November 19, 2024 • 24 mins
This week, Tommy is joined by actress Lacey Chabert who became an icon in pop culture history by playing Gretchen Wieners in Tina Fey’s beloved movie, Mean Girls. Since then, she has accumulated countless credits to her name, including starring in over three dozen Hallmark movies. But now she is spreading the holiday cheer by joining Hot Frosty on Netflix, which hit #1 on the charts within 24 hours of its debut. Today, Lacey opens up about why she wanted to join this whimsical Christmas movie, that Lindsay Lohan cameo that lit the internet on fire, what it was like working as an actor at just 7 years old, growing up in front of the public eye, what reuniting last year with some of her Mean Girls cast meant to her, if she is down to do a Mean Girls Christmas movie, the family she formed while working on Party of Five, how even when life isn’t easy she tries to find the joy, what her relationship is like with grief, why its important to allow yourself to feel sad in those moments, if she wants to return back to the Broadway stage one day, and so much more.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Hey guys, welcome to I've never said this before with me,
Tommy de Dario, I don't know about you, but cozy
nights in watching Christmas movies. Yeah, it's one of my
all time favorite ways to celebrate the holiday season. And today,
one of the reigning queens of Christmas Movies she joins
my show. Lacy Shaver became an icon in pop culture
(00:26):
history by playing the og Gretchen Wieners in Mean Girls,
one of the best movies ever created period. Since then,
she has had countless credits to her name, most notably
starring in over three dozen Hallmark movies. But now she
is spreading that love by joining Netflix to bring some
holiday cheer. Lacy stars in the sweet and also very hmm, well,
(00:48):
oh sexy film, if I can say so, called Hot Frosty,
which is out now, Okay, think Sexy Snowman Comes to
Life turns a sweet wound's world upside down. That woman
had lost the piece of herself over the last few years,
but Sexy Snowman helps her find that piece of herself
once again. It is magical, It is everything you want
in a Christmas movie. It is so, so, so good.
(01:11):
And Lacey is also magical. And I love this conversation
because we get to learn a bit more about such
a beloved artist who just brings so much joy all
year around. So let's see if today we can get
Lacey to say something that she has never said before. Lazy.
How are youay?
Speaker 2 (01:32):
I'm doing great. It's been a really fun day. It's
so fun that we can celebrate this movie being out.
People can see it.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
I feel like we're in your living room. It's so beautiful.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Welcome to my home.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Christmas A little pseudo fire going on, Like.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
I actually do have Christmas up at my house already.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
So November first it happened.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Yeah right, I may have been a little earlier than that.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
You aren't stop.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Yes, I may have had some before Halloween, a couple
of weeks, tree up before Halloween, a tree more than one.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
Oh yeah, my god. You're not into Halloween. You're like,
let's just skip it.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
I mean, I'm into it. My e have an eight
year old, so she loves dressing up and going trigger
treating and stuff. But we were, you know, this year,
I was like, the sooner the better, and I just
love it. And my collection of decorations keeps growing. My
husband's like, Okay, we're good. Please don't bring the regardling
to this house.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
Try it in your city apartment. And my husband's like,
where are we going to keep all this?
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Like, what are we doing when there's room, there's a way?
Speaker 1 (02:28):
Thank you, Thank you. I knew I loved you. I
knew it right away. Well, congratulations on this movie. I
couldn't have loved it more. It's it's sexy, but there's
a lot of heart, a lot of heart so to start,
I mean, I feel like I'm talking to one of
the queens of Christmas. Right, You've done over three dozen
Hallmark movies, many of them being Christmas movies. Right, you're
(02:50):
now joining Netflix, So what keeps you coming back for more?
Speaker 2 (02:54):
I love these movies, especially the Christmas ones, because this
is truly my favorite time of year. Traditions, so many
traditions that we celebrate remind me of some of my
most just favorite childhood memories. And now that I am
a parent and I have an eight year old daughter, Julia,
getting to create new memories with her and seeing the
magic of the season through her eyes is just so
(03:16):
much fun.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
I bet she loves that she does.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
I mean, we do everything with the decorating and baking
and cooking and you know, my grandmother's recipes, and which
is something I really enjoy because it brings back those
memories of being in the kitchen with my great grandma,
my grandmother and my mom, and I get to create
those new memories with Julia. We do elf on the shelf,
driving around, looking at Christmas lights, really all of it.
It just has such a cozy, nostalgic fielding, which I love.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Julia must think you're the coolest mom in the world
for being in all of these all work.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
I don't know about that every day of the year,
but you know, we are exceptionally close, and she's just
the you know, the light my whole heart.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Well, Hot Frosty is going to be many people's whole
hearts because it's so it's so cute, it's so fun
and festive. You play Kathy, of course, she runs the diner.
Tell me about her and about the movie.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Well, at first glance, you're like, Okay, this is a
snowman come to live. It's called Hot Frosty. Is this
going to be really silly? And I opened up the
script and a few pages in I realized that, Wow,
this script has This story has so much heart, it's
so romantic, it's so funny, and it just has a
little bit of everything. And you know, my characters on
this journey where she's navigating the grief of having lost
(04:30):
her husband a couple of years ago, and she puts
this magical scarf on a snowman, just hoping to bring
it some warmth and he comes to life. She's not
sure if she really buys into it or not, and
he's just so charming and funny and unpredictable and bizarre
and kind, and they formed this bond and end up
teaching each other so much. You know, he's learning to
(04:52):
be human for the first time and she, you know,
by the relationship that they form, you know, he helps
her have the confidence to open up our hard again
and to realize it's okay to take a step forward.
