Lacey Chabert calls reunion with 'Mean Girls' cast mates a 'full circle' moment: 'We're all moms now!'
"Whenever I do any project, I hope that it's going to resonate with people," she says. "To have something be so well received is wonderful."
Lacey Chabert is ready for the holidays. The actress, known for her roles in Hallmark Christmas movies as well as playing Gretchen Wieners in Mean Girls, is entering the season with meaningful reunions and new traditions.
Chabert is starring in two back-to-back Hallmark films: A Merry Scottish Christmas alongside former Party of Five co-star Scott Wolf and Haul out the Holly: Lit Up, the sequel to 2022's Haul out the Holly.
Both movies arrive on the heels of the headline-grabbing Walmart ads that feature Chabert with Mean Girls castmates Lindsay Lohan and Amanda Seyfried.
"It was even more fun than it looked," she tells Yahoo Entertainment about reuniting on set with fellow Plastics Lohan and Seyfried. "It was a really special day to be with Lindsay and Amanda again and to reminisce about the experience we had together, which is just so unique, and to catch up with each other. We're all moms now! It was really a full circle moment."
Nearly 20 years after the movie first premiered, Mean Girls fans are still obsessed with the film's Y2K looks and catchphrases Chabert helped make famous: "On Wednesdays, we wear pink," "That's so fetch," and "You can't sit with us!" Its success led to a Tony Award-nominated Broadway show and an upcoming film version of the musical, which hits theaters Jan. 12, 2024.
Looking back, Chabert can't help but have gratitude for the experience.
"Whenever I do any project, I hope that it's going to resonate with people," she says of the film's lasting impact. "So, to have something be so well received is wonderful."
'It was like stepping back in time'
Another full circle moment for Chabert was reuniting with Scott Wolf for A Merry Scottish Christmas. The duo starred as brother and sister on Party of Five, which ran from 1994 to 2000.
In the movie, out Nov. 15, Chabert and Wolf play estranged siblings who travel to Scotland at Christmas to reunite with their mother.
"I will forever feel like his little sister, and he's my protective big brother," she says of Wolf. "He was very much like that on set, always making sure I was OK. We have so much respect for each other.”
Chabert and Wolf have wanted to film a Hallmark film together for years, she explains, but they were never able to find "the right story" until now. Once on set, she says it was like nothing had changed.
"I would look at him and just start giggling because I was so excited we were there," Chabert says. "We hugged a million times and I think we both really made sure to take it all in and to really appreciate it, because we knew how special it was. It was like stepping back in time, in a way."
This 'Queen of Hallmark' uses an artificial tree
With more than 30 Hallmark movies to her name, many of which are holiday themed, fans have dubbed Chabert the "Queen of Hallmark." That's a title she doesn't take lightly.
"I love Christmas so much so I'm honored if people are associating me with the holidays," she says. "I love the holidays. I love hosting. And I love having people over."
Just don't expect to see a real Christmas tree in the Chabert household. Still, the actress, who recently partnered with Glade for its limited-edition holiday fragrances, found ways of compensating by using one of the company's many plug-in scents or candles.
"When I light it, I feel like there’s a real tree in my house," she says of Glade's Twinkling Pine and Cedar candle, noting that her personal favorite is Starlight and Snowflakes because it "smells like fresh-fallen snow."
During the holidays, the role that's most important for Chabert is mom. She shares daughter Julia, 7, with husband Dave Nehdar.
"Being a mom changes your perspective on everything," she says. "Everything I do in life, I do now as a parent. I want to be the best version of myself for my daughter."
That also includes the roles she chooses to play and the companies she partners with. "It’s another reason I love this partnership with Glade," she explains. "The scents are nostalgic. It's so fun to relive these traditions with Julia because I get to see the magic through her eyes, and it brings back the best memories."
A Merry Scottish Christmas premieres on the Hallmark Channel on Nov. 15. Haul out the Holly: Lit Up premieres on Nov. 25.
