An Exclusive Look At Whitney Leavitt & Jesse Kove’s All For Christmas

Keeping up with Whitney Leavitt’s post-#MomTok resume feels like you’re making a list and checking it twice. Her last year was a dizzying run from Dancing with the Stars to Broadway, The Traitors, and her own forthcoming reality show. This holiday season, the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star is putting her own spin on a beloved pop-culture tradition: the holiday rom-com.

All for Christmas stars Leavitt and Jesse Kove as Winona and Luke, a podcaster and craftsman who work together on a renovation project — as seen in Bustle’s exclusive behind-the-scenes images ahead. At first, Winona doesn’t quite see Luke as romance material. But unbeknownst to her, he’s the very same man she just matched with through a dating-app partnership.

Beyond that delightful You’ve Got Mail-esque twist, Kove tells Bustle the movie “feels like one of those warm-hearted ’90s rom-coms.”

Before filming, Kove wasn’t too familiar with Leavitt’s work on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. But the actor — whose own resume spans action, romance, and beyond — had previously worked with director and producer Jake Helgren on projects such as The Holiday Proposal Plan, and welcomed the opportunity to star opposite Leavitt in her first film role.

“Whitney has so much raw talent. She was able to put all that energy into this project,” Kove says, noting that even though Leavitt had just come from the rigorous competition of Dancing with the Stars, she was more than game for the festive film at hand. “She was so looking forward to showing up and being there for the crew, and also for her character. She and I did a lot of laughing along the way.”

Indeed, practical jokes abounded. The pair filmed each other in playfully off-guard moments, and Kove was sure to bring up Leavitt’s DWTS run while filming a dance scene.

For Kove, Leavitt’s sense of humor was one of the gifts of working together — something he’s definitely down to do again. “I was so delightfully surprised at her attention to detail and how funny she is,” he says. “She’s so quirky and silly, which I didn’t expect.”

Expect that feeling to translate on screen when All for Christmas streams Nov. 24 on Netflix. “I want viewers to feel joy when they watch this movie because it is filled with a lot of love,” Kove says. “It’s also about giving people second chances, which is a great aspect of the movie as well.”

And that’s coming from a certified rom-com fan — as Kove names Love Actually, The Holiday, and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days as just a few of his favorite titles. His only tip for watching this one? “Make sure when you do, that you’re all snuggled up under a blanket,” he says. “And you get some candles, maybe a glass of wine, and just enjoy.”