And all of this happens while you know, the town
share is searching for him and trying to figure out,
you know, what's going on. And it's just it's funny
and charming and I was I fell in love with
(05:14):
it when I.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
Read it, and you know, it's not easy, I feel
like to make falling in love with the snowman believable, right,
you do, and you very much kind of treat that
character as if it's normal once you get over the
shock about it's a snowman. Right. So I imagine that
process for you was pretty fun, figuring out how do
I make this seem like it's plausible?
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Yeah, it was. It was something that was a real
collaboration with our wonderful director Jerry, you know, our great script,
and then all of us working together and Dustin and
I having a lot of conversations about, Okay, exactly what
do we think the tone of this scene should be,
and where are we in the story and how do
we make this as believable as possible, But also don't
take it too seriously And that is one thing I
(05:56):
love about it too. The characters aren't in on the
joke in a way, and it has a certain, I
think whimsical charm to it because of that.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
And I feel like the trailer lit up social media
because there's a scene which is also in the movie
where you're watching TV and your character looks at the
movie playing and right Lindsay Lohan her twenty two Christmas movie,
I believe that she did, and your character says, Oh,
that looks like a girl I went to high school with.
Was that your doing?
Speaker 2 (06:20):
It? Was not my idea? I wish I could say
it was, but it was an idea that you know,
was put into the script and they pushed it to me,
and I was like, I love it. You know, it's
so fun. And we did that for the fans, and
I'm so happy to see people's reactions and that they
appreciated it. You know, Lindsay and I have known each
other since we were little kids in New York auditioning
doing commercials together, and I just I love that our
(06:43):
past continued across, you know, and we'll forever have the
experience of Mean Girls together. And now that we have
this shared experience of both having a Christmas movie on Netflix, like,
it just makes me so happy. I'm so thrilled.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
And it's sweet that you continue to pay homage to
the Mean Girls fandom. Right you did the commercial last
year was a blast where you reunited with some of
the girls so much fun. Is it fun for you
to keep giving the fans a little taste of the
bread crumbs of Mean Girls?
Speaker 2 (07:07):
I mean, whenever you do any project, right, you go
to work, you do your best, and you hope that
it's going to resonate with people. You hope that people
are going to enjoy it and want to watch it
over and over. And the fact that Mean Girls has
turned into that is a joy something I'm so thankful
to be a part of. And spending the day with
Amandon Lindsay when we were filming the commercial was just
(07:27):
it was a blast. It was like no time had
passed and yet it was so nice that we were
able to catch up and we're talking about our kids
and it's just a real full circle moment.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
And somehow y'all look the same. So whatever secret you have,
whatever you're drinking, like, pass it my way.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Please, coffee and water? Okay, great?
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Great? Good to no good to know. I know everyone
continues to ask about reunions and all of that, and
I'm board of the question. So I'm going to spin
it a little bit. What do you think of a
Mean Girl's Christmas Movie?
Speaker 2 (07:54):
What a great idea.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
I mean, I would gladly be the executive producer. Let's
make it happen.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
That could be fun, right, It's actually a really cute idea. Yeah,
I think everyone would love to see where these characters
are right about now, you know, in their lives as adults,
and yeah, I love it. I'm into it.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
My wheels are now spinning. I'm like sitting here thinking
of plot points. But we'll cross upers when we get there. Licy,
you mentioned you've been in this industry.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
Since a kid, right since I was about seven.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
That's wild And now your daughter's eight, Yes, so is
it interesting a look through her perspective, Like, Wow, I
was doing this at that age.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
It's kind of hard for me to comprehend, to be honest,
I'm also really thankful, more than ever for my parents.
I understand why they were so protective, you know, when
I was little. Now, as a parent, all I know
is I just loved it, you know, ever since as
far back as I can remember, where it was standing
in front of my mirror with a hair brush and singing,
(08:50):
or making up plays with my siblings and performing them
for our parents in the living room. Like I just
love telling stories and playing make believe. And that's all
it was to me as a kid. I didn't understand
the business of it, or the career part or what
it could turn into, but I just loved going to
work and getting to pretend, and I can't believe, honestly
when I stop and reflect on it, that I've had
(09:10):
the chance to do that for so long. I'm extremely grateful.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Yeah, and consistently too, which is than you amazing.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
I feel very, very very blessed. And careers have a
lot of twist and turns and ups and downs, you know,
but I to find myself here at this point and
getting to make movies that I love so much and
have fun making. My gosh, it's a blessing.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
Working as a seven year old is not the norm, right,
Like how many people can say that? It's a pretty
amazing thing.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
I do you feel like work? You know? It was
always just fun. My parents were very protective to make
sure it remained fun, which I think is really important.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
Well, I think that's why you still have the magic
in your eyes when you talk about acting and movies
and you're still doing it. It's so evident you have
the passion for it. I don't know, man, I don't
know if I could have grown up though so publicly
because you went through all the stages right of Huberty
and everything growing.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
Up to those points, all the stages.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
Was it weird for you? Being so public facing throughout
most of your life, Like, did you ever have to
kind of grapple with that and figure out how am
I going to do this to protect my piece?
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Sure? I mean when I was on Party of Five,
which was the most special experience. You don't get to
have six years on a show very often, No, I mean,
it's a hard thing to have. It's a unique experience.
And we were together every day for six whole years.
So I grew up from eleven to seventeen with this
group of people, these pivotal teenage years where I went
(10:38):
through a lot of changes on and off camera, and
then my character was going through all these first Sometimes
it was something I had experience, sometimes it was something
I hadn't. And I look back at that and I think, Wow,
I was so blessed to have had such a good
group of people around me to guide me and protect
me and shelter me. And I think about who I
(10:59):
am now and the woman I am now, Like it's
a huge reflection of the people that I spent those
years of my life with.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
So how do you think you have changed the most
since that seven year old girl in the business, Like
where are you in your life? Now in this new chapter.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
Oh good question. There's part of me that I feel
hasn't changed, and certain things that I hope don't ever change.
