How Bravo Fan-Favorite Danny Pellegrino Got to Write & Co-Star in New Hallmark Christmas Movie

Danny Pellegrino is well-known among Bravo fans and celebrity news junkies for his hilarious takes on pop culture, from his best-selling books and “Everything Iconic” podcast to frequent appearances on “Watch What Happens Live.” But in between critiquing “Real Housewives” and interviewing entertainment icons, Pellegrino has long been among the millions of Hallmark Channel fans who tune in for the network’s annual Countdown to Christmas lineup.

So, the self-professed “Hallmark junkie” told EntertainmentNOW that he’s pinching himself (and trying not to cry) as his dream of writing and appearing in a Hallmark Christmas movie comes true with the premiere of “Deck the Walls” on November 30, 2024.

Danny Pellegrino Says Filming With Wes Brown Was an ‘Out-of-Body Experience’

Hallmark

Much like “rabid” Bravo fans who follow their favorite shows and personalities like sports teams, Pellegrino told EntertainmentNOW, “I think we do the same thing when it comes to Countdown to Christmas. I am filling out my bracket, I’m checking off the list of movies to make sure that I’ve seen each new release. Like, we’re obsessed.”

Pellegrino told EntertainmentNOW it was “always a dream” to write his own version of a Hallmark Christmas movie since he’d seen and loved so many over the years. After he managed to get a meeting with Hallmark execs to talk about his vision, he decided to “do everything I could to convince them this needed to happen, and I just went and wrote the whole movie.”

Happily, Hallmark loved the concept and paired Pellegrino with prolific rom-com screenwriter Tracy Andreen to tighten the script, which she wrote on Instagram was “such a delight” to work on. Then, as Hallmark was casting the movie — with longtime Hallmark hunk Wes Brown and “Twilight” alum Ashley Greene as the leads — Pellegrino decided to audition for the role of Sal, which he’d based on himself.

“I went through the audition process with the Hallmark casting team because it’s a pretty large role,” he told EntertainmentNOW. “The Hallmark people wanted to make sure that I can handle the acting. I do a lot of comedy and hosting and stuff like that, but there’s a lot of other layers in the script, especially with the character of Sal. There’s some dramatic stuff, and there’s some flirting, so they wanted to make sure (I could do it). Luckily, it worked out, and they were great.”

When “Deck the Halls” became a reality in September, with filming taking place in Utah, Pellegrino told EntertainmentNOW he was overwhelmed with emotion.

“It was such a dream come true,” he said. “Knowing Wes as a fan and being in scenes with him, it was a little bit of an out-of-body experience. There was one scene, we’re putting lights on a porch and it was just him and I, and before the director yelled ‘action’ I just started crying to myself. I was looking at him with Christmas lights and he’s in, like, traditional Hallmark flannel, and I couldn’t even believe it was happening.”

Danny Pellegrino Surprised His Mom With Special Family References in ‘Deck the Walls’ Script

Days before the Hallmark Channel premiere of “Deck the Walls,” Pellegrino flew home from LA to Ohio, where he got to watch an advanced screener of the movie with his family, including his mom, a fellow Hallmark super fan.

“They loved it and it was such a thrill,” he told EntertainmentNOW, marveling that everyone, from his parents to his young nieces and nephews, got something different from the movie. “It was genuinely something that the whole group of us was (happy) watching, and we were all celebrating!”

Pellegrino has many cherished memories of watching Hallmark Christmas movies with his mom and late grandma, delighting in the heartwarming storylines and laughing along with tongue-in-cheek tropes and Easter eggs found in so many of their favorite films, he told EntertainmentNOW.

So he was excited to surprise his mom with subtle references to their family he’d embedded into the script. For instance, Pellegrino named Greene’s character, Rose DeMonte, after his grandmother and the Maresh Chocolate shop in the film came from his mom’s maiden name.

“That meant the world to me to get to see my mom notice the sign in it that says ‘Maresh Chocolates,'” he said. “She was like, ‘What is that!?’ She was so excited!”

“Deck the Walls” premieres on Hallmark Channel on November 30 at 8 p.m. Eastern time, and is available to stream the next day on Peacock. It is also scheduled to air six more times before the end of December.