Why Lacey Chabert Was Nervous To Work With Will Kemp On Hallmark's Christmas Waltz

Will Kemp may star as the dashing dance instructor Roman Davidoff in Hallmark's "Christmas Waltz," but the role wasn't just another part to play for him. Kemp is classically trained in dance courtesy of his time at the elite Royal Ballet School in England. Before transitioning into acting, he was a bona fide male ballet star with a professional dance troupe. Imagine, then, Lacey Chabert's nerves upon learning that she was going to film a dance-inspired Hallmark flick with a seasoned professional!

Chabert spoke to News Channel 5 Nashville about her initial trepidation. "I was very fearful of the dancing when we did 'Christmas Waltz,'" she confessed. "I was like, 'I don't know if I can do this but I love this story and I want to tell it so much!'" The "Mean Girls" actor decided to persist anyway and was able to look both beautiful and graceful for the 2020 romantic holiday film. Kemp had nothing but compliments for his partner's skills. "There were days when she dragged me around the dance floor because I lost my count," he said.

Chabert concluded that the experience was a positive one. "It was so much fun to be a part of because I had to learn to really dance to do it," she told Good Morning America, adding that she and Kemp took lessons together.

Because, as it turns out, Chabert wasn't the only one who had to learn to dance for the movie.

Will Kemp started dancing at the age of nine before starting formal training at the London-based school. Despite all his years of education, though, the waltz wasn't one of the types of dance he mastered. When the "Barbarians" actor spoke to Sarah Scoop about the lead-up to filming "Christmas Waltz," he noted there were "ten days of intensive rehearsals, and then we went straight into filming ... there were lots of aches and pains." He also revealed that his co-star, Lacey Chabert, suffered a toe injury just before production, resulting in her performing all the choreography on a broken toe.

Undoubtedly, Kemp's training likely made picking up the moves a bit easier for him. He agreed in the interview that he brought some prior knowledge to the table, but there were still many aspects of ballroom dancing that were new to him. However, Chabert didn't show up as a total novice either.

While Kemp was on pandemic lockdown in London, Chabert was able to get in some extra practice. "I trained for about three weeks at home," she told TV Insider. Nevertheless, there was still a learning curve. Early on in rehearsal, Chabert shared a photo of herself with the hashtag "bruised ribs," an injury she confessed lasted for around a month. The movie was truly a labor of love for Kemp and Chabert.

Even a few bumps and bruises couldn't keep Lacey Chabert, the "Queen of Hallmark Christmas Movies," from putting on her dancing shoes once again. She and Will Kemp teamed up in 2023 for Hallmark Movies and Mysteries "The Dancing Detective: A Deadly Tango." The dancing duo pulled off yet another style with poise, all while demonstrating their acting chops as murder-solving sleuths.

But there's one occasion for which Chabert won't take the dance floor: "Dancing with the Stars." Speaking on the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries YouTube channel, Kemp proposed that she should try for the long-running competition show, to which Chabert replied, "No, definitely not. I love watching, but [am] too scared." Fans on Chabert's Instagram aren't having it, though. When she shared a promotional photo for the Hallmark film, one commented, "Why haven't you been on Dancing with the Stars???!!!! You are so talented, beautiful and unproblematic," with other fans echoing those sentiments.

As the saying goes, "Never say never," but for now, fans of Chabert's dance moves will just have to catch her on the Hallmark Channel cutting the rug with Kemp. With over 30 Hallmark movies under her belt and a clear passion for dance, it's likely we'll see her take the floor again soon.