It’s a Smokey Christmas for Tia Mowry-Hardrict as Multiple Dreams Come True in MIRACLE IN MOTOR CITY

By BILL HARRIS Special to The Lede The new heartwarming made-for-TV Christmas movie MIRACLE IN MOTOR CITY is the gift that keeps on giving for Tia Mowry-Hardrict. First of all, as the lead actress and also an executive producer, Mowry-Hardrict gets to share a story of hope and love that she feels is important, especially at this time of year. “I’m obsessed with Christmas, it’s pretty bad,” she said. “But I don’t feel I’m alone in this obsession.” And even beyond that, Mowry-Hardrict got to work with Motown music legend Smokey Robinson – and they’re now friends! “I’m still geeking out – I have Smokey’s number!” Mowry-Hardrict said. “And we, like, text! Oh, you have no idea. When he texts me, my heart jumps. I tell my husband, ‘Oh my God!’ ” MIRACLE IN MOTOR CITY – which stars Mowry-Hardrict (SISTER, SISTER) as Amber Dupont, Mark Taylor (FLASHPOINT) as Eddie Root, and Robinson as himself – is currently available for streaming on CTV.ca and the CTV app. It also airs on Friday, Dec. 17 at 10 p.m. ET on CTV Drama Channel. The repeated theme of the tale is, “what are you going to do with your two weeks before Christmas?” – so this is the perfect time to check it out. Amber is a Detroit social worker and foster mom who volunteers to take charge of her church’s annual Christmas pageant to help out a relative. That’s all fine and good, but complications arise when Amber floats the idea of securing Robinson for the gig, and others run with it, painting Amber into a corner. When her best friends secretly enlist Amber’s former flame Eddie to help, the pair reconnects in a quest to find Smokey, and convince him to appear. So, Mowry-Hardrict was asked, why Detroit? Why Motown? And why Smokey? “Motown (the legendary Detroit record company) has been extremely influential when it comes to African-American culture, and so I thought this was a great opportunity to put a spotlight on something that encouraged so many people to believe in themselves,” Mowry-Hardrict said. “Plus, Motown and Christmas, there’s just something magical about that, and it was a big part of the holidays for me growing up. And Smokey? I mean, come on – Smokey is Motown.” And here’s the notable thing about the 81-year-old Robinson: his performance as an actor in MIRACLE IN MOTOR CITY is quite good, and he comes across as very natural. Putting famous musicians into acting roles doesn’t always work, but Robinson totally holds his own. “Oh my gosh, let me tell you, I’ll give you a little insight – Smokey has been wanting to act,” Mowry-Hardrict said. “He has been searching for projects. So I was very honoured that he wanted to participate. He had that moment with me, where we both kind of have long speeches, and as an executive producer, I wanted to make sure he felt comfortable. And let’s just say that I was completely impressed, but not surprised. When we first practised it, he knew it. He was so prepared. Smokey Robinson is not where he is by accident. He has been in the business for such a long time, he respects the business, he loves the business. And he is a professional from head to toe.” MIRACLE IN MOTOR CITY is not the first Christmas movie on Mowry-Hardrict’s lengthy acting resume, so she was asked to identify the one ingredient that makes a Christmas movie work. “The one element, in my opinion, is relatability,” she said. “With my career in general, I’ve always looked, or fought for, or searched for, those types of projects. The new Christmas movies I tend to love are the ones where the story is very strong, and then there’s Christmas behind it, right? It’s not too ‘Christmas, Christmas, Christmas’ right in front of you. Because at the end of the day, everything needs to have a story – a relatable story.” So, a relatable story, plus Christmas, equals success. Tia Mowry-Hardrict has figured it out. Plus, one of her musical heroes, Smokey Robinson, is now a texting buddy. “I know!” she said excitedly. “It’s really cool.” billharristv@gmail.com @billharris_tv