Kloots recalls her 3-year-old son Elvis making his acting debut on a movie set.

Amanda Kloots, nearly two-and-a-half years after Nick Cordero's death, is still trying to preserve his memory.

TooFab interviewed the actress and fitness trainer to talk about her late husband's influence on her new holiday film "Fit For Christmas," which was co-written and executive produced by her.

Kloots, 40 years old, said that the idea was born in July 2020, two weeks after Cordero, who died from complications from COVID-19, had died. The former Broadway star became unable to sleep one night after being up all night because of the tragedy that was her husband's death. She ended up watching Christmas movies on TV instead. Kloots claims that she "created the entire first version of this movie in her head that night in bed."

"Fit for Christmas" stars Aubrey (Kloots), a Christmas-obsessed instructor at a community center in Mistletoe that is financially struggling, who falls in love with a mysterious, charming businessman (Hallmark star Paul Greene), which complicates his plans to make the center a more profitable resort property.

Cordero was born in Canada and the film was shot there. Kloots revealed to Kloots that Cordero carried a small piece of her husband's sanity on set.

Kloots also shared her adorable 3-year-old son Elvis with Cordero. Kloots portrayed the toddler's experience at-set.

During her interview with TooFab, TooFab's co-host of "The Talk" discussed her forthcoming children's book, Tell Me Your Dreams. She shared that the book is inspired by her bedtime tradition with Elvis and honors Cordero.

Kloots also shared her story about how she balances motherhood with her professional life (aka her manyjobs). While keeping a positive and bright attitude,

You can see the entire interview in the video above. Continue reading for the complete Q&A!

You co-wrote, executive produced, directed, and starred in "Fit For Christmas." What was the inspiration for the film's concept? What was the inspiration for this film?

If you recall, it was July 2020, which was the peak of COVID. Hallmark Channel was showing Christmas movies in July in an effort to make people feel better during this difficult time in their lives. Two weeks ago, Nick had died and I was struggling to sleep. I woke up in middle of the night, and turned on the TV. I saw a movie called Christmas Cookies on the TV. So I laid down and watched "Christmas Cookies". It made me smile and make me feel better. I thought, "Gosh! Thank god for these Christmas movies right here." It was then that I realized, "You know what, they have never made a Christmas movie about an instructor and a business." Why isn't this done? So I created the entire first version of this movie that night while lying in bed. The short story is that we were filming it in Vancouver two years later. That's how it came to be. It was an amazing experience and I am so grateful for it.

Audrey, your character, is all about Christmas spirit. Do you love Christmas? Are you a big Christmas lover? If so, which are your favorite holiday traditions and why?

I love Christmas and I was raised to be one. I am a Christmas fanatic. I love Christmas music. Like the character in the movie I listen to Christmas music from November 1st. I love decorating. I enjoy doing whatever is in my area. I went with Elvis to the LA Philharmonic for a holiday sing-along, and we went to Disney on Ice the other night. It's great to do holiday activities, even going to malls. A couple of weeks ago, I took Elvis to the mall. As we were walking through the mall, everyone was buying Christmas presents. I thought it was 1997. It was so nostalgic. It felt so nostalgic.

This is your adorable son Elvis's acting debut. He does a small cameo, but he did a great job! Was it fun filming with your child? Did he do it naturally?

It was amazing to have him on the set. I was concerned because I didn’t know what he would do. After being on set, and seeing the long days, it hit me: "Oh my god, I don't know what he's going do with this." He was a champion. He arrived on the set. I was in the backroom, practicing his lines. He did his part and we got him to sit in our place. He did his line, then took after and started improvizing his line. Finally, he yelled "cut" and continued doing all these things. ... He was simply amazing. He did an amazing job. It was a full circle moment for him to be there. He was with me on July night, watching "Christmas Cookies", and we were filming in Canada, where my husband was born. And I thought, "Wow! How much have our lives changed!" We were together filming in Dad's country on a movie set. It was a moment of pure bliss, you know?

Do you remember feeling like Nick was there? One scene in the film featured you wearing one of Nick's flannels. Was there any reason for this decision? It was nice to have a little bit of him?

