Sydney Scotia compares being a part of two very different holiday films – Our Holiday Story and It’s A Wonderful Knife – in this interview.
Sydney Scotia first gained widespread recognition for her role as Geneva Hayes in the Netflix series Some Assembly Required, and has now found herself a part of many projects. Most recently she was in Our Holiday Story, a Hallmark Christmas film.
This was not her first holiday project however, as she also starred alongside Joel McHale and Justin Long in It’s A Wonderful Knife. In this interview she discusses that project, as well as teases her upcoming film, Sawtooth Mountain.
Justin Long Improvised A Lot In It’s A Wondeful Knife
Tessa Smith: Can you talk about being a part of two holiday films, that are so very different?
Sydney Scotia: Oh, my gosh. Yeah, It’s A Wondeful Knife was one of those onset moments where you show up prepared and then you just, it’s not at all what you expected, because sometimes you don’t know the tone going in, especially when there’s no precedent. There’s no movies to follow. I watched the director’s movies beforehand, but it was a completely different genre almost.
So it was a really fun experience working with Justin Long and Joel McHale. Also, because Justin Long just improv’d so much, there’s not a lot of improv when you’re in a TV movie like this, but he gave so much room for everybody to play. He really set the tone and it was this Christmas camp horror.
And so from there, once we all got on set and started working with Justin, it was like, OK, I know what we’re doing and I’m just going to go for it. One of my favorite moments in that movie is when I have like a knife or ax or something and she whacks me with a Christmas present.
I was like, this is crazy. It is amazing. It is like the most wild Christmas movie, and that’s thanks to Michael Kennedy’s writing.
Sydney Scotia’s Teases Sawtooth Mountain
Tessa Smith: What can you tease about your upcoming film Sawtooth Mountain?
Sydney Scotia: Sawtooth Mountain is a thriller suspense horror film. We just wrapped it in Vancouver, B.C., and it is a Bigfoot themed movie. Three law students who go away for the weekend and run into trouble with some some elements in the woods. That’s what I can tease right now.
We just wrapped and I’m so excited about it because it really just was one of those experiences where I felt like I got to be part of it from a very early stage, and I was so grateful to have been brought on.
Be sure to watch the full interview with Sydney Scotia to learn about her favorite holiday traditions and what it was like working on Our Holiday Story.