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IT’S CHRISTMAS AGAIN’s Mother and Daughter Duo Discuss New Faith-Filled Movie

Photo from Trisha Owen’s Instagram

IT’S CHRISTMAS AGAIN’s Mother and Daughter Duo Discuss New Faith-Filled Movie

By Movieguide® Staff

In the new Christmas musical, IT’S CHRISTMAS AGAIN, the real-life mother and daughter acting duo got to act alongside each other as mother and daughter on screen!

Leela plays Abbey, one of the main characters in the movie, and Trisha plays her mother, Abigail.

“I’ve just kind of watched her career grow as an actress and she’s such a brilliant actress and just amazingly talented,” Trisha told Movieguide® of the opportunity to act alongside her daughter. “It was really cool to actually be her singing partner and get to play with her on screen. So I’m just so proud of her and it was just a memory I’ll never forget that I got to do that for this film.”

“The days before we had our scenes together we would work on the scene together and practice it together,” Leela added. “It was a really fun memory because we both love acting so much.”

Both Leela and Trisha said that the deeper themes of family and faith were what drew them to the movie initially.

“My family have always been really big Christians and then for me personally, my faith really grew my senior year of high school and it completely changed the entire way that I viewed myself and everything like that,” Leela said. “I did think it was very cool that it was like a Christian faith-based film. On top of that I just loved the film in general. I think it’s a very unique story.”

“A lot of Christmas movies are reused, recycled, the same exact stuff over and over and over again,” she added. “But I thought this was a very unique script. I think that it’s a very meaningful script. A lot Christmas movies are more light-hearted and more about Santa’s cookies, stuff like that. This is definitely a light-hearted movie, but it also has a deeper meaning to it.”

A portion of Movieguide®’s review of IT’S CHRISTMAS AGAIN reads:

IT’S CHRISTMAS AGAIN is a fun, upbeat musical, with choreographed dance numbers and good vocals. This is an uplifting musical that the family can enjoy together and celebrate the birth of Christ in a unique way. While there are some adult themes about death in the movie, IT’S CHRISTMAS AGAIN is full of the hope, joy and peace that comes with Jesus Christ’s birth.

Trisha, a mother of two, said that family time is important to her and that she is thankful for movies like IT’S CHRISTMAS AGAIN, that can be enjoyed together.

“I’ve always been a big supporter of family time. I think nowadays with some of the things that you see on some of these networks that are just so inappropriate, you have to have everybody split up and like parents can watch it when the kids are in bed… It’s so important to have something that the whole family can watch and you don’t have to be like, ‘Oh, no, close your eyes.’ For this movie as family friendly as it is, it appeals to every age group. I just loved it.”

Movieguide® previously reported:

Actor Lawson Touliatos stars as Jake in a new musical called IT’S CHRISTMAS AGAIN, premiering in theaters as a Fathom Event on Nov. 29.

Directed by Sandra L. Martin (RENOVATION OF THE HEART, CHRISTMAS COMES HOME), the movie follows a standard high schooler named Jake, whose perspective on Christmas changes after a skateboarding accident.

The movie’s synopsis reads:

Jake is ready to skip Christmas this year until an unexpected turn of events lands him in a field outside Bethlehem on the night Jesus was born. While on his journey with the shepherds to find the promised Messiah, Jake discovers the true meaning of Christmas. Coming this Christmas season, IT’S CHRISTMAS AGAIN is a modern-day musical the whole family will love!

“I was raised in a very religious household and my parents loved the idea. I’m a singer as well. I’ve been singing for longer than I’ve been acting even. So the idea of being in like a major movie and being able to sing as part of it seemed like a great idea,” he said of his audition.

“Throughout the movie, he learns what Christmas is really about and how important it actually is. I think it’s a good journey of discovery for him,” he added.

Touliatos added the movie focuses on the importance of Christ in Christmas.

“Christianity is, of course, very important to Christmas,” he said. “It’s very important to the movie as well. But the main story aspect of the movie is my character learning the true meaning of Christmas by going and witnessing the birth of Christ and realizing the impact of that. I think that’s just forgotten a lot today [and] this movie does a better job than any I’ve seen personally, honestly, of putting that together.”

“It’s perfectly fine for the whole family, at all ages, to watch this movie,” he added. “The music and the dancing and just the story in general, is great for older audiences, too. So I think it does a great job of reaching across the aisle like that.”

Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.


Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.