A new holiday movie is here, and we had a chance to catch up with some of the cast from Unexpected Christmas. A movie centered around family, laughs, and the beauty of the holidays. The cast was in Nashville for a special screening premiere and stopped by to share why this movie was a cool one to be a part of.
Written by Cassandra Mann and directed by Michael Vaughn Hernandez, the story gives a heartwarming look into a family we all can relate to within our community. From the family dynamics, conflicts, and reconciliation to the fun, loving relationships and joy of gathering together for the holidays. This movie is set to be another household favorite in the culture that will be put on repeat. DomiNque Perry plays Marissa, the sister who returns home for the holidays after a breakup, only to find her ex-beau now dating her sister, with plenty of chaos and laughter that comes after. Trell Woodberry plays Kyle, the brother who has his own personal issues in the movie while navigating marriage, the holidays, and family. Phil Thornton is the producer and co-founder of 3Diamonds Films and a Nashville resident. They are betting on themselves with their first movie under the brand, self-funding and distributing as an independent production, which is major.
Get to know the cast and make sure you head to the movies to check out Unexpected Christmas, opening on November 7, 2025, in theaters.
After working on this awesome project, what was it like seeing Unexpected Christmas come to life on the big screen?
DomiNque: First, I was anxious because it’s always kind of nerve-racking as an actor seeing yourself on screen. I know for me it can’t be. But then I got excited because when I started seeing all the reactions (from the audience), and I know Trell was telling me, yo, they loved it ’cause I didn’t get a chance to do the LA Premiere.
Also, especially when you’re making an indie (film), sometimes odds are against us a lot of times as black creatives trying to create our own. So to get people to see it, you really have to get them engaged in your story and doing everything that a Marvel film or something like that would do, so it’s especially rewarding when you see their reactions.
Phil: For me, it is always surreal seeing the actual movie, knowing everything that it took to make it happen. I’m always looking at it from a quality perspective. The sound. Did we do this right? I’m always looking more from the technical side, but I’m so proud of it. It is just always interesting to see the crowd’s reaction. Are they gonna laugh? Are they gonna cry?
Tell me what drew you to this character and Marissa and kind of the project?
DomiNque: Rel reached out to me, and we’ve been friends for years and so anything that he was doing, I trusted it. He was like, I have this really dope project that we’re doing, it’s a Christmas movie. I was like, okay, cool. I had already done a Christmas movie, so I kind of didn’t want to get into the niche of being a Christmas movie girl, but I read the script and said, Oh, it’s a go for me. My genre always seems to be comedy ’cause I’m just naturally good at it. But I’ve always wanted to show different sides of me, which this project allowed me to do.
You are balancing being an actor and a producer for Unexpected Christmas. What was that experience like?
Trell: A lot of balance. I’m a Libra, so I usually love balance in my life. In this particular situation, Phil and I came up with the script. I didn’t want to do a huge role in the film ’cause I still wanted to focus on the production of it all. But it was an experience, given a chance to share the screen with so many legends. It was just a wonderful thing to be a part of and see.
How did you guys come together to form three Diamond films and have this first, you know, amazing film on Unexpected Christmas?
Phil: I’ve known Trell for over 20 years. We’ve been friends. I’ve admired his journey, and he respected my journey as well. About a year and a half ago, we said, Hey, why don’t we combine forces and work together and build something that’s gonna be impactful and massive. So here we are, 3Diamonds Films, and this is the first release, Unexpected Christmas. And we’ve got more, a lot more. So we’re excited. In the last year and a half, we’ve done two movies, a concert documentary, and a hit series Den of Kings with Kirk Franklin. We have a cruise going out in February – Rise & Rhythm Cruise.
Trell: We are really being received very well, that’s the thing. I will say, the doors have been opening, people are just reaching out, and it’s just been an amazing journey. Seriously.
The casting and production seemed intentional. Why was that so important for this project?
It was definitely intentional. We are proud to empower underserved voices and talented people who deserve an opportunity. Whether you’re a writer, director, or whatever role you play in the crew or cast. It’s diversity not only in front of the camera, but behind the camera. There are so many amazing, talented people of color who deserve an opportunity, and we’ve been afforded that opportunity many times over. So that’s a big mission for us. Even HBCU, we’re partnering with HBCU First Look to empower the next generation of filmmakers, directors, writers, producers, because no one can tell our stories like us.
What do you guys hope people take away from Unexpected Christmas?
Trell: The importance of family, forgiveness, and being open to talk about art and things that you usually wouldn’t discuss.
DomiNque: To piggyback on what Trell was saying, definitely that family is everything. The fact that we don’t get a chance to choose our family, but we are all we got so let’s just make the best of it. Even with the dysfunction that comes about, we still have each other. I hope that people can see a sense of themselves or a family member that they can relate to in one of the characters. We all have a crazy uncle or a grandmother or a mom, or a big mama that we can relate to. So I really hope that people can find themselves or somebody they know in one of the characters.
Phil: Family over everything. That is the theme I want people to walk away with and enjoy the amazing music in the film as well, the Unexpected Christmas Soundtrack.
Learn more at Unexpected Christmas and make sure to check it out in theaters starting November 2, 2025.
Photography and Video: Elle Danielle
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