Hallmark's annual Countdown to Christmas is going strong in the 2023 TV season as the temperatures continue to drop and excitement for the holiday season continues to rise. Nikki DeLoach, who is already a familiar face in the festive season, returns to Hallmark Movies & Mysteries for A World Record Christmas. The new movie tells the story of a young autistic boy named Charlie (Aias Dalman) who dreams of setting a Guinness World Record, with the encouragement of mom Marissa (DeLoach) and stepdad Eric (Lucas Bryant). The actress spoke with CinemaBlend about the true story that inspired the movie and how it celebrates neurodiversity.
DeLoach is a holiday movie veteran by this point, with roles in Hallmark Movies including (but certainly not limited to) Cranberry Christmas, Reunited at Christmas, and A Dream of Christmas. A World Record Christmas follows the story of a boy who wants to break a Guinness World Record by stacking no fewer than 1400 Jenga blocks, while also raising money to benefit kids with autism with the support of his mom and his stepdad. The movie is inspired by autistic teen Auldin Maxwell, who is the real-life Guinness World Record holder for stacking Jenga blocks.
When I spoke with Nikki DeLoach for A World Record Christmas, she weighed in whether she was familiar with Auldin Maxwell's true story before she landed the role of Marissa:
I was not, but I have a now-10-year-old. It's also God and it's kismet, because I have this 10-year-old who is also obsessed with breaking world records. So for like a year at his school, at the school library, he checked out a Guinness Book of World Records book and he would sit at the breakfast table every morning as he ate breakfast and he would flip through and read about all the different records that were broken. I had not read about Auldin's but my kid, when I told him about the movie, Hudson goes, 'I read about him! I read about his record!'
Nikki DeLoach may not have been an expert on Guinness World Records, but she had a personal connection thanks to her son's enthusiasm! A World Record Christmas also follows up on the actress starring in Hallmark's first faith-based movie in 2022, so it seems fitting that she was feeling a bit of kismet for her 2023 movie. She continued:
It just felt like the perfect God wink for me to be a part of the movie. Not only was the story so special, and important and meaningful to read the story about a kid who wanted to break this world record. [But] then for me to have a kid in my own life that was so obsessed with also breaking a Guinness Book of World Records [record], I just thought, 'Well, I have to go and be a part of this movie,' and boy, am I glad that I did. It was such a special experience.
A World Record Christmas isn't a direct retelling of Auldin Maxwell's real-life story, but an original tale framed by the experiences of a small family unit with a lot of heart. While DeLoach and on-screen husband Lucas Bryant were both already Hallmark veterans ahead of this new project (with Bryant appearing in movies including The Angel Tree in 2020 and Time for You to Come Home for Christmas in 2019), this marks young Aias Dalman's first Hallmark holiday movie. DeLoach praised the message of the movie and her young co-star's performance, saying:
I think this movie is so beautiful because it really shows that – especially [for] a kid that has autism – that it's not something that you have to get over or get past or it's not this stumbling block or this challenge that they have to face and fight and win over. It's something that we can all learn from, especially with the kid who plays my son, Aias. He is autistic in real life, and he was such a perfect kid to bring this story to life because when you're around Aias, you see that his autism is also what makes him so incredible.
In praising Aias Dalman, Nikki DeLoach pointed out that he wasn't just a great screen partner for his age. She praised him as one of the top actors she's ever worked with in one key way, as she went on to say:
Just working with him as an actor, he is one of the most present actors I've ever worked with in my life. Looking at me, connecting with me, really being present in the moment. His ability to understand nuance, and be sensitive to exactly what the moment is asking of us. I just really never witnessed that in a kid before that I was able to act with. A lot of adult actors struggle with being present in the moment! And he was just so there with me, and it was one of the most joyful experiences I've ever had on a set. Everything that he brought to the role, but also in life he's just such an incredible phenomenal child.
Given that Hallmark movies are known for often delivering happy and hopeful endings, fans can enjoy knowing that the actors had a joyful experience while working on A World Record Christmas. The movie will also share an important message about neurodiversity. DeLoach explained:
I really loved celebrating how our neurodiversity actually makes us more powerful, more special. I think sometimes we think about spectrum and neurodiversity, and we look at that and think that the differences separate us, but I think this story tells the accurate reflection of the journey, which is to look at our neurodiverse kids and to say, 'Man, you are bringing something so unique to this table, and all of us need to pay attention because we can learn from you.' And so I felt like that was so celebrated in this story, and what a beautiful story to tell at this time.
A celebration of neurodiversity can't be found in every holiday movie, and is just one element that sets A World Record Christmas apart. When I noted to Nikki DeLoach that this movie is my introduction to Aias Dalman as an actor, she said:
He's remarkable, and that's how he was in life. Just his ability to connect with you. And his intelligence? If him and I were to go up against an IQ test today, he would beat me hands-down. [laughs] He was so brilliant. And I just learned from him every single day and he made me laugh. We had so much fun together. Gosh, what an extraordinary boy.
Fortunately, the wait to see Nikki DeLoach, Aias Dalman, and Lucas Bryant together in A World Record Christmas is nearly over. The new holiday movie premieres on Thursday, November 16 at 8 p.m. ET on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. You can also get a sneak peek at the family at the center of the story below, with Charlie getting closer to his Guinness World Record dream with the support of mom Marissa and stepdad Eric:
A World Record Christmas is just one of many new holiday movies releasing courtesy of Hallmark for Countdown to Christmas, and plenty more are on the way before the end of 2023 and beginning of the 2024 TV schedule. Star Trek alum Jonathan Frakes will appear in A Biltmore Christmas on November 26, and he also spoke with CinemaBlend about his career leading up to the Hallmark festivities.