Yeah. That flannel has been my security blanket since his passing and something I have worn from time to time. I still have some of the same things he had. Because Nick was such a great actor, I decided to take that shirt with me. It was strange because I had to leave the house at the beginning of the filming day. Although it was cold, it got warmer as the day went on. It was hard for me to decide whether I should bring it. It was also not mine because I fear I might lose it.

At the last moment, I grabbed it and put it in my bag. We started filming that day over. This one scene was going to be an early morning scene in which I would be wearing a dress that has been changed into an in-the-middle of the night scene. We played it like I couldn’t sleep, and I woke up in the middle night. So, we didn’t have an outfit, because I couldn’t wear the day dress I planned to wear. We had only half an hour to shoot the scene, and there was no wardrobe. It was almost midnight. It was almost midnight. I grabbed his shirt and went to grab it. I thought, "This is Nick’s flannel. But it will look like I just grabbed my father's flannel. It was a great choice because it is about her feeling lost and trying to find her way in life. Her dad is giving her some advice. It was a perfect scene to put his shirt on.

Let's take you through the filming of the kickline scene. It was a great experience. It brought back memories of your Rockette days.

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah! It was a great scene. It's only when people try to do even a step-kick and get into that line that they begin to understand the Rockette lifestyle. It was great fun, because we had to do it over and again. People are starting to feel... it was the hottest day of the year, it was so hot that everyone was outside, the sun was beating down on them, and we just wanted to kick and kick, getting our exercise in. It was great fun. It was a great experience. I feel at home whenever I am in a kickline. It was a good day. It was a great day.

Tell us about "Tell Me Your Dreams", your children's book. What does the book do to help you keep Nick's memory alive?

Yes, tell me your dreams. It's so exciting. I have always wanted to write children's books. In 2019, it was on my vision board. I began a little tradition with Elvis where I asked him at night if he wanted to share his dream. He would respond yes. Then I would start to create this amazing adventure. Every night was different. But every night, Dada would pick him up from his room in middle of the night, then Dada would return him to his crib. Then, I would take them to work in the morning. We started this little tradition every night and I thought it was a wonderful idea for a children's book. It encourages children to imagine what they would like to do. It's an opportunity for parents to include the people they care about, whether that's Elvis' father or someone like him. It's always a good idea to deal with the aftermath of loss and how to preserve a person's memories. This book is a great way to encourage that. It was our little tradition, and it was so fun that it became a book.

You have many roles: you are a mom, actress and dancer, a TV host, author and you also run a fitness empire ..... How can you balance all of these roles, keep your peace, and, most importantly, keep a positive outlook? We love the "AK Positive Thoughts of the Day", which you post to Instagram.

Thank you. You know what? I have lots of help. I have lots of help, and I am always asking for more. I am also very good at multitasking. I can usually do two or three things at once. I am very good at managing my time. I can fit everything in from hour to hour and just try to get it done. It's finding the time to do it all that is difficult, I will be honest. I do my best to squeeze it in. I also try to fit in a massage or other treatment to help me relax and decompress. It is difficult. It's all very difficult.

It helps that I love what I do and that I love my jobs. You can trust me when I say this. I have always been a hustler. I have always been someone who has a lot going on. You know what? The beauty out COVID, or the beauty of all that has happened in my life, just teaches how to live. It also teaches that each day is a precious gift. You never know what the next day will bring. Recently, I feel like we have been reminded of this a lot. You wake up one morning and they are gone the next. They're gone, they're gone." It's just that they are gone.

That was my beautiful lesson. It was something that I was taught through dark times, but with a beautiful silver lining. It's all those things. It's not. It's not one thing. You have to keep your head up and stay positive. That's why I post the positive quote of today because it helps me. Sometimes I am not positive, sunny, and cheerful. Sometimes I need to remind myself of those quotes just to get me through the day. It's all those things.

Paramount+ is streaming "Fit For Christmas" now. Click here to preorder "Tell Me Your Dreams," due out April 25. Kloots can also be seen on CBS's "The Talk" weekdays at CBS.

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Title: Amanda Kloots On How Late Husband Nick Cordero Inspired Holiday Movie 'Fit For Christmas' (Exclusive)
Sourced From: toofab.com/2022/12/23/amanda-kloots-late-husband-nick-cordero-inspired-holiday-movie-fit-for-christmas/
Published Date: Fri, 23 Dec 2022 21:12:13 +0000

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