The final months of any given year tend to be the happiest for TV movie enthusiasts, given all the upcoming Hallmark movies that viewers can anticipate showing up in the 2024 Christmas movie schedule, complete with fan-favorite stars like Lacey Chabert, Erin Krakow, Caroline Rhea and more. But according to a recent lawsuit, one Hallmark exec was allegedly vocal about the network’s go-to casting choices getting too old, with the goal of replacing them with younger actors. How might Chabert feel about such claims?
While promoting her new Netflix movie Hot Frosty, whose cinematic universe allows for the existence of her Mean Girls co-star Lindsay Lohan’s enjoyable 2023 release Falling for Christmas, Lacey Chabert didn’t address the lawsuit itself, but rather her feelings about the importance of seeing all generations represented on the small screen. She told Variety:
I think it’s important that we have the opportunity to tell all of our stories through every phase of life. I have so much that I hope to share with my audience.
Older actors being ignored by Hollywood is not a new occurrence, as ageist tactics have plagued the entertaintment industry in various ways for as long as the industry has existed. But cable TV movies, which by and large are viewed the most by older audience demographics, have seemingly always welcomed esteemed and prolific performers who are beyond their spring-chicken years. It's part of what made the claims noted in the lawsuit filing so shocking.
Chabert continued, pointing out why her role as a mother helps inform her desire to continue creating these kinds of feel-good movies regardless of her own age.
Now I’m a mother, and it’s the experience of raising a daughter. It’s so important to me to portray characters that she, as a younger generation, can also look up to and learn from. And with everything I do, I try to put as much of my authentic heart into it as I can.
Granted, Hallmark rom-coms aren't usually seen as the pinnacle of TV cinema, but I still can't imagine anyone working at the network would think the Haul Out the Holly movies would be so much better if led by a 26-year-old actress. I can certainly understand the basic idea of wanting to get an early start on finding a new generation of stars for upcoming projects, but not at the expense of losing those that already bring in viewers.
What Hallmark's Executive VP Of Programming Allegedy Said
In the lawsuit filed on October 9, 2024, casting director Penny Perry makes the claims that Hallmark's executive VP of programming Lisa Hamilton Daly told her staff that she did not want to hire "old people" as cast members. She's accused of name-checking both Lacey Chabert (42) and Holly Robinson Peete (60) when making those comments, with the suit claiming she made both of these statements:
- "Lacey’s getting older and we have to find someone like her to replace her as she gets older."
- "No one wants [Holly Robinson Peete] because she’s too expensive and getting too old. She can’t play leading roles anymore."
Perry, who is 79 years old, said was fired by Hallmark in April after nine years with the network, and less than three years after Lisa Hamilton Daly took over as VP of programming. Ahead of her firing, Perry alleges Daly called her "long in the tooth," and said the network needed a younger casting director who had more connections to younger actresses.
It's unclear at this point what will happen with the lawsuit, but fans can already be certain that Lacey Chabert will make her Hallmark return on Sunday, December 1, with The Christmas Quest.
For those who need more holiday fare beyond Hot Frosty and the lineup of upcoming projects, there’s always the super-popular Meet Me Next Christmas, which has been a global hit since its release, and is available to stream with a Netflix subscription.