And then there's part that, you know, I just feel
like all of the experiences of my life had have
led me good or bad, you know, to where I
(11:32):
am now, easy or hard. I feel like everything is
useful if you can look at it from the right perspective.
And I've really learned that in these last few years.
You know, life isn't always easy, but I think if
you can just find the good in it, there's always
joy to be had. There really is, and I have
felt that in the last few years of my life
(11:54):
more than ever. And I think a lot of that
becomes with being a parent too, and seeing so much
of the world reflected in my daughter, and it's just
such a Being a mom is my favorite thing in
the world, is it? It really is? I don't know.
You know, there's days where you're like, oh, I'm not
doing that, and I do a good job, you know,
but the love that I have for her, and that
(12:14):
my husband and I have for her is just it's immense,
and it makes you makes me appreciate my parents again.
Like I was saying, and just how how protective they
were for me all those years.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
And it seems like you truly live every day with gratitude,
Like you seem a very like you're a very grounded,
grateful person for where you've been, what you're achieving, what
you continue to achieve. Is that an important thing for
you in your daily life?
Speaker 2 (12:37):
It is? Yeah, it is. I feel immensely grateful for
so many things in my life outside of work and
outside of this business, so many personal things. I just
feel immensely grateful, you know, for my career, my family,
my family first, my faith. There's just so much that
I guess. Yeah, the word is gratitude, feel grateful for
and I'm so thankful for and I try to keep
(12:59):
that perspective. Mm hmm.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
I think that's important. I think that creates longevity for
anyone in any profession, not just this. I think no
matter what industry you're in, if you have that and
we all have bad days, Like I'm not sitting here
saying we don't have bad days. No, very clear, right,
we do. But to always kind of have that bubbling
inside of you, I think keeps you in whatever profession
(13:22):
you're in. For the long run.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
I think that's a I think you're right. Yeah, I
think you're right. I really try to lean on gratitude,
especially if things are complicated or tricky your heart or
you know, it's there's always something to be grateful for
and there's always happiness to be found. Just got to
look for it sometimes.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Yeah, you do, you do, And I'm super grateful this
movie is out because people are going to love it.
It's going to bring so much joy. As I said earlier,
what's a theme in this film that you took away?
Speaker 2 (13:48):
There's a few. I love the theme of community, and
especially towards the end of it, the town really comes
together to show up for Jack and Kathy in a way.
I don't want to give it away, but you know,
they really do. And I love that. I'm from a
small town in Mississippi. It'll forever be a huge part
of my heart. And you know where I'm from, and
I always felt a sense of community there and also
(14:09):
where we live now. And I love the theme. I mean,
the personal one I can speak to the most. Kathy is,
you know, grieving the loss of her husband. She's really
good at taking care of other people, and she herself
has fallen to the bottom of the list, and Jack
and helping him learn how to be human, he really
(14:30):
helps her have the courage to open up her heart again,
and I think that she needs to allow that and
forgive herself for not being able to move forward. And
there's such healing that's found in that, and I think
that's a beautiful theme. And then we're not alone. You know,
we're never alone. And I sometimes we've experiences that isolate us,
but you're never really alone, you know. We all relate
(14:51):
to each other on one level or another.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
And grief is something that people feel during the holidays
more than ever, right, I mean, it's a year round feeling,
but of course the holidays bring up quite a lot
for people. You miss people more, I feel like. And
the fact that you so beautifully tackle that with the
loss of your husband and yeah, you know you talk
about your explaining to the Snowman character what happened in
(15:15):
the kitchen, and that really touching way, I think is
going to resonate with a lot of people. I mean,
I definitely still agree with people I've lost, as I'm
sure you do, and we all do. Yeah, And it's
not a sexy thing to talk about, but the way
you highlight it is so important.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Yeah, it's I'm glad you said that. Yeah, I lost
my sister three years ago Thanksgiving, Meek, and so that
you know, with that coming up. I mean, I think
about my sister every minute of every day, but those
anniversaries are very, very hard. And I think that the
thing I've learned personally, And I do not mean to
sound like I have all the wisdom about this, because
I certainly don't, but it's that it's a journey. It's
(15:50):
a journey, and it takes every you know, every day
I learned something new, and sometimes it's a bit easier.
Sometimes it's a bit more challenging, and it sneaks up
on you sometimes. But it's okay to cry, it's okay
to miss them. And I think that those tears I
cry sometimes, I know that they're a way that I
also honor my sister. And I honor her by talking
about her, telling her stories. You know, she's in my head,
(16:11):
my inner dialogue all day long. I'm like, oh, she
would have loved this, or she would have said this
about this, or and I just I have this closeness
to her that I hope will never change, and I
know it won't because she's forever in all of our hearts.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
Then you feel like they never really go away, right, Yeah, totally.
I want to share a story with you. So I
was on a flight and there was this beautiful, sweet
grandmother next to me, and she could just tell I
was having a day and I was. I was grieving
the loss of someone and it was on my mind
and it was really hard for me. I didn't want
to be on this flight. Yeah, And out of nowhere,
(16:44):
she reached into her bag handed me this beautiful gift
and I brought one that I want to share with
you because I was so touched by this and I
was so touched by this theme in your movie and
what this is. It's a bear hug. And she said,
I want you to have this for whenever you're having
a bad day, or if you're not and you feel
like you meet someone who's having a bad day, you
(17:04):
pass it on, right. So I went online and I
ordered a bunch because I loved it so much, and
this is what she handed me. Read the card out loud.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
If you don't mind, I am a little pocket bear.
