters do bond over Isaiah’s sweet magic tricks, but it is not the heart of the story. The OWN holiday movie, which premieres on Saturday, December 14, follows wedding planner Olivia, who is enlisted to plan her sister’s wedding just weeks before Christmas.
While Olivia is a big success in Chicago, she butts heads with sister Rosemary (Asha James) and her future sister-in-law Gwen’s (Krista Nazaire) best friend, Isaiah, who just so happens to be Olivia’s ex-boyfriend.
After years of putting her love life on the backburner — in part due to her split from Isaiah and because her mom fell and needed extra help at home — Olivia must decide what she really wants out of a relationship. Throw in some holiday mishaps, magic and of course, romance, and Olivia’s plate is full.
For Chestnut, being the lead of a Christmas movie was on her “bucket list” but it’s the character’s “goal-oriented” mindset and ability to care “immensely” for her family that really drew her to the role.
Chestnut noted that as Olivia’s journey unfolds and she is reminded of her dream to be a travel destination wedding planner, fans will grow to love her even more. Especially, since it crosses over with Olivia finding her voice and possible love.
The actress teased that there’s “little nuggets” throughout the film that hint to Olivia becoming an empowered woman. Chestnut told Us that Isaiah does his best to be the “confidence boost” that Olivia needs to stand up to her sister and put herself first for once.
“It is a little bit of [him saying] like, ‘Hey, it’s, it’s not your fault [your mom fell]. You have to live your own life,’” Chestnut said. “I think we all kind of need that reminder.”
When it comes to her own family, Chestnut explained that it’s always about “family first” which is similar to her character. “But you also have to have self-care and take care of yourself as well. Because if you’re not 100 percent, how can you really bring that to everyone else in your life that you really care about?”
Although Chestnut hinted that Olivia will find balance in her life, when it comes to a future with her ex-boyfriend, he played coy about the ending.
“I think Olivia goes back and forth. She sees the possibility of like, ‘Ooh, let’s travel the world, you know, do these destination weddings,’ but she’s also scarred by this man that she trusted,” she explained. “It’s like, ‘How can you go back and how do we rebuild that trust that we had in the past?’”
No matter what the outcome, Chestnut said she wants viewers to let the “heartwarming” and “inspirational” movie centered on “love, faith and hope” really sink in this holiday season.
“We’re all connected in many ways. I think that’s why people really like Christmas movies because it’s the time of the year where … people in general are just filled with the spirit of kindness,” she concluded.
Mistletoe & Matrimony premieres on OWN Saturday, December 14, at 9 p.m. ET.
