Whether you have known your loved ones your entire life or just recently met them, unquestionably helping and protecting your family and friends comes instinctively to many people. That’s not only the case for the main character, former bounty hunter Tory Bell, in the new original ABC Family action-comedy movie, ‘Christmas Bounty,’ but also the core cast members of the film, including ‘The Secret Life of The American Teenager’ actress Francia Raisa and WWE Superstar Mike “The Miz” Mizanin. The movie, which was directed by Gil Junger, is part of the cable network’s annual “Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas” programming event, and premieres tonight at 7:00pm ET/PT.
‘Christmas Bounty’ follows Tory (Raisa), who was ready for a new life when she left her family business behind in New Jersey and became an elementary school teacher in Manhattan. However, her new, happy life is threatened when an old enemy is released from jail and vows retribution on Tory and her loved ones. When Tory’s upper-class fiancé, James (Will Greenberg), follows her home for Christmas, she tries to keep her former job and threatening client a secret.
But Tory’s plan backfires when James unwittingly becomes involved in the Bells’ mission to stop the paroled convict. Further complicating matters, Tory must work closely with her ex-boyfriend, Mike (Mizanin), to bring down their target and keep James out of certain danger. But as Tory becomes further entrenched in her old life, she finds herself torn between whom she once was and her plans for the future.
Raisa and Mizanin generously took the time recently to participate in a press conference call to talk about filming ‘Christmas Bounty.’ Among other things, the two actors discussed how the whole cast instantly and closely bonded on the set in between takes, which they feel easily translated onto the screen; how Junger did a great job working with the entire cast, and made everyone look great and be at their best; and how Mizanin’s experience of acting and performing stunts in the WWE, while Raisa’s experience with martial arts, helped prepare them for the action of the family comedy, and make the stunts look real.
Question (Q): What was it that initially drew you to this role?
Mike ‘The Miz’ Mizanin (MM): WWE is like theater, as it’s live, you’re in front of a live audience and you only get one take. If you mess up, the entire world is going to see it, and are either going to boo you or cheer you at that moment.
However, by acting in a movie, you don’t get that initial reaction and you don’t get that live audience feel. Doing a movie is a lot nicer on my body. I just got back from Europe for WWE-we did a European tour for 14 days of constant wrestling, so my body and my mind are tired. When you’re shooting a movie it’s exhausting in a different way, as you’re mentally going at it and you don’t get that much sleep. But I do enjoy movies and WWE. I enjoy them both the same. They’re a lot different, and they’re also very similar.
I’m really excited about ‘Christmas Bounty’ because the cast just got along so well. It’s not every day that you get to enjoy such a close-knit cast. Every time we were done with a shoot, we would all go sit and just talk. I think you’ll see that closeness and that bond that we all had and that love for each other in Christmas Bounty. I think when a cast becomes close you can really see that they enjoy working with each other, and I think we all really had a pleasure working on ‘Christmas Bounty.’
Francia Raisa (FR): I agree! Coming off of ‘The Secret Life of the American Teenager,’ I am not used to doing any sort of action. This was my first time doing action scenes on camera. I did grow up doing martial arts. So, I was intimated to work with Mike, because he is a wrestler and has done this for a long time. But he was really welcoming and really encouraging. In ‘Secret Life,’ it was very go, go, go, go. It was a lot of fun and we were able to pick it up really well.
Like Mike said, we all really enjoyed working with each other; we became a family and definitely bonded. We are genuine friends, so it’s definitely going to show on camera. I’m just as excited, because we just watched the movie and you could just tell that there was so much chemistry between all of us!
It was definitely a transition, just because I hadn’t done film in a while, but I was really happy to know that this was the first project that I was going to do outside of ‘Secret Life’ and TV.
Q: Did either of you spend any time with bounty hunters to learn stunts for the role?
MM: I definitely watched ‘Dog the Bounty Hunter’ leading up to doing this role, just checking out exactly what bounty hunters do. So that was the extent of what we did. The casting process was put together fairly quickly, so there wasn’t an excess of time where you could find a bounty hunter and talk to him.
