In April of 2024, Hallmark announced that Eva Tavares was becoming one of two new additions to its Make Her Mark Women’s Directing Program. The Hallmark regular and Kay Metchie were the second and third participants added after the program was introduced. Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe was the first, whose first film, “Shifting Gears,” came out that same month.
Now, Hallmark fans are excited to see the “Christmas on Cherry Lane” star’s directorial debut: “The Christmas Baby.” The Countdown to Christmas movie is already receiving rave reviews from those who’ve previewed it. Tavares recently explained what she hopes viewers will take from the film and how she drew on her own experiences.
HallmarkLife-Changing Moments Mirror Tavares’ Reality in ‘The Christmas Baby’
Like many other filmmakers, Tavares took aspects of her own life for “The Christmas Baby.” Tavares has a tight group of friends who are like family. Erin (Ali Liebert) and Kelly (Katherine Barrell) also do in the film.
“We have this friend group that is solidly always presently there, and the neighbor who becomes part of the whole narrative as well,” she told “Hallmark Mysteries & More.” “That dynamic is really present in my life, and that was really a thing [in the movie].”
HallmarkTavares can also relate to the couple’s situation, which is both challenging and extraordinary.
“This couple has kind of written off that they can have this kind of family, and then suddenly an opportunity is put in front of them,” she explained. “And they’re like, ‘And now I have to navigate this, and it’s the best and also the toughest thing. It’s both at once.”
“I’ve definitely been in those kinds of scenarios where it’s like, you’re presented with something that is life-changing, and it’s both,” she added.
Hallmark‘Exactly the Movie I Wanted’: Tavares on Directing Diverse Family Narratives
The “Easter Bloom” star revealed that she wasn’t just given the film but was interviewed first to determine whether she was “the right fit for that movie.” She was thrilled when they approved her, because it was “exactly the movie that I wanted to direct,” she said.
“This is the kind of story that I want to amplify,” the “A Royal Montana Christmas” star admitted. “Love stories in all different forms are so powerful, and this one, very specifically, is so incredibly powerful.”
While she noted the storyline could be controversial for some, she hoped people would see it for what it was.
HallmarkIf you’re just looking at the story, it’s just a love story,” she said. “The fact that these two women are married is kind of secondary. It’s about a family navigating something new, and the friends and people around them that show up to support them in that journey.”
“And it’s simply that,” she added.
