Emilie Ullerup felt like she got the chance of a lifetime to film her newest Hallmark movie in her native Denmark, surrounded by family, friends, and the magic of Christmastime in Copenhagen.
While the longtime Hallmark star is excited for fans to tune in for the premiere of “A Danish Christmas” on November 1, 2026, she told EntertainmentNow, “You know what I’m most nervous about? I gotta say — the Danes. They are going to be watching this with a critical eye, and that makes me a little bit nervous! I don’t want to be ousted from my own country, you know!?”
Ullerup’s co-star, Corey Sevier, laughed, “I don’t think you will be! I think you did them proud.”
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There is basically zero chance the Danes will disparage a sweet romance that’s all about their cherished customs and highlights the magic of Copenhagen at Christmastime, but it’s understandable that Ullerup, who also executive produced the movie, is anxious about the reaction.
“We’re small,” Ullerup said of the Scandinavian country in northern Europe. “We’re like five and a half million people. And, you know, people just think we’re a pastry! So, I think the fact that we got to have a full 90 minutes of ‘Hey, we’re more than just a pastry’ was exciting for everybody.”
Ullerup said that one of her goals was to try to convey the concept of hygge, a Danish and Norwegian word that represents a sense of coziness, comfort, and togetherness, which the Danes take very seriously.
“It’s the hardest thing to capture because it’s something that’s just all around,” Ullerup explained. “It’s basically the absence of anything annoying and (feels) just like comfy wool socks, something warm to drink, candles fully lit in a warm glow. The Danes actually bring it into everything they do all year round, but especially during these cold, dark months that we have.”
“I mean, the sun goes down at 3:30, so they found a way to enjoy the inside in a way that I think is necessary for your sanity,” Ullerup continued. “So that was my number one thing, was figuring out how we do that on-screen. We had a DP (director of photography) who was fantastic. I just said I want everything to feel like it’s always lit in candlelight, or everything is on a dimmer. There’s nothing that feels bright or intrusive; it just has to have this calming, warm feel, and I think that we achieved that.”
‘A Danish Christmas’ Was Filmed in December 2025
Ullerup, who starred in the hit Hallmark series “Chesapeake Shores” and has led many rom-coms since, said she felt very lucky to get to film “A Danish Christmas” in December, shortly after Hallmark greenlit the movie last year.
“Anywhere you go outside, you can point the camera and it looks magical because all the twinkle lights are up and it’s festive and cheerful and beautiful,” she said, noting that they made sure to capture the “old buildings and cobblestone streets.”
But Ullerup said it was also important to her to show that while the Danes might do things “differently” than American viewers are used to, “really at the bottom of it all is that we’re all the same. It doesn’t matter where in the world you are, we just want to feel safe and loved and connected at Christmastime.”
Hallmark Channel’s “A Danish Christmas” premieres on November 1 at 8 p.m. Eastern time and will be available to stream via Hallmark+.
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