FR: It happened so fast; I found out on a Sunday and I was a plane by Wednesday. So my research was with the director and my cast. I did watch ‘The Bounty Hunter’ with Jennifer Aniston!
Q: What was your most memorable moment from filming?
MM: My most memorable moment is one having to do with Francia. I’m so glad I got to be with her in this movie because she taught me a lot on the acting realm and was a constant professional.
But there was one day where she was trying to do this savate kick for the movie. Let me tell you something-I can’t even do a savate kick. I’m the type of person that likes to give people a hard time, and I enjoy doing little pranks. If I see someone getting a little aroused I have to keep pushing that button. So I kept pushing it and at one point she was like, “You have to give me a moment!”
So I gave her a moment, and she did the savate kick and it was literally the most perfect kick. I think I’m going to take credit for her savate kick, because of the energy that I gave her during that moment.
FR: That made me so mad! That was a pretty memorable moment for me.
MM: Another memorable moment for me was that I had my first on-screen kiss.
FR: Oh yes! I was really excited about that!
MM: I’ve been on TV for a while and I never had a movie or TV series where I’ve had a kiss with an actress, so this was my first time. I guess you could say I was pretty nervous about it, because I didn’t know what the rules were. I just went for it, and I think it was Francia’s best kiss she’s ever had on screen, to be completely honest with you. I mean I’m a really good kisser. You can ask my fiancé!
Q: What traditions or rituals do you have for the holidays?
FR: I like to cook a lot, so I’m really excited to cook next week for Thanksgiving. I’m the only one doing it, so I will be up bright and early. Other than that, I like to sleep and watch Christmas movies. This year I will have my entire family watch ‘Christmas Bounty’ over and over again!
MM: I don’t know how to cook. If you asked me to cook you macaroni and cheese I could get you that, maybe a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, so you definitely don’t want me cooking.
Normally WWE has the ‘Survivor’ series on pay-per-view right around Thanksgiving. Then I fly to my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. I celebrate a day that I call “Miz Fest”, which is every Wednesday before Thanksgiving. I rent a school bus and I bring about 60 of my high school friends-yes, I said high school. I basically bring them all on the school bus and we just have a blast through the entire city of Cleveland.
The next day my family goes over to my aunt’s house for Thanksgiving. We eat my aunt’s dry turkey and her other food that she usually cooks. I’ve never seen someone try so hard to cook great food and still cannot do it well. So my Aunt Lynn isn’t the best cook, but you have to give her an A for effort.
During Christmas, I always love the Christmas movies. I love ‘Christmas Vacation’ and ‘Elf,’ and now I’m going to be watching ‘Christmas Bounty.’ I’m actually having a little viewing party (tonight) over at my friend’s house in Cleveland. I think everyone’s going to really enjoy ‘Christmas Bounty,’ because there’s something for everyone. It’s not just for girls, it’s not just for guys, it’s not old people, young people; there is something for everyone. If you like comedy, if you like drama, if you like romance, if you like a little action, guess what-you’re going to get it all in ‘Christmas Bounty,’ and it’s going to show that true holiday spirit.
Q: What should fans expect while tuning in to Christmas Bounty?
MM: It’s one of those feel good movies! I think everyone watches their special Christmastime movies. This is a movie that’s going to be right up there with all the other ones. I think people are going to really watch, and when they’re done watching this movie they’re going to come away with a smile on their face, they’re going to cuddle with their loved ones a little closer. I think it’s just one of those movies that will stand the test of time, and will be shocked to see how great it truly is.
FR: I agree! It’s just one of those feel good movies that you enjoy watching, and you take yourself away from reality a bit and you tap into someone else’s happiness. It’s one of those movies that’s a perfect ending to your night.
MM: Here’s what I want everyone to do (tonight). I want you to get some popcorn, I want you to get your most comfy clothes on, I want you to snuggle with one another, and I guarantee you by the end of that movie you guys are going to look in your loved ones eyes and say, “I love you.”
