When “A Keller Christmas Vacation” premieres on Hallmark Channel on November 9, 2025, it will mark the realization of a goal set more than two decades ago by longtime friends (and lookalikes!) Jonathan Bennett and Brandon Routh.
Bennett told EntertainmentNow that he and Routh have been mistaken for each other so often over the last 25 years that they always hoped to play brothers onscreen one day. In their new holiday flick, which Bennett developed and executive-produced, they finally realize that dream — playing brothers Dylan and Cal, stuck with their parents and sister Emory aboard a holiday riverboat cruise on the Danube River.
Brandon Routh & Jonathan Bennett Noticed Their Similarities Right Off the Bat
Bennett recently posted a photo of himself and Routh looking eerily similar, taken at Bennett’s birthday dinner in June 2003, the “Finding Mr. Christmas” host told EntertainmentNow.
“Brandon Routh and I have known each other since we were in the soap operas in New York City,” Bennett said, recalling how he briefly appeared on “Days of Our Lives” while Routh appeared on “One Life to Live,” both in 2000.
Bennett said, “That’s when we met, because we were in the same soap opera circuit. And we were like, ‘Whoa, we look alike!’ That’s kind of how we became friends.”
“Then we moved to LA together around the same time,” he continued, “and were kind of each other’s first friends in LA in those early days.”
Jonathan Bennett Says He & Brandon Routh Have Been Frequently Mistaken For Each Other
It wasn’t long before both of their careers took off. In 2004, Bennett landed his breakthrough role as Aaron Samuels in “Mean Girls” and Routh starred in “Superman Returns” in 2006.
“When ‘Mean Girls’ came out, everyone thought Brandon was in ‘Mean Girls,'” Bennett laughed. “And when ‘Superman’ came out, people were coming up to me, going, ‘Are you Superman?’ And we’d always be like, ‘No, that’s my friend.'”
“So ever since that started happening and people started mistaking us for each other, we were like, we have to play brothers in something,” Bennett explained. It took 24 or 25 years to finally find the right script.”
Pairing up for a Hallmark movie was a natural fit for the old friends. Bennett is a fan-favorite at the network and Routh has starred opposite Kimberley Sustad in 2014’s “The Nine Lives of Christmas” and 2021’s “The Nine Kittens of Christmas.”
Jonathan Bennett Says Brandon Routh’s ‘A Keller Family Christmas’ Role Was Written Specifically For Him
HallmarkBennett developed “Keller Christmas Vacation” based on his own family dynamics and experiences. Longtime Hallmark screenwriter Tracy Andreen was tasked with crafting the script and even joined Bennett on a European riverboat cruise two years ago to ensure accuracy.
“For the character of the older brother, I told Tracy Andreen, ‘Write an older jock brother, because it’s gotta be Brandon Routh,” Bennett told EntertainmentNow. “He’s such a movie star. Like, we forget that he was Superman! In the romantic scenes on the boat, when he’s with his love interest, you really see his movie star (quality). He just has this, like, ‘it factor.'”
Bennett also said that they hit the jackpot having their little sister played by Eden Sher, who spent nine seasons on the hit sitcom “The Middle.”
“Her comedy is unmatched,” Bennett gushed. “So it was like this perfect trifecta, the perfect sibling (group). And in the movie, the relationship between the two brothers is important — we’re kind of against the little sister all the time. So the fact that Brandon and I knew each other for so long gave us this connection already. We jumped right in there.”
Hallmark Channel’s “A Keller Christmas Vacation” premieres on November 9 at 8 p.m. Eastern time and will be available to stream via Hallmark+ the following day.
Can’t wait to watch. Been a fan if both for a long time. Was sad when Brandon’s character left DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow. It was one of my favorite shows in the Arrowverse!
Just watched and it was so great and heart warming. Hope to see them together soon . Tell that Superman not to stay away so long LOL. Love them both .