Mercy: Can you share what you've been up to since we last spoke?
Kristoffer: Last time we spoke I was driving in beautiful British Columbia working on installment two or three of Mystery 101 and of course we completed that and its already aired as well as installment four.
As soon as that wrapped I went home to Los Angeles for the Summer TCA's, for the Hallmark aspect of the TCA's while I was there I got the offer to do Double Holiday for them which is the first one they picked up, (they've made another since) but it's one of two Hanukkah inclusionary holiday films. What that means is that while its a lot of the same formula as most Hallmarks Christmas/holiday movies these also incorporate Hanukkah, mine specifically I can't speak for the other one. Double Holiday specifically incorporates Hanukkah which is cool.
It's about a guy and a girl who are at odds with each other at work and are tasked to throw a party. My co-star is Carly Pope who, hers' and my IMDB page is very similar. We're workers who have just done a ton of stuff over the years and been on like, everything. Her character and my character don't really see eye to eye and they're both competing for the same promotion at work. You come to find out that she's Jewish and her family celebrates Hanukkah and my character ends up crashing the first night of Hanukkah and meeting her family. We get to go through the eight nights of Hanukkah with her and her family and learn all about the traditions. It's a lot of fun. He gets to see where she shines and then I don't know Mercy, maybe they fall in love?
Mercy: Are there any behind-the-scenes stories you could share?
Kristoffer: We filmed in Ottawa, Canada which is the capitol of their country, we were there in September, the last weeks of summertime/beginning of Fall. There were a couple days that were cool and crisp but for the most part it was really beautiful weather. For filming, anytime we had to have snow it was hot outside which, usually I film in Vancouver so this was the first time I had to pretend to be cold and then as far as antics Carly was just such a pleasure to work with, she's a confident professional couldn't be kinder to everyone around her. It was a lot of fun, her and I got along really well and I think you can see that when you watch the movie.
Mercy: Switching gears a little bit, can you share anything about Wonder Woman 1984
Kristoffer: I actually can't, but I'm in it! It's going to be a big deal. The movie looks so good! Patty Jenkins is a genius. Have you seen the trailer yet?
Mercy: Yes! I'm so excited to see it next year.
Mercy: If you could play any role in any movie from the past, who would it be?
Kristoffer: That's a good question, Mercy. There are a lot of movies that I love, right? Like The Godfather, Pulp Fiction I think completely changed the future of Hollywood. But I don't know that I'd want to be in those movies. In The Godfather, I'd obviously want to play Marlon Brando's part, that would be a lot of fun But if I had to choose one picture, one iconic role in keeping with the holiday spirit, I think I would love to play Jimmy Stewart's part in It's A Wonderful Life. I think that movie is just so heartbreaking and beautiful when you learn the history of Frank Capra who directed it (and whose production company produced it), where he was in his life when he made that movie. He'd just come back from World War II and he'd seen all the atrocities of the war. He was there filming the Holocaust and what the survivors and their victims look like, there was all the devastation that occurred to our boys on the front line. Frank Capra had had this big beautiful Hollywood career before the war started and he volunteered to be one of the six men who went over and just filmed footage for the war effort for the United States Government. Then when he came home, he was just so devastated by what he saw and what he realized people were capable of doing to each other that his artistic reaction to what he experienced was to direct, create, and produce It's A Wonderful Life. Which is this very simple story of this man who has these huge dreams and because of a constant surrender to his community and sacrificing to the people around him - his little brother, town, father - by being a really good soldier, life passes him by. He doesn't really get the big pipe dream, pie in the sky, grand American dream that he set out for while other people around him do, so he's kind of sad. And on this night, he realizes how valuable he is to his community. I think it's just a special story for every person, every man, for all of us. Not all of us get to go off and be the president or a movie star. Most of us are at home and we get to be the kings and queens of our own families and what that looks like in our towns. Then you start to ask the question: what does life look like without you? I think it's a really amazing movie. I love it so much that if I ever have the chance, I might do a remake of it. I might be so bold "laughs" to do a remake of it one day because it really is just an a amazing movie.
Mercy: That would be really neat!
Mercy:If you could put together a dream cast with actors/actresses from any era who would you choose?
Kristoffer: I'd love to work with Liam Neeson and Cate Blanchett. And, of course, if I could start pulling people out of the past, obviously Marlon Brando. I'd love to work with James Dean, Meryl Streep, Katherine Hepburn, Charlie Chaplin. And I'd love to work with Mary Pickford and Joan Crawford while we're at it "laughs".
Mercy: Who are some of your acting influences?
Kristoffer: Well, clearly I've mentioned him a few times, but Marlon Brando is the guy that I had my eye on the entire time I was training at NYU and stuff. I just thought he was electric, what he was doing when he was doing it was so courageous and new, it was naturalism and its what we all do today but he kind of blew the lid off of it. Truly experience a kind of celebrity that I don't think any movie star will ever be able to match, it was a unique time and place. In the music industry a comparable person would be Elvis. When Elvis broke unto the scene it was a unique and Marlon Brando was the same thing. Perfect moment.
Mercy: If a movie was made about your life, who would play you?
Kristoffer: Oh geez, something that I don't know yet. At this point, I would have to. I'm right for it.
Mercy: You bear a striking resemblance to Kristoffer Polaha "laughs".
Kristoffer: Oh, I bear a striking resemblance to myself? "laughs".
Mercy: If you could only watch three movies for the rest of your life which ones would you choose?
Kristoffer: Chariots Of Fire, The Godfather and I guess I'd have to say Its A Wonderful Life again. I mean, if I'm stuck watching the same three movies over and over again.
Mercy: Lastly, any upcoming projects you can share about?
Kristoffer: We go back to camera on January 2nd for Mystery 101.5
Mercy: Yay! I've been hoping it would be coming back.
Kristoffer: Yes, we're coming back. Thanks Mercy.
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