Q: What preparations did you have to take to make it work between the two of your characters?
FR: We met on set! While I was working as an actress on ‘Secret Life’ recently, I’ve been training my entire life for something like this. As I mentioned earlier, I did martial arts for ten years.
I think we both just came in with an open mind. We both just wanted to just make a great project, we both were really passionate about the script, and there was no reason to not get along. Mike’s a great guy and has a great outlook on work, his work ethic is incredible and he was really trying to make this character great. He was really into learning how to get in deeper with the character and not just have very surface choices. I really wanted to make it look great when it came to fighting, so we worked together to make sure that happened.
I can see us being friends for a lifetime, but we’ve only known each other a few months! I’m really grateful that he’s in my life, even though he gives me a hard time sometimes, but he’s like a big brother to me.
MM: Me too! It was an instant connection between the entire cast; we all just clicked, and it’s not every day you get that, to be completely honest with you. I’ve been on TV shows where people don’t like each other, but they have to work with one another. This couldn’t be more opposite; everyone was truly likeable, everyone liked each other and wanted to be around each other. Some people would come to set during their off days just to hang out with one another because we were such a close-knit group.
To prepare for this movie I think ‘The Real World’ made me comfortable in front of cameras, and then the WWE made me comfortable in front of a live audience and theater. I’ve also worked with acting coaches and done Improv Olympics. To prepare for this movie, I just listened to acting coach.
Whenever I do a movie, I always like to base my character off of a couple different characters. When I was in ‘Marine 3: Homefront,’ I went with the Paul Newman, Clint Eastwood and Bruce Willis type of theme. With this one, since Gil did ‘10 Things I Hate About You,’ I watched some of his movies and his work. Heath Ledger was in ‘10 Things I Hate About You,’ and really connected with me with this kind of character. I took that realm and brought it to ‘Christmas Bounty.’
Gil is a tremendous director, and did a great job with the entire cast. He made everyone look great and be at their best, and created such an ease on set that you can feel.
FR: I think we all had the same goal coming into this project, and I think it really shows on camera and it really created a bond between all of us. That’s what’s important with every cast having the same goal to get to the end result. No one was trying to be the star or stand out more. We all really just wanted to work together.
Q: Could you talk about where Christmas Bounty was filmed?
FR: We were on location in Vancouver at a house. I loved it out there-we had so much fun! We were at a mall at one point; that was fun.
It was raining a lot, but the weather did not disagree with us at all times. There was a day where we needed to shoot outside and we could not afford to have rain, and it did not start raining until we stopped shooting, and we were done for the day. It’s a great city. I loved it out there.
MM: This is a very fast paced movie, and anything weather wise could have really affected the movie, but we got very lucky with a lot of the locations. Vancouver is gorgeous and very green. I like the rain, because I live in Los Angeles now, and it’s never raining, so I never get to see rain anymore. I’m from Cleveland. I like thunderstorms; I like a little rain in my life. So I loved going up to Vancouver and seeing that rain and the greenery. The people are just absolutely wonderful and so nice.
Q: Did having an action background (martial arts and WWE) help for the action sequences in ‘Christmas Bounty?’
MM: Along with WWE, acting in ‘The Marine 3: Homefront’ really got me prepared for all the action scenes for ‘Christmas Bounty.’ I think WWE is as action packed as they come; it’s non-stop. It’s what we do, learning the performances, adding little things here and there to make sure that the scene flows right and it’s perfect.
FR: I think Mike had a bigger advantage than me, because he does it all the time. First, I’m not use to action sequences. Second, when I grew up doing martial arts I actually hit people, so it was really hard for me not to actually hit some of the stunt guys or the actors. I was at an advantage, because it helped me with the choreography. It helped me really show that I make it look real. But I was at a disadvantage, too, because I did bruise some people up sometimes.
