Marla Sokoloff Talks Netflix’s The Merry Gentlemen, Writing Christmas Movies, and ‘90s Nostalgia

[00:00:10] Marla, thank you for joining me today on Pop Culture Unplugged. Thank you for having me. Exciting times. We have November 20th, I believe, the Merry Gentlemen on Netflix. How excited are you about this?

[00:00:20] I am honestly so excited for a million different reasons. One, you know, it's bringing back Chad Michael Murray into the forefront, you know, which we need him with his shirt off more. Also, you know, I wrote it, which is really exciting. It's like the first I've written other things, but this is the first one.

[00:00:39] I think people are actually maybe possibly going to see, which is exciting. And then, yeah, and I'm also in it. So it has like a lot of really exciting things going on.

[00:00:49] What inspired you to write a story, you know, centered around a Christmas theme all-male review, you know, and just take any personal experiences or any favorite holiday memories? Like, how did this happen?

[00:00:59] Well, the producer, Jeff Shank, is somebody that I've worked with a bunch and he called me one day and he was like, I have this idea for a Christmas movie.

[00:01:05] Let me know if you're interested in possibly taking a stab at it to write it. And I instantly loved it because anytime there's like a different take on Christmas or anything that we know, you know, we're very familiar with and taking it and making it something new and exciting.

[00:01:22] Sign me up. I love that.

[00:01:23] And what's great about it, too, is, you know, like this, especially this time of the year, you know, you have like there's a new Christmas movie dropping almost every night on Hallmark.

[00:01:31] And then we have Netflix and everything. And people are tuning into these movies. They're watching them.

[00:01:35] I mean, honestly, there's a formula that goes with these movies that make people really want to tune in and watch them because it's comforting.

[00:01:42] And especially if you're somebody who loves Christmas, it's just it's a good go to to have, you know, people watch them, as you know, in July and August.

[00:01:52] They're just like they're not soon enough for them.

[00:01:54] I enjoy Christmas. I have two young kids. I have a nine year old and a seven year old.

[00:01:58] So, you know, for me, I'm still like a kid waking up in the morning just to see their reaction and stuff.

[00:02:02] It's my favorite. I love it so much. And I love I mean, right when it starts to get like light chill in the air in L.A., I'm like, let's go.

[00:02:10] Let's get the hot chocolate and, you know, the traditional stuff. I just love it all.

[00:02:16] As both of the writer and a cast member of this film, how did you do your like your dual role influence you the way you approached you for your character?

[00:02:24] Also, you know, we see you as Maria in this. Tell us a little about that process.

[00:02:27] Yeah, it's actually really funny. I never when I was writing it, there wasn't a part of me that was like, and I'll play Marie.

[00:02:33] It just kind of came about that they asked me if I wanted to play Marie.

[00:02:37] And I then realized I literally wrote this part for myself because her voice is similar to mine.

[00:02:44] And, you know, I was really excited to be able to do that.

[00:02:48] But as far as like, you know, switching hats, the writing was definitely done by the time we started shooting.

[00:02:54] So I was able to just put that all aside and, you know, let the director, Peter Sullivan, put his own like creative touch on something that I had worked on, which was really cool to witness.

[00:03:06] Yeah.

[00:03:07] So we're like, the big theme of this is also going back home.

[00:03:11] Like, what do you hope the audience takes away from that?

[00:03:14] Yeah, I mean, listen, with all of these movies, we want to have that like sense of family and connection.

[00:03:19] And, you know, there's so many things in the world that we get caught up in that I think it's really easy to forget about family traditions or where you came from.

[00:03:27] So I think that's always a good message.

[00:03:30] How was the dynamic on set between Brit and Chad?

[00:03:34] I mean, the dynamic was great.

[00:03:36] I feel like anytime you are on a new job, you're like, is everybody being cool or we're all going to get along or whatever.

[00:03:42] But the guys had been rehearsing their dancing for a couple of weeks.

[00:03:45] So they were really well bonded and got along so well.

[00:03:50] And then Brit, I have a couple of mutual friends in common with her.

[00:03:54] So we bonded over that instantly.

[00:03:56] And she's just such a doll, like the best.

[00:03:59] And Chad was amazing.

[00:04:01] My daughter actually is a huge fan of his.

[00:04:05] So I brought her to set one day and he couldn't have been kinder to her and like took pictures.

[00:04:10] I mean, she like barely could speak.

[00:04:12] She was so starstruck and he, you know, engaged her and was very sweet.

[00:04:16] And yeah, I mean, everyone was great.

