Minka Kelly achieved the trifecta in her very first romantic comedy.
“I mean, I got to make a romantic comedy while living in France for two months, and on top of that, I was making a holiday romantic comedy in France? Kelly remarks, “It was just such a gift and a dream come true.” “It was really fun.”
In the recently released Netflix film “Champagne Problems,” Kelly plays Sydney, a sales representative who is dispatched to France to purchase a Champagne vineyard for her business. When she gets there, she happens to run across the endearing Henri, who happens to be the son of the vineyard owner.
“It’s such a feel-good, happy, nostalgic experience watching the movie, and it was such a special experience making it as well,” Kelly says while taking a brief two-day break from “Ransom Canyon” Season Two filming in New York to talk about the film. For me, it was a complete no-brainer. I couldn’t believe I got to do it, and I was just so grateful to be considered at all. It truly was a gift.
Kelly, who is most renowned for her part in “Friday Night Lights,” had never acted in a romantic comedy before. She left for France just a few months after signing on, where they divided their filming time between Paris and the Champagne area.
“It is as beautiful as the movie,” she declares. “There’s not a lot of magic in the edit.”
After finishing Season One of “Ransom Canyon,” a Western drama that chronicles the lives and romantic relationships of three Texas rancher families, Kelly, 45, chopped off her hair and traveled to France to “have a laugh.”
“It was just so refreshing and so fun to be on set where you’re encouraged to be silly and goofy,” she adds about “Champagne Problems.” “I’m used to things being really serious, but to just let that aspect of you out. Being surrounded by individuals who made you laugh all day was really pleasant.
She will return to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where “Ranson Canyon” is being filmed, after promoting the movie.
“Now that we know what we’re producing, we are certain that it is effective. We simply can’t wait to do it once more,” she says. Additionally, there’s a little more humor this year, which excites me, especially after “Champagne Problems.” It’s good to add a little more fun and occasionally release the stress with a small giggle.”
Kelly also undergoes a change in Season Two, when Patricia Clarkson plays Kelly’s mother. The actor, who was up in Albuquerque, chose to go to Santa Fe for Season One in order to get some distance from her hometown. She is embracing all the feelings that come with living in Albuquerque for the first time since she was a young child.
She refers to her 2023 memoir “Tell Me Everything,” which is about her early years and especially her mother. “It was pretty incredible writing a whole book about growing up there, and then right afterwards it’s like, ‘OK, great, you’re going back,'” she adds.
“I can now experience it in a different way than when I was younger because I live in Albuquerque. When I was younger, I took New Mexico’s beauty for granted, but now I am really appreciating it,” she adds. “Every morning I wake up to the most breathtaking sunrises you’ve ever seen. And every day I get home from work to the most breathtaking sunsets. And every time I see that, I feel like the universe is saying, “Good job, kid,” and it always makes me feel emotional.
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