Squeeze me tight when feeling blue. I am here to
give you strength and warmth that will help to get
you through.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
So whenever you're feeling a little down, or if you
meet someone who is, I wanted you to also have
this because I was so touched by that point in
your film that, again, it's hard to talk about. It's
a very weird thing to talk about, and not that
your movie is all about that. It's fun and silly
and there's so many, so many things it checks off, right,
that's just a piece of it. But yeah, it's a
(17:41):
piece that I think is really important and I was
so touched by that that I wanted to just share
that with you maybecause it.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
Is very sweet. Yeah, it's so touching and it's so sweet,
and that's it. It's the human connection. You know, you're
sitting on a plane next to a stranger and they
gift you this, and now you're paying it forward and
gifting it to me, and it really means a lot.
And I think that is a beautiful theme in the movie. Again,
it's not too heavy. I don't want to mislead people.
It's a funny, charming movie, but it does have that
side which is so important, which is we are better together,
(18:13):
you know, we are better together and leaning on each other.
And I find it so comforting when I find someone
who understands and someone I can relate to and go, oh,
I've been there before. So that's why I enjoy making
these kind of movies that are so feel good, because
so many of them are characters that are at crossroads
in their life or having to make decisions or you know,
monumental events or just everyday events. But to see the
(18:34):
humanity in it and that we're really more like than
it's indifferent.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
And it's a movie that appeals to everyone, all different
walks of life. Right, It's a really bonding experience. Sit
around your TV and watch a holiday film.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
Totally, and it's so funny. The cast of characters in this,
I mean Craig and Joe and Katie and Lauren, like
everybody's just hilarious. And that was like one of the
hardest things for me on set was not laughing and
not breaking, you know, when there was a lot of
improv going on and so much fun.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
Well, and I feel like the movie could be set
up for other installments. Oh there's a lot of story
to tell. Yeah, you know, I'm not giving away the ending,
but I do feel like there's a lot there and
it really reminded me almost of like an Elf type
of movie. Yeah, I know.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
I thought Tustin was so good and that's a hard
part to bring to life, to be a snowman, yeah,
you know, and what does that look like? And what's
the physicality? And he's such physical comedy. He was so
brave and bold and it was just fun to be
a scene partner.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
Must have made your crack up oh so much.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
Yeah, And there were things that didn't end up in
the movie, and some scenes that didn't end up in
the movie, and inevitably stuff has to be caught, you know,
it runs long or whatever. But there was some stuff
they do. It was just absolutely hilarious. And there are
some bloopers at the end, which I love that they
surprised us with that I didn't know that was happening.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
Oh really.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
Yeah, And when I was watching the movie for the
first time, I was like, oh my gosh, it brought
back the best memory.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
Lacy. The name of my show is called I've never
said this before, and this question came up because I've
done a lot of work on red carpets and you
get three minutes with somebody, Yeah, maybe a minute a half,
Like it's very short, and I could always tell people
were creating longer connection and talking about something real. So
I always kind of wrap up my interviews with this question.
(20:23):
So I'm wondering, is there anything you can think of
whatever that question means to you but you've never said,
and you want to share it today?
Speaker 2 (20:30):
I think I would share I was really inspired to
say this, especially being back in New York City, which
is where my whole career started, and I was first
and Lama's a Rob on Broadway and being a part
of theater. I think it really taught me the work
ethic that I have. What it is to be a
part of a team. The show must go on, you
(20:50):
must always be there for each other. I have so
many good memories of being Lamis, So I would think
I would like to share that I would love to
do Broadway again. Really absolutely love to be in a
musical or play at some point in my career, and
I would love to return to the stage.
Speaker 1 (21:08):
Is there a dream role, like a dream show or role.
I'm a theater keek, so it's very exciting conversation. I'll
give you for another half hours, so I will wrap
it up.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
But is there a dreaming a lame is? I was
young cosette, young Eponine, and I got to understudy Gavroche,
which I got to play a few times, which was
so exciting. But as a young cosette, young Ebanine, I
always wanted to play adult Eponine, which she's supposed to
be like eighteen. So the time has passed. But at
some point, for one night only even I would love
(21:39):
to play Eponine and limsrel Oh my god. I mean
I kind of play it every other night in my
kitchen and I sing it as dream. I put on
many performances for my family.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
You're like coach, put me in maybe a one night show.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
I would love it. There are places in.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
The city like fifty four below and if you've anything, yes, creators.
But I'm just saying, at the end of the year
it can manifest that maybe you will do that.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
I would love that, But I think just to return
to theater, there is nothing like that feeling, that buzz
of like a live audience entertaining. So doing a show
that you may have done a couple hundred times at
this point, but it has to be like it's the
first time because it's the first time that audience has
seen it. It's just the most gratifying experience. And to
be there with everyone together and just thinking about it,
(22:23):
it makes me. It makes me feel excited. So I
hope I have the chance to do that in my career.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
Something tells me or the type that when you put
your mind to it, it happens.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
And now that I've said it, I think on tape.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
Right, it has to happen. Now, there's no way.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
Yeah, I have to try to make it happen.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
That's amazing. Well, I hope that does happen for you.
I think that would be probably really fulfilling and exciting. Yeah,
And as we wrap up, what is your holiday wish
for everybody?
Speaker 2 (22:48):
I hope they love hot Frosty. I hope it brings
some laughter and warmth, you know, to people's living rooms.
And my holiday wish is that you get to be
surrounded by love this holiday season, whether that's friends or
family or whatever that looks like for you. I hope
that we all just take a pause and just remember
what truly is most important, and that there's a feeling
(23:10):
of togetherness and hope, well.
Speaker 1 (23:11):
Everyone will certainly feel that watching your movie Congratulations, Thanks
you is so good everybody's stream Hot Frosty, watch it
over and over again.
