‘Falling for Christmas’ Producer Had to Stop Lindsay Lohan From Doing Dangerous Stunts
Lindsay Lohan came back with the Netflix holiday rom-com Falling for Christmas. She was so gung ho that her director and producer had to hold her back. Director Janeen Damian and producer Michael Damian made Falling, and Lohan’s next Netflix movie Irish Wish. They described her gung ho pratfalls.
The Damians spoke with Showbiz Cheat Sheet on Nov. 23 about both movies. Falling for Christmas is on Netflix now and Irish Wish comes next year.
Lindsay Lohan wanted physical comedy in both ‘Falling for Christmas’ and ‘Irish Wish’
When the Damians met with Lohan, they found her committed to her comeback. The rom-coms with lots of slapstick were Lohan’s forte.
“I think that that’s really her sweet spot,” Janeen said. “Her fans love to see her in that genre and she really took a lot of time to plan what it was that she wanted to come back with. She’d never done a Christmas movie and she loves doing physical comedy so it was kind of a perfect melange of the two, something that’s very heartwarming and very family friendly but also can give those comedic elements and give her a chance to shine.”
After ‘Falling for Christmas,’ Lindsay Lohan went too far on ‘Irish Wish’
In Falling for Christmas, Lohan plays a hotel heiress who finds love when she gets amnesia over the holidays. The Damians said Irish Wish also has some magic in Ireland, and plenty more physical comedy from Lohan.
“We were like, ‘Stop, that’s for the stunt person,’” Michael said. “[Lohan said,] ‘Well, let me just try.’ No, don’t do that.”
‘Falling for Christmas’ stunts were safer
When Sierra (Lohan) stays at a quaint ski lodge, she tries to help out with the housekeeping. But, she has no idea that she’s never done basic chores before.
“First of all, she loves physical comedy so you just give her something, she just wants to expand and go the distance,” Michael said. “The bed thing was really fun. I know Janeen being an amazing former dancer, she still dances but dance superstar, I know you were having some fun dance choreographer in that bed scene working that out with the sheet.”
The bed scene in question shows Lohan struggling to make a bed with fitted sheets. Janeen described the comic dance they choreographed.
We were working out the physicality of it and how we were going to shoot it so that it would be funny and we were calling it different things like The Starfish where she would all four arms and legs go out and so I think that all that was written in for her because we knew that that was something that the audience really loves to see from her and she loves doing as well. She of course takes it and runs with it and has a lot of fun. I know that the place where they actually did a lot of fun improv was when they were trying to get the snowmobile off the truck which I think you see in the blooper reel at the end, that was really funny. We weren’t really planning on them trying to get it off but they decided to do that so it was a fun time.
Janeen Damian, interview with Showbiz Cheat Sheet, 11/23/22
