Friends on and off camera! Aimee Garcia couldn’t be more grateful for her relationship with costar Freddie Prinze Jr. after working together in the family-friendly and lighthearted Netflix movie Christmas With You.
Garcia, 44, plays Angelina, a pop star who is looking for inspiration after feeling burnout. “Angelina is a workaholic and career woman who’s afraid to put her heart on the line, which I think is something we can all relate to,” Garcia told Us Weekly exclusively of her character. “She gets challenged when the ever-charming Freddie Prinze Jr. comes into her life and kind of turns things upside down.”
To help rediscover her spark, Angelina decides to grant a 15-year-old mega-fan’s wish to meet her — and unexpectedly finds love along the way.
Prinze Jr., 46, plays a single dad named Miguel, who happens to be a songwriter. He and Angelina inevitably begin a musical collaboration — but their connection has the potential for something more.
Before filming began in October 2021, the Lucifer alum and the She’s All That star had never met. However, Garcia told Us she was “definitely a fan” of her costar.
“He was so honest, and so prepared and so professional and had great ideas and was super collaborative. He was very subtly charming, and that drew me in and I think it drew the audience in as well,” she gushed. “We’ve remained friends, and it was great.”
The costars hit it off so well that they have spoken about possibly collaborating on another project in the future.
“We both want to work together again,” the Chicago native said. “He’s like, ‘I’ll do anything. I’ll hold the light for you in the next movie.’ And I’m like, ‘The feeling is mutual.’”
Garcia may be a fan of Prinze Jr., but she would’ve been even more starstruck had she met his wife, Sarah Michelle Gellar.
“I am a huge Sarah Michelle Geller fan. I think she is so talented and was such a trailblazer and was such an iconic female role ahead of her time,” the Dexter alum told Us. “I pictured us hanging out in the big city, but she didn’t get a chance to come to the set. We shot in New York, so I haven’t gotten a chance to meet her, but she’s been so incredibly supportive of the film.”
Garcia said she “totally geeked out” when Prinze Jr. told her that he planned to watch Christmas With You with his family.
“She posted [about the movie] on her Instagram and I completely fan-girled and got super red in my face. And I’m like, ‘Oh, my gosh,’ We’re following each other on our socials. I got very excited,” the George Lopez star gushed.
Along with featuring a stellar cast, the holiday rom-com adds a diverse twist as well, with Latino heritages showcased both in front of and behind the camera.
“I was drawn to the film because I had never seen an American Christmas movie headlined by two Latinos, especially one written by Latinos, directed by Latino and produced by Latinos. So, this story felt very authentic,” Garcia explained.
The film personality continued: “I got to speak a little Spanish, which to Netflix’s credit, they let me sing a part of the song in Spanish. It was originally all written in English. So, I’m really glad that I got to sprinkle in Spanish because it’s my first language.”
Angelina is very different from other characters Garcia has played in the past, but she loved having her “Beyoncé moment” in the new flick.
“To get to have the extensions, to be dancing in five-inch-heels, the nails and the whole diva mode of it all was just so fun.” the actress teased to Us. “How often do you get to feel like Beyoncé with professional backup dancers and getting lifted in the air? I was like a kid in a candy store.”
The Netflix movie combines comedy and romance with the holiday spirit, which will leave viewers with happy hearts.
“I just want to see this beautiful Latino family in the fabric of American cinema. And I hope people all over the world just want to have a seat at the table and see themselves in the family and feeling good in the Christmas spirit because I think that’s really what we need, especially during the holidays,” Garcia said.
Christmas With You is now streaming on Netflix.
