‘I Learned to Be Super Sly’ (Exclusive)

NEED TO KNOW

• Olivia Holt and Connor Swindells star in Netflix’s new Christmas movie Jingle Bell Heist

• Holt had to work with a magician to learn sleight of hand to play her character, a talented thief

• PEOPLE has the exclusive first trailer for the film, premiering Nov. 26

Nothing says ho-ho-ho quite like holiday hijinks!

In PEOPLE’s exclusive trailer for Netflix’s new Christmas movie Jingle Bell Heist, Sophia (Cruel Summer’s Olivia Holt) and Nick (Sex Education alum Connor Swindells) team up to rob a London department store owner (Peter Serafinowicz) on Christmas Eve.

Over the course of their plotting and planning, they catch more than a few whiffs of gingerbread — they catch feelings for one another.

They’re also not only seeking riches: Sophia’s mother is sick and has mounting hospital bills, while Nick is a single father hoping to get his own place so he can spend more time with his son.

“This was so much fun,” Holt, 28, tells PEOPLE of making the film. “It has elements of action and romance and mystery that are all genres and worlds that I love.”

“What drew me most to the project was the excitement of making something silly and joyful again,” says Swindells, 29. “I’ve always wanted to make a Christmas movie.”

To pull off some of that action, Holt had to learn some sleight of hand skills, especially because Sophia is meant to be a fan of magic and recalls learning it when she was young.

“I worked with a magician at the beginning of the shoot,” the actress says. “I learned how to be quick with my hands and just super sly and suspicious — and it was really fun.”

Holt admits she always liked magic but had never tried doing it herself. She also hasn’t given it up entirely since she finished filming.

“It definitely is something that I’ve carried with me in my life since making this movie. I only learned a couple of things, so I don’t know if I can quite call myself a magician yet, but it is so fun to whip out some of the tricks that I’ve learned,” she says.

With a laugh, Holt adds, “I can make coins disappear and come back. That’s really the one thing I’m excellent at. Everything else probably needs some work. I got a bit of movie magic to help [in the film] too.”

“Olivia’s sleight of hand skills were questionable in the beginning,” Swindells offers, “but star talent that she is, she picked it up very quickly. I was thoroughly impressed by the time we came to shoot those sequences. Listen, if it were the other way around, they’d certainly need to hire a hand-double. With my paws, there’s nothing sleight to be seen at all.”

A little magic wasn’t the only thing the cast studied to prepare for the film.

“There were so many movies I watched during that time, especially because we were shooting in London around Christmastime,” Holt says. “It was kind of kismet in that way. We have The Holiday. I really love Four Christmases; I love Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn’s dynamic in that movie. They are this unlikely pair, and their banter and bickering in the movie is so fun. I definitely felt like Connor and I leaned into that a little bit too.”

“And obviously we watched Ocean’s Eleven,” she continues. “That was definitely something that was a good reference for us.”

From the trailer, it’s clear both Holt and Swindells had a great time making the film.

“The movie is filled with disguises and fun jokes and funny people,” says Holt, who loved Sophia’s “spunkiness.” “And there are so many silly bits in the movie that leaning into it was the only way to really make it work.”

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Jingle Bell Heist is on Netflix Nov. 26.

Read the original article on People