MM: You did a very good job, Francia! I think people are going to debate whether or not she showed me up on these action scenes or not, because she has some really cool acrobatic scenes in there. There’s a scene where she’s on a guy’s shoulders. It’s pretty incredible some of the maneuvers that she pulled off.
FR: You’re so sweet. Thank you. I did do all my own stunts! I was fighting to do my own stunts. The only stunt I didn’t do myself was jumping off the building in the beginning of the movie. But other than that, I’m on the car, rolling off the car, all of that was me.
Q: Mike, how did you manage to take the MTV brand that you created into your dream career?
MM: I still look at my life to this day and I’m in awe of it, and I don’t know how I did it or why it happened. I would say it’s all a little bit of everything; it’s preparation, hard work and determination, but also there’s a little luck involved. It’s not willing to settle for anything less than success.
People always told me that I couldn’t do something. When I tried out for ‘The Real World,’ people were like, “What’s going to stand you out from 40,000 people?” I would tell them, “I don’t know, but I’m still going to try out.” I tried out and made it.
Then once I wanted to be a WWE superstar, people were telling me that, “You’re not 6′ 7″, you’re not 300 pounds, you’re not full of muscles, you’re not athletic enough,” and I just wanted to prove them all wrong. So I think it’s my motivation and my dedication to prove everyone wrong whenever they tell me I can’t do something. So I think it’s a little bit of everything, but I think it was just my mentality that I wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Q: How much of The Miz did you bring into your character in the movie?
MM: None. Whenever I come to these movies, I don’t want people to look and go, “Oh that’s The Miz.” I want them to go, “Oh that’s Jake Carter. That’s a new character; that’s something I haven’t seen from The Miz before.” In ‘Christmas Bounty,’ I want them to say, “Oh Mikey Muscle is a completely different character.” I want them all to have their separate entities. But whenever I’m around backstage you definitely get to see The Miz and witness The Miz, because it’s more fun that way.
FR: When I met Mike he was so welcoming. He had his dog with him, and I’m a dog person. He treats her like his own daughter. So it was nice seeing the soft side to him.
MM: I get it all the time, by the way, that “I love Mike but I hate The Miz.” I get that at least once a day, so it’s nice. It’s definitely one of those things I know when to turn it on, I know when to turn it off.
Q: Mike, do you think you might want to make more of an acting career?
MM: With WWE I think there’s a tremendous amount of acting that we put across. The Miz is arrogant, egotistical, and believes everything he is, and with WWE, you’re doing a lot of that kind of stuff. WWE Studios has been doing a great job of dishing out some really good movies as of late, with ‘Marine 3’ being one of them, and also ‘The Call.’ We have ‘Scooby Doo’ coming out in March, and I’m really excited about that, because I got to be a voice in the film. Anytime you get to play a voice in ‘Scooby Doo,’ you have to be pretty ecstatic, and I was. So that’s always fun as well.
I’m also dipping into I have my own radio show on SirusXM 87, called ‘Sirius Fantasy Football.’ It’s the fantasy football show, but it also has a little bit more than just fantasy football; it has a little bit of wrestling and pop culture, so I have fun with that as well.
As far as acting goes, I love it. I do have the acting bug, and WWE satisfies that bug for now. Hopefully I can get more movies with WWE Studios and keep the whole trend going.
Q: Francia, what projects are you currently working on?
FR: I actually just got back from Atlanta, and I ran into Mike at the airport. I shot a pilot for Lifetime called ‘Unreal.’ It goes behind the scenes of reality TV. This one in particular is a popular reality contest similar to ‘The Bachelor,’ and I play a field producer. I’m working along Shiri Applebee and Megyn Price and a wonderful cast. Marty Noxon is one of the show creators, along with Sarah Shapiro. I’m excited to get that project going next year once Lifetime picks it up.
I also recorded a Christmas song, so I’m dropping that right before Christmas. It’s called ‘Wish List,’ and it’s going to be my first single coming.
Written by: Karen Benardello