[00:04:19] What was the audition process?

[00:04:21] Like, what were you looking for?

[00:04:22] Or did you have like a, I guess you could chat a phone call or did you have this part like written for him?

[00:04:27] Like, what was that all about?

[00:04:29] Pretty soon after the movie was attached at Netflix, they said, we're thinking about Sean McElmurray.

[00:04:34] And I was like, yeah, great.

[00:04:36] You know, like I fully support that.

[00:04:38] I agree with that.

[00:04:39] That's a great idea.

[00:04:41] Same thing with Brett, I assume.

[00:04:42] Brett, I assume.

[00:04:43] Yeah.

[00:04:44] Yeah.

[00:04:44] I don't remember how the Brit conversation, how she came.

[00:04:48] I think maybe they might have the same agent.

[00:04:50] And so they pitched Brit and I've always been such a fan of hers.

[00:04:53] I think she's so insanely talented.

[00:04:56] As one of the writers, any challenges like balancing comedy and the heartfelt aspects of the story?

[00:05:02] I would say the hardest part about this one is I tend to err on the side of like, you know, not edgy, but just trying to push the envelope with certain things.

[00:05:13] And with a Netflix audience or anybody who's liking a Christmas movie, I think you just have to be very careful with, you know, that gray area of, you know, making it too scandalous.

[00:05:25] It has to be appropriate for like younger kids, like your kids can watch it and, you know, older people, like everybody needs to relate to it.

[00:05:32] So I think that was like really fun trying to find that perfect balance.

[00:05:38] How did you guys go about creating like the performances and like the routines for like, especially for like all male review parts?

[00:05:44] Yeah.

[00:05:45] So when I was writing it, I can only speak from my experience.

[00:05:47] I have a really, really good friend of mine.

[00:05:50] Her name's Natalie Hill Jensen.

[00:05:52] She was on Broadway forever.

[00:05:54] And so I would have the routine in my head, but I didn't know how to write it out, you know, because I'm certainly not a dancer on any level.

[00:06:03] So I would Marco Polo her, you know, we talk on Marco Polo all the time.

[00:06:06] She doesn't live in LA and I would dance it out for her and say, okay, now what do I, what do I call this?

[00:06:13] Like, how do I write this out?

[00:06:14] And she would tell me.

[00:06:15] So I basically, you know, was a imposer, a complete imposter, a dancer.

[00:06:23] How about Marie as a, you know, the character that we see you as any parts of yourself in her or like, how did you like approach playing this character?

[00:06:31] Yeah.

[00:06:32] I mean, I feel like she loves Christmas.

[00:06:34] I love Christmas.

[00:06:34] You know, she just wants her sister to find love.

[00:06:37] I think we can all feel like that about our siblings and people that we love.

[00:06:41] She has a dog.

[00:06:42] I have a dog.

[00:06:42] You know, she loves her.

[00:06:43] She takes her little dog with her everywhere.

[00:06:46] She was a really easy character to, you know, sometimes you get characters that you don't necessarily like.

[00:06:52] She was very likable and fun.

[00:06:53] Yeah.

[00:06:55] Any favorite memories or behind the scene moments filming this that you can share with us?

[00:07:00] Gosh, I mean, I would say it was when I brought my daughter to set.

[00:07:04] It was so meaningful because Chad is just the most professional heartthrob you will ever meet.

[00:07:11] You know, he was everything you wanted him to be.

[00:07:13] And like I said, my daughter was so starstruck and really unlike her.

[00:07:17] She has a pretty, you know, outgoing personality and he was engaging.

[00:07:21] You know, so what are your plans this summer?

[00:07:23] And what have you seen, you know, of mine that you like?

[00:07:25] And he just was really great.

[00:07:29] He made her day and she still talks about it.

[00:07:32] So that meant a lot to me.

[00:07:33] So you love Christmas.

[00:07:35] You love this movie.

[00:07:36] Can we see you in the future doing more of these type of movies?

[00:07:38] Are you already like thinking about an idea to write?

[00:07:41] Yeah, I think I'm always thinking of ideas.

[00:07:43] And, you know, we all know that Christmas isn't going anywhere.

[00:07:46] Everybody loves it.

[00:07:47] Right. And it's one thing that we can all agree on.

[00:07:51] If even if we don't all agree on who the president should be,

[00:07:53] we can agree that we love Christmas and this time of year.

[00:07:56] So, yeah, keep going for sure.

[00:07:58] What do you hope the viewers take out of this film when they watch it?

[00:08:01] What do you hope they get out of this?

