As an artist, Kristoffer Polaha relishes any chance to push the envelope and expand people’s horizons, whether he’s time-traveling in a grandiose Hallmark movie like “A Biltmore Christmas” or making his directorial debut with a quirky, spooky romance (watch for “Mimics” hitting theaters on February 13, 2026).
It’s no wonder Polaha is so pumped for his newest rom-com, “Missing the Boat,” co-starring “Chesapeake Shores” alum Emilie Ullerup. Ahead of the movie’s premiere on January 31, Polaha told EntertainmentNow the film is out-of-the-box funny for Hallmark — and that’s exactly what he loves about it.
Kristoffer Polaha Got to Reunite With Emilie Ullerup & Director Maclain Nelson for ‘Missing the Boat’
Hallmark“Missing the Boat” reunites Polaha and Ullerup, who first co-starred in the 2016 Hallmark movie “Hearts of Christmas.” Ten years (and many movies) later, they’re back together to play strangers Parker and Kelly, who meet on an Italian cruise. “But after missing the boat during a stop, they’re forced to team up and race across southern Italy to catch up,” per Hallmark’s synopsis.
Polaha also got to reunite with beloved Hallmark director Maclain Nelson, whom he worked with on 2018’s “Small Town Christmas” and who’s behind recent Hallmark favorites like the “Haul Out the Holly” trilogy, “A Keller Christmas Vacation,” and “Home Turf.”
Working together as a trio, Polaha told EntertainmentNow they had “the best time” filming overseas — including in Greece, Bulgaria, and Italy — and really leaning into the comedy of the script, which Nelson co-wrote with sister screenwriters Judith and Sandra Berg.
“I know Maclain, I love Maclain,” Polaha gushed. “I think he’s really, really smart and hyper-talented and his films continually rank as, like, some of the top films every year.”
Polaha continued, “He’s always kind of pushing, like, ‘How far can we go? Like, what are the parameters of our storytelling on this network?’ And he pushes them on this one, for sure. Like, it’s broad, funny, big, big stuff.”
Emilie Ullerup Blew Kristoffer Polaha Away With Her Comedy Chops
HallmarkPolaha had worked a decade earlier with Ullerup on a romance, and Maclain had never worked before with the “Catch of the Day” star, so neither knew whether she’d be comfortable with being funny onscreen, from physical comedy to delivering lines with an edge.
Describing the movie as “Lucille Ball-level, broad comedy,” Polaha said of Nelson, “I don’t know if he knew whether Emilie was capable of doing it or not. He knew that I was, you know, good to go. And so he was gonna lean heavily on me.”
Before filming, he recalled, “At first, Emilie was like, ‘Are we? Wait…this isn’t Hallmark, is it? Are we doing this!?’ And we were like, ‘Oh yeah, we are!'”
“But then one day she showed up, I think it was like day two of production,” Polaha said. “She was like, ‘I get what we’re doing, I get the story that we’re telling,’ and she was all-in and hilarious! We just had fun. She’s such a joy to work with — man, we had the best time.”
Polaha assured fans, “It’s everything you love and know and expect out of a Hallmark movie, but we’ve done something so fun with this one — I can’t wait for them to see it.”
“Missing the Boat” premieres on January 31 at 8 p.m. Eastern time and will be available to stream via Hallmark+ the following day.
Always enjoyed watching both!
Kristoffer Polaha has always had my vote for being able to do comedy. Hallmark should be using him more than they do because he is so well liked. He was really good in Mystery 101 and we got left with a nasty ending.
Kristoffer did a Hallmark Christmas movie where he played a married man and that showed his comedy side.
Can’t wait!
Can’t wait to see this movie. It looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun. I love all the actors in it.
This movie was great! Funny, cute, and as always ended with happily ever after! Love Kristoffer and the chemistry with Emilie was great, He is one of my favorites!!