Speaker 2 (23:18):
Thank you for this. That was really thoughtful.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
Oh well, thank you for hanging out, and thank you
for shining your light all the time. Than you, Thank
you you too. I've Never Said This Before is hosted
by Me Tommy Dedario. This podcast is executive produced by
Andrew Piglisi at iHeartRadio and by me Tommy, with editing
by Joshua Colaudney. I've Never Said This Before is part
(23:43):
of the Elvis Duran podcast Network on iHeart Podcasts. For more,
rate review and subscribe to our show and if you
liked this episode, tell your friends. Until next time, I'm
Tommy de Dario
Hey guys, welcome to I've never said this before with me,
Tommy de Dario, I don't know about you, but cozy
nights in watching Christmas movies. Yeah, it's one of my
all time favorite ways to celebrate the holiday season. And today,
one of the reigning queens of Christmas Movies she joins
my show. Lacy Shaver became an icon in pop culture
(00:26):
history by playing the og Gretchen Wieners in Mean Girls,
one of the best movies ever created period. Since then,
she has had countless credits to her name, most notably
starring in over three dozen Hallmark movies. But now she
is spreading that love by joining Netflix to bring some
holiday cheer. Lacy stars in the sweet and also very hmm, well,
(00:48):
oh sexy film, if I can say so, called Hot Frosty,
which is out now, Okay, think Sexy Snowman Comes to
Life turns a sweet wound's world upside down. That woman
had lost the piece of herself over the last few years,
but Sexy Snowman helps her find that piece of herself
once again. It is magical, It is everything you want
in a Christmas movie. It is so, so, so good.
(01:11):
And Lacey is also magical. And I love this conversation
because we get to learn a bit more about such
a beloved artist who just brings so much joy all
year around. So let's see if today we can get
Lacey to say something that she has never said before. Lazy.
How are youay?
Speaker 2 (01:32):
I'm doing great. It's been a really fun day. It's
so fun that we can celebrate this movie being out.
People can see it.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
I feel like we're in your living room. It's so beautiful.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Welcome to my home.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Christmas A little pseudo fire going on, Like.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
I actually do have Christmas up at my house already.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
So November first it happened.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Yeah right, I may have been a little earlier than that.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
You aren't stop.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Yes, I may have had some before Halloween, a couple
of weeks, tree up before Halloween, a tree more than one.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
Oh yeah, my god. You're not into Halloween. You're like,
let's just skip it.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
I mean, I'm into it. My e have an eight
year old, so she loves dressing up and going trigger
treating and stuff. But we were, you know, this year,
I was like, the sooner the better, and I just
love it. And my collection of decorations keeps growing. My
husband's like, Okay, we're good. Please don't bring the regardling
to this house.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
Try it in your city apartment. And my husband's like,
where are we going to keep all this?
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Like, what are we doing when there's room, there's a way?
Speaker 1 (02:28):
Thank you, Thank you. I knew I loved you. I
knew it right away. Well, congratulations on this movie. I
couldn't have loved it more. It's it's sexy, but there's
a lot of heart, a lot of heart so to start,
I mean, I feel like I'm talking to one of
the queens of Christmas. Right, You've done over three dozen
Hallmark movies, many of them being Christmas movies. Right, you're
(02:50):
now joining Netflix, So what keeps you coming back for more?
Speaker 2 (02:54):
I love these movies, especially the Christmas ones, because this
is truly my favorite time of year. Traditions, so many
traditions that we celebrate remind me of some of my
most just favorite childhood memories. And now that I am
a parent and I have an eight year old daughter, Julia,
getting to create new memories with her and seeing the
magic of the season through her eyes is just so
(03:16):
much fun.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
I bet she loves that she does.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
I mean, we do everything with the decorating and baking
and cooking and you know, my grandmother's recipes, and which
is something I really enjoy because it brings back those
memories of being in the kitchen with my great grandma,
my grandmother and my mom, and I get to create
those new memories with Julia. We do elf on the shelf,
driving around, looking at Christmas lights, really all of it.
It just has such a cozy, nostalgic fielding, which I love.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Julia must think you're the coolest mom in the world
for being in all of these all work.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
I don't know about that every day of the year,
but you know, we are exceptionally close, and she's just
the you know, the light my whole heart.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Well, Hot Frosty is going to be many people's whole
hearts because it's so it's so cute, it's so fun
and festive. You play Kathy, of course, she runs the diner.
Tell me about her and about the movie.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Well, at first glance, you're like, Okay, this is a
snowman come to live. It's called Hot Frosty. Is this
going to be really silly? And I opened up the
script and a few pages in I realized that, Wow,
this script has This story has so much heart, it's
so romantic, it's so funny, and it just has a
little bit of everything. And you know, my characters on
this journey where she's navigating the grief of having lost
(04:30):
her husband a couple of years ago, and she puts
this magical scarf on a snowman, just hoping to bring
it some warmth and he comes to life. She's not
sure if she really buys into it or not, and
he's just so charming and funny and unpredictable and bizarre
and kind, and they formed this bond and end up
teaching each other so much. You know, he's learning to
(04:52):
be human for the first time and she, you know,
by the relationship that they form, you know, he helps
her have the confidence to open up our hard again
and to realize it's okay to take a step forward.
And all of this happens while you know, the town
share is searching for him and trying to figure out,
you know, what's going on. And it's just it's funny
and charming and I was I fell in love with
(05:14):
it when I.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
Read it, and you know, it's not easy, I feel
like to make falling in love with the snowman believable, right,
you do, and you very much kind of treat that
character as if it's normal once you get over the
shock about it's a snowman. Right. So I imagine that
process for you was pretty fun, figuring out how do
I make this seem like it's plausible?
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Yeah, it was. It was something that was a real
collaboration with our wonderful director Jerry, you know, our great script,
and then all of us working together and Dustin and
I having a lot of conversations about, Okay, exactly what
do we think the tone of this scene should be,
and where are we in the story and how do
we make this as believable as possible, But also don't
take it too seriously And that is one thing I
(05:56):
love about it too. The characters aren't in on the
joke in a way, and it has a certain, I
think whimsical charm to it because of that.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
And I feel like the trailer lit up social media
because there's a scene which is also in the movie
where you're watching TV and your character looks at the
movie playing and right Lindsay Lohan her twenty two Christmas movie,
I believe that she did, and your character says, Oh,
that looks like a girl I went to high school with.
Was that your doing?
Speaker 2 (06:20):
It? Was not my idea? I wish I could say
it was, but it was an idea that you know,
was put into the script and they pushed it to me,
and I was like, I love it. You know, it's
so fun. And we did that for the fans, and
I'm so happy to see people's reactions and that they
appreciated it. You know, Lindsay and I have known each
other since we were little kids in New York auditioning
doing commercials together, and I just I love that our
(06:43):
past continued across, you know, and we'll forever have the
experience of Mean Girls together. And now that we have
this shared experience of both having a Christmas movie on Netflix, like,
it just makes me so happy. I'm so thrilled.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
And it's sweet that you continue to pay homage to
the Mean Girls fandom. Right you did the commercial last
year was a blast where you reunited with some of
the girls so much fun. Is it fun for you
to keep giving the fans a little taste of the
bread crumbs of Mean Girls?
Speaker 2 (07:07):
I mean, whenever you do any project, right, you go
to work, you do your best, and you hope that
it's going to resonate with people. You hope that people
are going to enjoy it and want to watch it
over and over. And the fact that Mean Girls has
turned into that is a joy something I'm so thankful
to be a part of. And spending the day with
Amandon Lindsay when we were filming the commercial was just
(07:27):
it was a blast. It was like no time had
passed and yet it was so nice that we were
able to catch up and we're talking about our kids
and it's just a real full circle moment.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
And somehow y'all look the same. So whatever secret you have,
whatever you're drinking, like, pass it my way.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Please, coffee and water? Okay, great?
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Great? Good to no good to know. I know everyone
continues to ask about reunions and all of that, and
I'm board of the question. So I'm going to spin
it a little bit. What do you think of a
Mean Girl's Christmas Movie?
Speaker 2 (07:54):
What a great idea.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
I mean, I would gladly be the executive producer. Let's
make it happen.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
That could be fun, right, It's actually a really cute idea. Yeah,
I think everyone would love to see where these characters
are right about now, you know, in their lives as adults,
and yeah, I love it. I'm into it.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
My wheels are now spinning. I'm like sitting here thinking
of plot points. But we'll cross upers when we get there. Licy,
you mentioned you've been in this industry.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
Since a kid, right since I was about seven.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
That's wild And now your daughter's eight, Yes, so is
it interesting a look through her perspective, Like, Wow, I
was doing this at that age.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
It's kind of hard for me to comprehend, to be honest,
I'm also really thankful, more than ever for my parents.
I understand why they were so protective, you know, when
I was little. Now, as a parent, all I know
is I just loved it, you know, ever since as
far back as I can remember, where it was standing
in front of my mirror with a hair brush and singing,
(08:50):
or making up plays with my siblings and performing them
for our parents in the living room. Like I just
love telling stories and playing make believe. And that's all
it was to me as a kid. I didn't understand
the business of it, or the career part or what
it could turn into, but I just loved going to
work and getting to pretend, and I can't believe, honestly
when I stop and reflect on it, that I've had
(09:10):
the chance to do that for so long. I'm extremely grateful.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Yeah, and consistently too, which is than you amazing.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
I feel very, very very blessed. And careers have a
lot of twist and turns and ups and downs, you know,
but I to find myself here at this point and
getting to make movies that I love so much and
have fun making. My gosh, it's a blessing.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
Working as a seven year old is not the norm, right,
Like how many people can say that? It's a pretty
amazing thing.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
I do you feel like work? You know? It was
always just fun. My parents were very protective to make
sure it remained fun, which I think is really important.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
Well, I think that's why you still have the magic
in your eyes when you talk about acting and movies
and you're still doing it. It's so evident you have
the passion for it. I don't know, man, I don't
know if I could have grown up though so publicly
because you went through all the stages right of Huberty
and everything growing.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
Up to those points, all the stages.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
Was it weird for you? Being so public facing throughout
most of your life, Like, did you ever have to
kind of grapple with that and figure out how am
I going to do this to protect my piece?
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Sure? I mean when I was on Party of Five,
which was the most special experience. You don't get to
have six years on a show very often, No, I mean,
it's a hard thing to have. It's a unique experience.
And we were together every day for six whole years.
So I grew up from eleven to seventeen with this
group of people, these pivotal teenage years where I went
(10:38):
through a lot of changes on and off camera, and
then my character was going through all these first Sometimes
it was something I had experience, sometimes it was something
I hadn't. And I look back at that and I think, Wow,
I was so blessed to have had such a good
group of people around me to guide me and protect
me and shelter me. And I think about who I
(10:59):
am now and the woman I am now, Like it's
a huge reflection of the people that I spent those
years of my life with.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
So how do you think you have changed the most
since that seven year old girl in the business, Like
where are you in your life? Now in this new chapter.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
Oh good question. There's part of me that I feel
hasn't changed, and certain things that I hope don't ever change.
And then there's part that, you know, I just feel
like all of the experiences of my life had have
led me good or bad, you know, to where I
(11:32):
am now, easy or hard. I feel like everything is
useful if you can look at it from the right perspective.
And I've really learned that in these last few years.
You know, life isn't always easy, but I think if
you can just find the good in it, there's always
joy to be had. There really is, and I have
felt that in the last few years of my life
(11:54):
more than ever. And I think a lot of that
becomes with being a parent too, and seeing so much
of the world reflected in my daughter, and it's just
such a Being a mom is my favorite thing in
the world, is it? It really is? I don't know.
