Hallmark's Will Kemp Gave Lacey Chabert Nothing But Praise For Her Dancing Skills

Actors Lacey Chabert and Will Kemp starred in "The Dancing Detective: A Deadly Tango" on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. While on the press tour for the film, Chabert often remarked that she is not a dancer. However, after working on two dance-centric Hallmark films with Chabert, Kemp disagreed and did not want to hear it.

Kemp was perfectly prepared to play a dancing detective due to his background in ballet. But he did not have ballroom dancing experience, so both Kemp and Chabert had to learn how to waltz for their first movie together, "The Christmas Waltz." The co-stars learned how to tango and foxtrot for "The Dancing Detective," and Kemp praised Chabert's dance abilities in an interview.

"Lacey is phenomenal!" Kemp told Nashville's News Channel 5. "She will tell you, 'Dance was never really my thing,' but this lady can dance. And there were days she dragged me around the dance floor ... This lady can now dance!" Chabert thanked Kemp for always being a nice, patient dance partner and explained how initially scared she was to do "The Christmas Waltz." She added how with dance, "When you give it your all, sometimes that really is enough."

The Hallmark flick "The Dancing Detective: A Deadly Tango" has Lacey Chabert playing Detective Constance Bailey and Will Kemp playing Sebastian Moore. When the CEO of a ballroom dancing company is killed, Detective Bailey must go undercover at the company's annual ballroom dancing competition to find the killer. Detective Bailey is in dire need of dance lessons, and former actor and current dance instructor Sebastian is assigned to help. In addition to teaching her how to ballroom dance, Sebastian also goes undercover with Detective Bailey as her competition dance partner and fake husband.

The movie takes place in Malta and was shot on location. As of July 2023, the film has a 100% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Audience reviewers on the platform praised the chemistry between Chabert and Kemp, and a reviewer on TV Fanatic expressed hope for a follow-up film, perhaps turning "The Dancing Detective" into a series like the "Aurora Teagarden Mysteries" or "Mystery 101."

In an interview with Pop Culturalist about "The Dancing Detective: A Deadly Tango," Lacey Chabert shared what she likes about the film and discussed her dancing ability. She talked about overcoming the fear of dancing for her role in "The Christmas Waltz" and said, " While I'm certainly not the best dancer in the whole world, I definitely gave it my all. Will and I had the best time learning to tango and foxtrot." Chabert also said that she liked the film's comedic elements and the adventure at the story's core.

Will Kemp sang Chabert's praises and hinted at something exciting in an interview with Digital Journal. "Reuniting with Lacey Chabert was wonderful," he said. "I always have a great time with Lacey, and we got straight back into it. ... We did all of these dances, and there is a really lovely surprise that I think the audience will appreciate without spoiling it."

To see the lovely surprise, you can catch "The Dancing Detective: A Deadly Tango" on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel.