'A Christmas Fumble' premieres on OWN on Saturday at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
The Oprah Winfrey Network's new holiday movie, A Christmas Fumble, has all the components for your run-of-the-mill seasonal romantic comedy. But the sports-themed flick has an element that stars Eva Marcille and Devale Ellis believe will resonate with their audience.
"It's that selflessness that makes a Christmas movie," Ellis proclaimed when asked what drew him to the film. "It's the selflessness and being of service to each other that really resonated with me."
Marcille agreed, adding that the film's theme that "love is attainable again" gives A Christmas Fumble that certain je ne sais quoi that makes it a must-watch for the season.
"I think a lot of times in life we've loved and we've lost, whether we've lost them physically on this earth or they've [slipped] through our fingers and we weren't able to hold onto 'em. The idea [that we have] the ability to love again, that someone is out there for you, that someone is longing for you, and the void that you feel -- there's someone out there that feels that same void, that wants you," she continued. "I think that's just a little bit of hope, especially around the holiday season. The last couple of years have been pretty difficult for all of us, no matter what your socioeconomic status is. So the [idea of having] that ability to love again [resonated with me]."
That's a lot to pin on a holiday film, but A Christmas Fumble promises to live up to that. The film introduces the "queen of crisis management," Nicole Barnes (Marcille), who gets the toughest assignment of her career when she's asked to handle a breaking scandal for former pro footballer turned TV commentator Jordan Davies (Ellis). Jordan's network contract is in danger because of a violation dating back to his college days, and Nicole is hired to handle the crisis and ensure Jordan gets his job back.
However, Nicole fails to disclose to her boss that she and Jordan were once boyfriend and girlfriend -- a conflict of interest that could end her hopes of being made partner at her firm. And to make matters worse, Nicole's efforts to rehabilitate Jordan's image are constantly undermined by his shallow entertainment reporter fiancée.
Nonetheless, Nicole is determined to stay professional, but old feelings resurface as she and Jordan work together to rebuild his tarnished image before Christmas.
Ellis, a former NFL player and commentator/studio analyst for MSG Varsity himself, admitted that stepping into Jordan's shoes for the film brought him back to his career before he became an actor.
"Being behind the desk and having to report on football again just reminded me of those days when I first retired from football," he shared, adding that the role brought back "some great moments." It also revealed that Marcille could hold her own when playing rough with the pigskin.
"Eva is an athlete! People don't realize -- they remember her from America's Next Top Model where she was taking the pictures with the spider, but Eva once got off the line on me one time and the competitor in me was like, 'Wait a minute, wait a minute!'" Ellis recalled.
"You're a professional ballplayer, though. I know that was one of your many lives. So the level of pressure it felt like to be an actor is one thing, but to be an actor opposite someone playing a ballplayer who was really a ballplayer, you definitely brought some competition," Marcille responded.
"And she stepped up! 'Cause one thing I'll tell you about Eva, it don't matter what it is, we could be playing chess, Connect Four or hopscotch -- Eva gonna be like, 'What's up then? I could do this too,'" Ellis joked. "I'm like, 'Eva, you don't even know how to play.' [She'll say,] 'I'ma learn. I'ma learn right now. Show me one time and I got it.' That's just Eva."
The duo's chemistry is palpable, which is great for their onscreen dynamic and even better for their roles as real-life friends. Both married with children, they revealed that working together allowed their families to connect as closely as they have.
"You know how hard it is, being in show business. But then [add] trying to balance being a spouse first and then a parent. You gotta try to find time somewhere," Ellis explained, sharing that he and Marcille took the chance to introduce their families to one another while filming A Christmas Fumble. "I got a chance to see [her] boys and meet [her] husband -- it was like a real family event. Two families got together to relate so much with each other."
And, although A Christmas Fumble's Nicole and Jordan aren't parents, the actors easily related to their characters to bring their love story to life.
"Nicole Barnes resonates with Eva so much because I am a little Black girl from South Central, Los Angeles, that had big dreams, and I didn't know what I was going to do. I just knew what I did not want in life for myself. And that is Nicole Barnes," Marcille shared. "Nicole Barnes grew up in a way where she knew that, in the future, she wanted more for herself. She made plans, but more importantly, she knew what she did not want [her future] to look like. And so, she worked diligently every single day to earn it, every day to live a life -- not necessarily a lifestyle but to live a life, that she and the rest of us Black Americans deserve."
She added, "I think we're living in a world now where Nicole Barnes exemplifies the idea of you can have a dream, you can set a goal for that dream, you can stumble and fumble and get back up and try it again, and you can achieve that dream. And this film shows a Black woman in that power, supported by a beautiful Black man."
Admitting that he initially wondered if Marcille "can do romantic comedy," Ellis said he quickly came to realize the actress can do whatever she sets her mind to. "She has those moments where she's the boss and she's in charge and she's like, 'No, do this,' and it's like, 'There goes Eva, there goes Madam, there goes Nicole.' But then we have those moments where we dance and we look in each other's eyes and people are gonna fall in love."
"This is a feel-good, unapologetic, beautiful movie about a beautiful man and a beautiful woman that live in today's society -- it's very difficult to navigate when you're trying to bring in the magic of love and this movie exemplifies that," Marcille said. "And Devale is charming and he's witty, he's handsome and he's endearing. And [I'm] crazy. So, us together is an absolute blast!"
A Christmas Fumble premieres on OWN Saturday, Dec. 10 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
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