You know, there's days where you're like, oh, I'm not
doing that, and I do a good job, you know,
but the love that I have for her, and that
(12:14):
my husband and I have for her is just it's immense,
and it makes you makes me appreciate my parents again.
Like I was saying, and just how how protective they
were for me all those years.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
And it seems like you truly live every day with gratitude,
Like you seem a very like you're a very grounded,
grateful person for where you've been, what you're achieving, what
you continue to achieve. Is that an important thing for
you in your daily life?
Speaker 2 (12:37):
It is? Yeah, it is. I feel immensely grateful for
so many things in my life outside of work and
outside of this business, so many personal things. I just
feel immensely grateful, you know, for my career, my family,
my family first, my faith. There's just so much that
I guess. Yeah, the word is gratitude, feel grateful for
and I'm so thankful for and I try to keep
(12:59):
that perspective. Mm hmm.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
I think that's important. I think that creates longevity for
anyone in any profession, not just this. I think no
matter what industry you're in, if you have that and
we all have bad days, Like I'm not sitting here
saying we don't have bad days. No, very clear, right,
we do. But to always kind of have that bubbling
inside of you, I think keeps you in whatever profession
(13:22):
you're in. For the long run.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
I think that's a I think you're right. Yeah, I
think you're right. I really try to lean on gratitude,
especially if things are complicated or tricky your heart or
you know, it's there's always something to be grateful for
and there's always happiness to be found. Just got to
look for it sometimes.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Yeah, you do, you do, And I'm super grateful this
movie is out because people are going to love it.
It's going to bring so much joy. As I said earlier,
what's a theme in this film that you took away?
Speaker 2 (13:48):
There's a few. I love the theme of community, and
especially towards the end of it, the town really comes
together to show up for Jack and Kathy in a way.
I don't want to give it away, but you know,
they really do. And I love that. I'm from a
small town in Mississippi. It'll forever be a huge part
of my heart. And you know where I'm from, and
I always felt a sense of community there and also
(14:09):
where we live now. And I love the theme. I mean,
the personal one I can speak to the most. Kathy is,
you know, grieving the loss of her husband. She's really
good at taking care of other people, and she herself
has fallen to the bottom of the list, and Jack
and helping him learn how to be human, he really
(14:30):
helps her have the courage to open up her heart again,
and I think that she needs to allow that and
forgive herself for not being able to move forward. And
there's such healing that's found in that, and I think
that's a beautiful theme. And then we're not alone. You know,
we're never alone. And I sometimes we've experiences that isolate us,
but you're never really alone, you know. We all relate
(14:51):
to each other on one level or another.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
And grief is something that people feel during the holidays
more than ever, right, I mean, it's a year round feeling,
but of course the holidays bring up quite a lot
for people. You miss people more, I feel like. And
the fact that you so beautifully tackle that with the
loss of your husband and yeah, you know you talk
about your explaining to the Snowman character what happened in
(15:15):
the kitchen, and that really touching way, I think is
going to resonate with a lot of people. I mean,
I definitely still agree with people I've lost, as I'm
sure you do, and we all do. Yeah, And it's
not a sexy thing to talk about, but the way
you highlight it is so important.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Yeah, it's I'm glad you said that. Yeah, I lost
my sister three years ago Thanksgiving, Meek, and so that
you know, with that coming up. I mean, I think
about my sister every minute of every day, but those
anniversaries are very, very hard. And I think that the
thing I've learned personally, And I do not mean to
sound like I have all the wisdom about this, because
I certainly don't, but it's that it's a journey. It's
(15:50):
a journey, and it takes every you know, every day
I learned something new, and sometimes it's a bit easier.
Sometimes it's a bit more challenging, and it sneaks up
on you sometimes. But it's okay to cry, it's okay
to miss them. And I think that those tears I
cry sometimes, I know that they're a way that I
also honor my sister. And I honor her by talking
about her, telling her stories. You know, she's in my head,
(16:11):
my inner dialogue all day long. I'm like, oh, she
would have loved this, or she would have said this
about this, or and I just I have this closeness
to her that I hope will never change, and I
know it won't because she's forever in all of our hearts.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
Then you feel like they never really go away, right, Yeah, totally.
I want to share a story with you. So I
was on a flight and there was this beautiful, sweet
grandmother next to me, and she could just tell I
was having a day and I was. I was grieving
the loss of someone and it was on my mind
and it was really hard for me. I didn't want
to be on this flight. Yeah, And out of nowhere,
(16:44):
she reached into her bag handed me this beautiful gift
and I brought one that I want to share with
you because I was so touched by this and I
was so touched by this theme in your movie and
what this is. It's a bear hug. And she said,
I want you to have this for whenever you're having
a bad day, or if you're not and you feel
like you meet someone who's having a bad day, you
(17:04):
pass it on, right. So I went online and I
ordered a bunch because I loved it so much, and
this is what she handed me. Read the card out loud.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
If you don't mind, I am a little pocket bear.
Squeeze me tight when feeling blue. I am here to
give you strength and warmth that will help to get
you through.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
So whenever you're feeling a little down, or if you
meet someone who is, I wanted you to also have
this because I was so touched by that point in
your film that, again, it's hard to talk about. It's
a very weird thing to talk about, and not that
your movie is all about that. It's fun and silly
and there's so many, so many things it checks off, right,
that's just a piece of it. But yeah, it's a
(17:41):
piece that I think is really important and I was
so touched by that that I wanted to just share
that with you maybecause it.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
Is very sweet. Yeah, it's so touching and it's so sweet,
and that's it. It's the human connection. You know, you're
sitting on a plane next to a stranger and they
gift you this, and now you're paying it forward and
gifting it to me, and it really means a lot.
