Gabrielle Union stars as Nancy, a divorced mother of three who’s so busy being a mom she’s neglected her own needs in The Perfect Holiday, directed by Lance Rivera. Nancy’s youngest daughter Emily figures out her mom’s unhappy and decides to do something about it by asking Santa for help.
While Gabrielle Union isn’t a mom in real life, she had no problem tackling a character who has children in the holiday romantic comedy. “It's sort of me watching my sister who has three kids, me watching my girlfriend who has three kids and my mom who has three kids, three daughters, all with very distinct personalities and just try to come in and try to be as mother-like-ish-esque as possible,” explained Union. “Not having had that experience on my own, but sort of trying to treat them all as individuals, like intelligent individuals with very distinct personalities.”
The younger actors earned high praise from Union. “They found kids who are not totally seasoned. They're not like trained little seals. A lot of their reactions are real reactions. It's like when the first time they see the Christmas tree, it's like we're in the real mall with other real kids wanting to see Santa and then they want to see Santa. 'Well, you know, we're shooting this, right?' But a lot of their reactions are real. They're not these seasoned Hollywood kids, so they're actually real, great, well behaved children.”
Union also enjoyed working with Queen Latifah who she affectionately refers to as ‘El Jefe.’ “You can't ask for a better boss,” said Union. “Somebody who's been in your position, somebody who is now the boss. [Producers Queen Latifah] and Shakim [Compere] called. I was literally on the beach in Miami and they were like, 'You want to come work?' We'd been trying to work together for a long time. I was like, 'Oh, I don't want to have kids. Come on. Let's do something else.' She's like, 'I think this is perfect. We haven't seen you like this. I think this is a great opportunity.' And I said, 'You're right. Maybe I should step outside my box a little bit and try something a little different.'”
After it was all said and done, Union’s glad she listened to Queen Latifah and took part in The Perfect Holiday. “It was an amazing experience. Certainly as an African American actress, a lot of times you end up on a set where you're the only one that looks like you in front of or behind the camera. You say, 'I need somebody who knows how to do my hair.' 'Oh, she knows how to do it.' ‘Does she have a pressing comb that goes in an oven so I don't end up missing patches around my hairline? We've already done that. I'm in a precarious situation here so I don't have the luxury of experiencing [that].’ So [Queen Latifah’s] like, 'Oh no, no, we've got you hair and makeup, whatever you need.' Just little things that a lot of people don't think about, she thinks about because she's been there. Not like crazy stuff like wooden scented candles and green skittles but, ‘What do you need so you are comfortable and confident and you're able to put in 12 hours and we can get the best performances out of you?’ She understands that and she gives us that, and she's not crazy. She's not a screamer. She's just Dana and she's El Jefe.”
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The Perfect Holiday hits theaters on December 12 and is rated PG for brief language and some suggestive humor.
