The film premieres on OWN Saturday, Dec. 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
LeToya Luckett and Finesse Mitchell may get their hands dirty in the kitchen for OWN's sweet holiday film, The Great Holiday Bake War, but it's a very different situation in real life.
The film follows former pastry school rivals Julian (Mitchell) and Brianna (Luckett) who meet years later in a TV baking competition. As the trailer shows, when the two come together, the sparks -- and the flour -- fly! They each have their unique plans for the winning prize money, but only one can win... unless they work together.
But of course, neither the baking process nor finding love is ever easy, and Brianna and Julian find they have a rocky path ahead of themselves. While Brianna struggles to support her daughter, Willow (Naomi Sogbein), and Julian longs to escape his mother's shadow, they learn that collaboration can create a new recipe for success -- and love.
"I don't bake in real life but I cook!" Luckett told ET ahead of the film's premiere on Dec. 3. The actress added that although she wasn't terribly inspired to try out any of the intricate recipes her character pulls off in the film, she could relate to Brianna as a single mother.
"There were so many ways that I related to Brianna. Me being a mom and basically going to the end of the earth even if it has me doing something that's stepping outta the box -- like entering a competition, which is not what [Brianna] wanted to do," Luckett noted. "[She] entered it against [her] will, but [she'd do] anything for [her] baby. I know what that feels like as a mama bear to, you know, have to strap those boots on and say, let's get it done, you know?"
The actress also admitted she could relate to Brianna's fiercely competitive nature, which has her bantering with Mitchell's Julian frequently in the holiday rom-com. "I feel like I would've probably done the same thing in her situation, definitely [would have] played hard to get," Luckett joked. "At the end of the day, I think she has a soft heart and she allowed him to date her."
Mitchell revealed he's also not much of a baker, but related to Julian as a fellow "mama's boy." More importantly, the actor said he felt that the film will resonate with the audience thanks to what Luckett described as its "yummy" factor.
"There are a lot of holiday movies, especially for the Black American audience, and it's based on soul food or, you know, an old fling romance," he said. "And I really thought what made this movie unique was that we got to have a lot of fun making the pastries and being around so many different [baked goods] that were actually edible, ready to eat every day. So...I know it's gonna look great on camera."
"Everybody loves a good cooking show and everybody loves a good love story," Luckett added. "I just think that there's different elements that [many] people are gonna be able to relate to."
The Great Holiday Bake War premieres on OWN Saturday, Dec. 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
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