And I think that is a beautiful theme in the movie. Again,
it's not too heavy. I don't want to mislead people.
It's a funny, charming movie, but it does have that
side which is so important, which is we are better together,
(18:13):
you know, we are better together and leaning on each other.
And I find it so comforting when I find someone
who understands and someone I can relate to and go, oh,
I've been there before. So that's why I enjoy making
these kind of movies that are so feel good, because
so many of them are characters that are at crossroads
in their life or having to make decisions or you know,
monumental events or just everyday events. But to see the
(18:34):
humanity in it and that we're really more like than
it's indifferent.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
And it's a movie that appeals to everyone, all different
walks of life. Right, It's a really bonding experience. Sit
around your TV and watch a holiday film.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
Totally, and it's so funny. The cast of characters in this,
I mean Craig and Joe and Katie and Lauren, like
everybody's just hilarious. And that was like one of the
hardest things for me on set was not laughing and
not breaking, you know, when there was a lot of
improv going on and so much fun.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
Well, and I feel like the movie could be set
up for other installments. Oh there's a lot of story
to tell. Yeah, you know, I'm not giving away the ending,
but I do feel like there's a lot there and
it really reminded me almost of like an Elf type
of movie. Yeah, I know.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
I thought Tustin was so good and that's a hard
part to bring to life, to be a snowman, yeah,
you know, and what does that look like? And what's
the physicality? And he's such physical comedy. He was so
brave and bold and it was just fun to be
a scene partner.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
Must have made your crack up oh so much.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
Yeah, And there were things that didn't end up in
the movie, and some scenes that didn't end up in
the movie, and inevitably stuff has to be caught, you know,
it runs long or whatever. But there was some stuff
they do. It was just absolutely hilarious. And there are
some bloopers at the end, which I love that they
surprised us with that I didn't know that was happening.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
Oh really.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
Yeah, And when I was watching the movie for the
first time, I was like, oh my gosh, it brought
back the best memory.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
Lacy. The name of my show is called I've never
said this before, and this question came up because I've
done a lot of work on red carpets and you
get three minutes with somebody, Yeah, maybe a minute a half,
Like it's very short, and I could always tell people
were creating longer connection and talking about something real. So
I always kind of wrap up my interviews with this question.
(20:23):
So I'm wondering, is there anything you can think of
whatever that question means to you but you've never said,
and you want to share it today?
Speaker 2 (20:30):
I think I would share I was really inspired to
say this, especially being back in New York City, which
is where my whole career started, and I was first
and Lama's a Rob on Broadway and being a part
of theater. I think it really taught me the work
ethic that I have. What it is to be a
part of a team. The show must go on, you
(20:50):
must always be there for each other. I have so
many good memories of being Lamis, So I would think
I would like to share that I would love to
do Broadway again. Really absolutely love to be in a
musical or play at some point in my career, and
I would love to return to the stage.
Speaker 1 (21:08):
Is there a dream role, like a dream show or role.
I'm a theater keek, so it's very exciting conversation. I'll
give you for another half hours, so I will wrap
it up.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
But is there a dreaming a lame is? I was
young cosette, young Eponine, and I got to understudy Gavroche,
which I got to play a few times, which was
so exciting. But as a young cosette, young Ebanine, I
always wanted to play adult Eponine, which she's supposed to
be like eighteen. So the time has passed. But at
some point, for one night only even I would love
(21:39):
to play Eponine and limsrel Oh my god. I mean
I kind of play it every other night in my
kitchen and I sing it as dream. I put on
many performances for my family.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
You're like coach, put me in maybe a one night show.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
I would love it. There are places in.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
The city like fifty four below and if you've anything, yes, creators.
But I'm just saying, at the end of the year
it can manifest that maybe you will do that.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
I would love that, But I think just to return
to theater, there is nothing like that feeling, that buzz
of like a live audience entertaining. So doing a show
that you may have done a couple hundred times at
this point, but it has to be like it's the
first time because it's the first time that audience has
seen it. It's just the most gratifying experience. And to
be there with everyone together and just thinking about it,
(22:23):
it makes me. It makes me feel excited. So I
hope I have the chance to do that in my career.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
Something tells me or the type that when you put
your mind to it, it happens.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
And now that I've said it, I think on tape.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
Right, it has to happen. Now, there's no way.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
Yeah, I have to try to make it happen.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
That's amazing. Well, I hope that does happen for you.
I think that would be probably really fulfilling and exciting. Yeah,
And as we wrap up, what is your holiday wish
for everybody?
Speaker 2 (22:48):
I hope they love hot Frosty. I hope it brings
some laughter and warmth, you know, to people's living rooms.
And my holiday wish is that you get to be
surrounded by love this holiday season, whether that's friends or
family or whatever that looks like for you. I hope
that we all just take a pause and just remember
what truly is most important, and that there's a feeling
(23:10):
of togetherness and hope, well.
Speaker 1 (23:11):
Everyone will certainly feel that watching your movie Congratulations, Thanks
you is so good everybody's stream Hot Frosty, watch it
over and over again.
Speaker 2 (23:18):
Thank you for this. That was really thoughtful.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
Oh well, thank you for hanging out, and thank you
for shining your light all the time. Than you, Thank
you you too. I've Never Said This Before is hosted
by Me Tommy Dedario. This podcast is executive produced by
Andrew Piglisi at iHeartRadio and by me Tommy, with editing
by Joshua Colaudney. I've Never Said This Before is part
(23:43):
of the Elvis Duran podcast Network on iHeart Podcasts. For more,
rate review and subscribe to our show and if you
liked this episode, tell your friends. Until next time, I'm
Tommy de Dario
Host
Tommy DiDario
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