CHRISTMAS AGAIN - ALEXIS CARRA and DANIEL SUNJATA INTERVIEW

What if every morning was Christmas morning? Find out when you watch DISNEY CHANNEL’S Magical New Holiday Comedy, CHRISTMAS AGAIN!

Disney Channel fan-favorite Scarlett Estevez ("BUNK'D") stars as high-spirited 12-year-old Rowena "Ro" in the Disney Channel Original Movie "Christmas Again," a magical new holiday comedy for kids and families. Focused on Ro's journey to discover the true meaning of Christmas, the movie features a loving Latinx family surrounded by the beauty of Chicago during the winter season.

Rowena "Ro" is a high-spirited 12 year-old who is experiencing a lackluster Christmas. Ro isn't handling her parents' divorce well. She wants her life back the way it was—her parents back together, her dad's new girlfriend and son out of the picture, and their family traditions to remain the same. After a disappointing celebration with her family, including her sister Gabriela "Gabby," Abuela Sofia and Abuelo Hector, she makes a wish to a neighborhood Santa for a "do-over" and unexpectedly finds herself reliving Christmas day over and over … and over again. Now, in order to break the strange magical loop, Ro must learn to appreciate her loving family as it is, as well as the true meaning of Christmas.

Alexis Carra portrays Carolina, Ro's warm-hearted and outgoing mother, in the Disney Channel Original Movie "Christmas Again.” Carra began her career performing in some of the top Broadway shows, including "Wicked," "Sweet Charity" (playing the role of Nickie opposite Christina Applegate) and "Fame on 42nd Street.” After closing the Broadway show "The Pirate Queen," Carra decided to move to Los Angeles, and since then, she has worked continuously. She has guest starred on the drama series "Grey's Anatomy," "Castle," "The Mentalist," "Bones" and "NCIS" as well as the comedy series "Young and Hungry," "Anger Management" and "The Tracey Ullman Show." The talented actress was a series regular on ABC's comedy "Mixology," created by the writers of "The Hangover." Carra also starred on Freeform's "Recovery Road," where she played series regular Cynthia Molina, a recovering alcoholic high school counselor. Most recently, she had a prominent guest star role on the highly anticipated, critically acclaimed miniseries "Fosse/Verdon" on FX, starring Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams.
She continues to take and teach dance classes to keep up her technique — and her passion for dance has extended to choreography. She assisted on Fox's hit series "So You Think You Can Dance" and choreographed for The Discovery Channel's hit show "The Beekman Boys." The busy actress co-founded her own arts education program for artists called Broadway Arts Community.

Daniel Sunjata plays Mike, Ro's easy-going and fun-loving dad, in the Disney Channel Original Movie "Christmas Again.” Sunjata can be seen starring opposite Mary J. Blige in season two of Starz's "Power Book II: Ghost," the first spinoff series in the expanded "Power Universe" franchise.

Next up, he will shoot a lead role in Brian Yorkey's new Netflix limited series "Echoes." He can currently be seen opposite James Marsden in the CBS All Access series "The Stand," based on the novel by Stephen King. He most recently played a lead role in Jordan Peele's anthology series "The Twilight Zone" on CBS All Access. Previously in television, Sunjata was a lead in the USA series "Graceland" and in series regular roles on ABC's "Notorious" and FX's hit series "Rescue Me." Sunjata also starred as Reggie Jackson in ESPN's miniseries "The Bronx is Burning," for which he earned an Image Award nomination. Additional television credits include recurring roles on ABC's "Grey's Anatomy," NBC's "Smash" and "Law & Order: SVU," and guest appearances on "30 Rock," "Lie to Me," "Sex and the City" and "Law & Order."

Sunjata's film credits include notable roles in "The Dark Knight Rises," "Ghost of Girlfriends Past" and "The Devil Wears Prada.” In theater, Sunjata received a Tony® nomination for his work in Richard Greenberg's play "Take Me Out." 

Christmas Again Premieres Friday, Dec. 3, 2021 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on Disney Channel and streaming on Disney+

I spoke with Alexis and Daniel about working on the film, shooting in Chicago Daniel’s love for Toronto ad as Broadway veterans their thoughts on the life of the legendary Stephen Sondheim.