Those first-love jitters were also evident in the chemistry between Mamma Mia!‘s Juan Pablo Di Pace and Peter Porte, the stars of Paramount Network’s Dashing in December. Set in a winter wonderland-like Colorado ranch, the film is also a comforting love story, one made better with the help of Andie MacDowell, who plays Porte’s mom. (Yes, the aesthetics might remind you of Brokeback Mountain).
“We’re part of a little bit of a revolution,” Di Pace told E!, recognizing the film as one of the first with gay leads. “It’s quite realistic in terms of that first meeting between two humans—regardless of them being gay or straight. The gay thing also doesn’t come with any self-loathing. It doesn’t come with any, ‘Oh my god, there’s an illness, or someone’s dying.'”
A Hallmark favorite (Rome in Love, A Gift For Christmas), Porte saw Dashing in December as an opportunity to step outside of his comfort zone, explaining he typically plays the male love interest to a “beautiful blonde girl from the city who returns home.” But fortunately not this time around. “When I heard and read the script,” he joked, “I got very excited because I recognized that I would finally get to play that blonde girl after all these years!”
Regardless of whether these movies are considered good, bad or worthy of critical acclaim, it’s the way they’ll make people feel that matters.