Pour an extra-large glass of eggnog for this one.
Like many of you, I first “met” Amanda Kloots on Instagram as she chronicled her husband Nick Cordero’s battle with Covid-19 in 2020. Amanda and I have since become friends in real life and have bonded over our shared experience of losing a husband at a young age.
She has since turned her pain into purpose and became a New York Times bestselling author and co-host of The Talk on CBS. She’s also a fitness instructor, entrepreneur, was formerly on Broadway and was recently on Dancing with the Stars. I don’t know how she does it.
Now, she’s an executive producer and the star of her first film, Fit for Christmas. We caught up recently and talked about why she decided to make a Christmas movie, finding love after loss, and what she and her adorable son Elvis are doing for Christmas this year.
(And tune into the premiere of the Fit for Christmas on Sunday, December 4th at 8:30 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT on CBS and then on Paramount+ for streaming.)
Katie: First off, tell us a little about why you decided to make a Christmas movie…
Amanda: My mom and my sister Alison got me hooked on these Christmas movies a couple years ago. I don’t know if you remember, but in 2020 Hallmark did “Christmas in July” to lift people’s spirits during the pandemic. Shortly after Nick died, I couldn’t sleep and I was laying in bed at 3:00 AM and turned on a movie called Christmas Cookies.
I ended up creating this whole plot that night: a Christmas-obsessed fitness instructor has a holiday romance with a businessman who oversees the resort where she works.
A couple of months later I pitched the idea to CBS. At the time I really didn’t even know what a pitch was, but they ended up loving it!
Katie: What was it like acting in your first movie?
Amanda: Oh my God, it was a blast. I was nervous because I haven’t acted since acting school. When you’re on Broadway of course you’re acting, but I was always a dancer, so I never had long lines et cetera. But I had so much fun, I didn’t want it to end. I loved being in that world and I was lucky to be surrounded by such an amazing cast.
Katie: I know your sister Anna Kloots wrote your book, Live Your Life, with you. Did she help at all with this script?
Amanda: Not Anna Kloots, but ironically the writer of this movie is named Anna White and I was so lucky to be connected with her because she was the perfect person to work with. And now we’re best friends and creative partners.
Katie: That’s so nice, and makes the process so much more enjoyable. Back to the movie: What are some of the things you hope people take away from it?
Amanda: What I really tried to do throughout the creative process was to keep the movie very honest. Movies like these are heightened, but I wanted it to be honest. So I think that people will see the theme of following your dream, needing time to figure it out, but then believing in yourself to achieve your goal. And then the other theme is finding love after loss.
In the film my character’s dad lost his wife, so my character grew up without a mother. My dad gets to find love again — which can be hard and scary at an older age, but it also can be magical.
Nick’s mom, my mother-in-law, was really the inspiration for that plotline. I thought of her and all of the widows and widowers that I know and how difficult it was for them to decide to find love again.
Katie: Was it hard for you to revisit some of that? Did it stir up memories of Nick?
Amanda: You know, that part wasn’t too difficult. Being on set in Canada, in Nick’s country, and having this all come to fruition — especially the day that Elvis was there with me on set — was crazy because I just felt like, Gosh, Nick, if you could see me now. And when he died, I was only a fitness instructor running my own company. This was never something that I thought I would be able to do.
Katie: What, what are you and Elvis doing for Christmas this year?
Amanda: Well, very much true to the movie, I’m headed down to South Carolina to teach fitness classes at a beautiful resort. My whole family is coming. I’m so excited because the hotel is in the most beautiful, quintessential town. It’s covered in twinkling lights, Santa Claus is in the lobby every day and there’s a hot chocolate bar and carolers outside singing. It couldn’t be a more magical way to spend Christmas.
Katie: That’s so fun. And is Elvis at that age where he’s excited about Santa now?
Amanda: Yes, he is finally getting it! This year he’s asking for a drum set from Santa Claus, but as for using the leverage of being a “good boy” for Santa, I don’t know if that’s working… But we’re trying! He’s three and a half and he’s testing Mommy.
Tune into the premiere of the Fit for Christmas on Sunday, December 4th at 8:30 p.m. ET (8 p.m. PT) on CBS and then on Paramount+ for streaming.
