On Jan. 31, Hallmark‘s final movie in their January “Winter Escape” lineup will air, and it’s gearing up to be the cherry on top of a phenomenal month of films. “Missing the Boat stars Kristoffer Polaha and Emilie Ullerup as strangers on a cruise ship who miss reboarding during a port of call. Together, they traverse Italy in an attempt to reboard at a future stop.
This marks the second film in which Ullerup and Polaha have starred together, following 2016’s “Hearts of Christmas.” For Ullerup, getting the script for “Missing the Boat” was a dream come true.
“I had never read this sort of script from Hallmark before,” she told the “Rom-Com Love Podcast.” “I got it, and I called my agent, and I was like, ‘This feels like a Meg Ryan 90s rom-com. It feels like a Sandra Bullock movie. Like, are we going to do this?”
“I couldn’t believe that I was so lucky to be the one that got to do this script in particular,” she continued. “I just thought it stood out.”
Emilie Ullerup Raves About Polaha’s Unexpectedly Hilarious Performance in New Film
“Missing the Boat” is by far one of the funniest Hallmark rom-coms, thanks to co-stars Polaha and Ullerup. However, much of the humor is familiar, reminding us — and the actors who starred in it — of classic comedies.
“The word on set was, it felt like ‘Planes, Trains, and Automobiles,'” Ullerup said. “And then at the same time, with the location and all of that, I was so reminded of ‘French Kiss.'”
The “Winter Castle” star was excited to see what Polaha would bring to the dynamic when she found out he was cast.
“He said it himself, he hasn’t done this character before. And I’m so happy he did, ’cause he’s so funny, and he does it so well,” she gushed.
Emilie Ullerup and Kristoffer Polaha Definitely Found Their Rhythm
Ullerup noted that “so much of comedy is about the reactions,” so she used that to her advantage.
“I was just ready to sit back and be like, ‘I’m gonna go with what you’re giving me,'” she explained.
“I was just staying really open to the process,” she added. “And to seeing where he was going, and then kind of finding where we would find each other in the middle.”
In an exclusive interview with EntertainmentNow, Polaha called “Missing the Boat “Lucille Ball-level comedy.” He also praised Ullerup’s comedic skills as she gained a better grasp of the movie they were making.
“She was like, ‘I get what we’re doing, I get the story that we’re telling,’ and she was all-in and hilarious!” he said. “We just had fun. She’s such a joy to work with — man, we had the best time.”
