Former Ohio State running back turned actor/director Maurice Hall is running it back with his second holiday-themed feature, but this time he ran a different creative route.
Credited as a co-director, co-writer, co-producer and actor, Hall is releasing his third film, and second holiday feature, with writing partner Tony L. Patterson, with “#WorstChristmasEver.” The romantic-comedy is set for a limited release in theaters on Nov. 13.
Unlike his last Christmas film, in which he starred, Hall switched positions to play the character Chris Grandberry, the main character’s ex-wife’s fiancé, in a supporting comedic role.
Former Ohio State RB ‘kind of fell into’ latest movie role
“They always say somebody has to be Jerry Lewis, somebody has to be Dean Martin,” Hall said. “I’m usually the Dean Martin character, but in this one, I’m more Jerry Lewis, which is fun to do. … I kind of fell into this role and really absorbed it.”
Former Ohio State football player Maurice Hall as featured in “#WorstChristmasEver,” the actor and writer’s third film with writing partner Tony L. Patterson.
Hall and Patterson’s first Christmas movie, “A Heart for Christmas,” starred Hall and his daughter, Sydney Reese Hall, in a family-centric feature with a “Hallmark” feel. His latest movie still pulls from personal experiences; it is loosely based on Hall’s writing partner, Patterson, and his struggles with holiday travel.
“We had that scenario, and we kind of just expounded on that,” Hall said.
The film inserts a character named Billy Turner (played by B.J. Britt), a divorced dad who flies to Atlanta to join his ex-wife (played by Shanti Lowry) and her new fiancé (played by Hall) for a Christmas celebration with their young-adult children. But the children’s flights end up being canceled, forcing Turner to spend Christmas alone with his ex-wife and fiancé.
Another win: Hall’s last Christmas movie has 7.6/10 on IMDB
It’s been 13 years since Hall’s first project was released on the big screen. Three feature films and a TV series later, Hall believes he has gone through the “on-the-job” training necessary to be successful in the film and television industry. It paid off in the positive feedback Hall received for “A Heart for Christmas,” which holds a 7.6/10 on IMDB with over 100 ratings.
Maurice Hall played running back at Ohio State from 2001-04,
Does he have another crowd-pleaser in store this holiday season? Hall’s latest vision started with the lead, B.J. Britt, a staple on Hallmark Christmas movies and an actor Hall had previously competed with for several lead roles.
“He brings a certain personality and certain warmth through the set that you want in a person going to be number one on the call sheet,” Hall said.
To star alongside Britt, Hall and his team brought in Taja V. Simpson (also in “A Heart for Christmas”), who shot more than 100 episodes in Tyler Perry’s “The Oval.” Along with her co-star credits, Simpson is a co-producer on this latest venture.
Taja V. Simpson and B.J. Britt in “#WorstChristmasEver,” former Ohio State running back Maurice Hall’s third feature film.
Hall believes the cast makes his holiday-romance-comedy mashup special.
“I think you’re gonna laugh more,” Hall said. ” ‘A Heart for Christmas’ was more heartfelt. … This one, it’s like chaos. It’s the worst Christmas ever, so what can go wrong does go wrong.”
Meet the cast of ‘#WorstChristmasEver’ at Columbus screening
Before Hall’s new film hits streaming on Tubi on Nov. 18, he’ll debut it Nov. 13 with a limited screening in Columbus. Despite feeling far removed from his Ohio State career from 2001-04, he still receives messages whenever he gets noticed from one of his acting credits.
“I always tell my friends, ‘Nobody at Ohio State remembers me,’ ” Hall said, to which his friends reply, “What are you talking about?”
“It’s always reassuring when people do reach out that I’ve known for years, either from Ohio State or just from high school. … Those always feel good,” said Hall.
Hall returns to his Buckeye homeland at the Studio35 theatre to kick off the release of his new film, beginning with a cast meet and greet at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are still available for the limited release.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Former Ohio State RB tackles family topics in ‘#WorstChristmasEver’
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com ’