[00:08:03] I think it'll be, you know, somebody told me I was doing God's work

[00:08:06] by removing Chad Michael Murray's shirt.

[00:08:08] And, you know, I couldn't agree more.

[00:08:10] I think that it'll be a perfect movie for everybody to watch because,

[00:08:15] you know, your mom will like it.

[00:08:18] Your kids will like it.

[00:08:19] You will like it.

[00:08:20] You know, it's just it's fun.

[00:08:22] I mentioned before we went on the air, you know, you know,

[00:08:24] we're huge about the 90s and everything.

[00:08:26] Do you think like your early work helped you shape your career

[00:08:29] and what you're doing now as a writer and an actor?

[00:08:32] I do.

[00:08:33] I mean, the early stuff is really funny because I think a question

[00:08:36] I get asked a lot is like, why were you always the main girl?

[00:08:39] And I don't have an answer for that, aside from the fact that I think my face

[00:08:42] just at rest isn't exactly like friendly.

[00:08:46] You know how some people just have like a friendly face.

[00:08:47] I don't know if I have that.

[00:08:50] But yeah, I do because I feel like people, like you said,

[00:08:54] at the top of our conversation before we were recording, you said,

[00:08:57] you know, everybody loves the 90s and everybody loves talking about the 90s.

[00:09:00] So I actually feel like it's special.

[00:09:03] It's like a special time to come up in.

[00:09:07] How does it feel connected with fans?

[00:09:09] You know, a fan as myself from the 90s too.

[00:09:10] Like, how does it feel like connecting with those fans?

[00:09:13] I love it.

[00:09:14] You know, because everybody has like that one thing that they love.

[00:09:16] You know, somebody will come up to me and say,

[00:09:18] I was a huge Full House fan or I loved, you know, Party of Five

[00:09:23] or Dude, Where's My Car?

[00:09:24] He's Trigger and Spice.

[00:09:25] Like there's always like one thing that really resonates with them.

[00:09:29] So that's always really fun to kind of have those conversations

[00:09:32] with people about what that thing was for them.

[00:09:34] I was telling my daughter because she's been watching Fuller House,

[00:09:37] but then she's watching a little bit of Full House too.

[00:09:39] Like I'm talking to Gia later.

[00:09:40] She's like, yeah, that's been great.

[00:09:43] It's funny.

[00:09:44] Does she like Full House or has she not really?

[00:09:46] She watches Full House too, but she's more of like,

[00:09:48] she watches Fuller House.

[00:09:49] But I try to get her to watch the old stuff too all the time.

[00:09:51] Same.

[00:09:52] I did the exact same thing with my daughters and they just kept going back

[00:09:54] to Fuller House.

[00:09:55] Yeah.

[00:09:55] It's probably because it's a newer thing for them.

[00:09:57] That's all.

[00:09:57] Right.

[00:09:58] Yeah.

[00:10:04] It's nice to see you at a 90s con.

[00:10:05] That's being pretty big now.

[00:10:07] People always ask me that.

[00:10:08] I've never been invited.

[00:10:09] So I mean, it could be a fun thing to do,

[00:10:11] but I just, I'm in the wrong, you know, social club, I guess.

[00:10:16] Yeah.

[00:10:16] I guess we got, we got to try to push you to get you on.

[00:10:18] I'll email them.

[00:10:19] I've been in contact with them before.

[00:10:20] Oh, okay.

[00:10:21] How fun.

[00:10:21] Yeah.

[00:10:22] I feel like people ask me all the time and I've just never,

[00:10:25] never been a part of it.

[00:10:27] Amazing.

[00:10:27] Marla, how can the viewers now listeners find you on social media?

[00:10:31] Keep up with you.

[00:10:31] I know you've been posting about this.

[00:10:32] You've been posting about everything you've been doing lately.

[00:10:34] Yeah.

[00:10:35] Just Instagram, Marla Sokoloff and TikTok.

[00:10:38] I think I'm Marla Sock.

[00:10:39] I sometimes post on there.

[00:10:41] Generally, if I do, my daughter has edited it and told me what to do

[00:10:45] because I still don't understand TikTok.

[00:10:48] But yeah, those are my main platforms that you can find me.

[00:10:51] Amazing.

[00:10:51] Marla, thank you for giving me a few minutes today.

[00:10:53] Let's get you back on future projects.

[00:10:54] I enjoyed this conversation.

[00:10:56] Thank you so much.

[00:10:56] It was great to talk to you.

[00:10:57] Thank you.

[00:10:58] Have a great day.