I had the honor to interview Nancy Stafford a few times before, and I have nothing but respect and admiration for her as an actress, as a person, and most of all, as a dedicated Christian in the entertainment industry. I consider it a blessing to know her.

Recently, I had the privilege to speak with Nancy about her faith, especially as it relates to Greenhouse Productions’ “All is Merry and Bright.”

mytakeontv (MTOTV): Tell me how you became involved with the project “All Is Merry and Bright.”

Nancy Stafford (NS): Well, it’s so exciting. I became involved because I’m on the board of The Greenhouse. This is our first Greenhouse production. The Greenhouse is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) ministry that encourages, trains, and uplifts the greater community of entertainment industry professionals. It’s really a wonderful ministry. The Greenhouse does practical, hands-on workshops using fellow believers in the industry who are seasoned, successful people to teach classes on how to be a showrunner, how to be a director, acting, all sorts of classes, zoom events, and things like that. I’m really proud of what we’re doing as an organization, and one of the goals is to give opportunities for employment to our members – not only just teach them but give them opportunities to actually work on some productions as we start bringing some pretty worthy productions ourselves, as a production company, to the world. Doug Jones is also on the board, and he has a delightful role in this film. Shun Lee Fong is our executive director. He’s also executive producer of “All is Merry and Bright.” And Caren Kelly is on the board and is one of the film’s producers. Mark Atteberry and Korey Pollard are also on the board. The role I play in “All Is Merry and Bright” happened to suit me, so I said, “of course I’ll do it.” The movie has a great message. It’s been fun. I hope it’s the first of many more films that we (at the Greenhouse) get to produce.

MTOTV: How did you get involved with The Greenhouse?

NS: I have always loved what they were doing. As you know, L.A. especially has really nurtured a number of really wonderful ministries to the industry for decades and decades. And each one has sort of a specific purpose covering a specific niche. Hollywood Prayer Network does a fabulous job of getting the word out to churches all around the country about praying for Hollywood. It’s just something we need to support and learn the ways the church can pray for all we believe God wants to do in the lives of people here in Hollywood.

Act One, as you know, is a fabulous training program for directors, producers, writers, and people on the executive track. I did the directing track before co-directing (with Katie Oostman) the Asbury University film (“Damaged Goods”). The Greenhouse has its own very specific niche. I don’t remember exactly when I joined the board, but I said I’d be happy to do it. It’s been quite a number of years ago. The Greenhouse also has a big presence in Atlanta.

When COVID shifted everything, we had to do a lot of the ministries by distance, zoom, which was actually a blessing in disguise because it grew our viewership. People were zooming in from Germany, Australia, all over the world. Before COVID, The Greenhouse used to do a lot of seminars at the Netflix studio; everything with these ministries was only in person, so people never had these kinds of opportunities.

We’re very committed to training and spiritual development of our members. And it’s fun to watch it grow and watch this next generation, to help nurture them to be the best they can be – first and foremost, spiritually. And secondly, in their craft. This is what The Greenhouse is really all about, the training of people taught by industry pros so they can understand what it’s like to be on set, what’s expected of them, and what they need to be doing to get better and better at their craft so they can have opportunities to grow and advance in the industry.

Christianity has a long legacy in Hollywood. Years ago there was a group called the Hollywood Christian Group. It was Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Rhonda Flemming, all kinds of folks back in the 1940s-1950s, some really great, great, great people, and it was under the umbrella of Hollywood Presbyterian Church.

Actors Co-op is a theatre company. That is where Hollywood Prayer Network evolved and Inter-Mission, which is no longer. They were kind of event oriented to give people an encouraging shot in the arm. That was back in the 1980s, 1990s. I’ve been involved in all of those ministries since the 1980s. But it was decades even before that when the Hollywood Christian Group was meeting, nurturing each other and finding each other. I think that’s the main thing; you find like-minded people. Iron sharpens iron. I say that because I appreciate you recognizing there’s this great presence now of Christianity in Hollywood. We’re standing on the shoulders of people before us. There’s a big legacy; there’s been a lot of prayer, a lot of intercession, seeds planted and watering of the ground.

I think some of what we’re seeing here is a renewal, a resurgence of faith. Even though it looks like the culture is declining, take heart because there are a lot of people right now who are searching for truth. A lot of people are still underground as you can imagine and haven’t come forth because they are in high positions. Some of them in front of the camera, many behind the camera in executive levels. I say all that to say “don’t give up heart” to your readers. Keep praying for Hollywood; keep supporting what God is doing in Hollywood; keep supporting movies like “All Is Merry and Bright.”

There are people who are committed believers in the industry. The more of these projects that get out there and get distributed and find a home, find an audience, there’ll be more like it. That’s how you tell the industry what you want to see, as you buy tickets and as you watch projects on streaming platforms.

Hollywood Prayer Network called Hollywood a mission field – the biggest mission field on the planet. And it really is true because we export our entertainment – and values – to the world. It’s a huge export from the U.S. Over the years what I’ve felt so strongly is that it feels like we’re on opposite sides of a value system. We have a kingdom view, and the world has a worldly view. And they can clash and be at odds at times, but my view is that the people who we’re encountering, even those who are hostile to the faith, just don’t know Jesus yet. And our job is to do the best work we can do. First and foremost, we’re hired to do a job and do it well. That’s what gives us reputation and credibility. And, when we’re on set, we just allow the Holy Spirit to live through us and let God be who He is in us – and it permeates the atmosphere. I’ve seen it  over and over again. And people want to start to be kind of close, as they say, “It’s peaceful in the trailer when you’re here.” They start asking questions. That’s when you have permission to ask them about their lives. You don’t come in with guns blazing determined to evangelize.

MTOTV: Tell me a little bit about the character you play in “All Is Merry and Bright.”

NS: It’s a sweet cameo role. You can’t blink or you’ll miss me. But I love her, because she’s completely grounded. She is really kind of the voice of wisdom, I feel like. She’s the boss’s wife of the lead couple. So, it’s the company Christmas party at our home and you’ve got the lead character in Emily Rose where everything’s got to be perfect. And she’s about to burn herself out. So, my character, Janie Gilbert, recognizes herself in this younger woman and, even in the course of this company party, she notices some of the struggle. and she’s full of compassion for this young woman. And she basically just sort of whisks her away to a place to nurture her, gives her a cup of tea, helps her feel physically better, and also offers her some kind of motherly wisdom. It’s not too teachy, but it’s a moment where someone older and wiser whose been there, done that, and nearly burned out herself can say, “I can see you’re trying too hard here. Just enjoy the things around you and don’t get burned out.”

The character that I play was just in the film for a few pages, and her speeches were lovely. I really enjoyed playing her. I wouldn’t have changed anything.

MTOTV: What message do you hope people who see the film will walk away with?

NS: It’s the idea that the chaos of trying to have the perfect holiday, which we’ve all struggled with to some degree, really takes second fiddle to rediscovering what the real spirit of the season is all about. And that is to be with those you love and find the simplicity of family, faith, and getting back to a simpler way of just being together. It’s sort of like this madcap, sort of chaotic film. I loved the comedy bit of it. Cory Edwards, our director, is just great at directing comedy, and he really tapped into the haywire kind of madcappy thing.

I love Christmas movies. I’ve done so many myself. And I love watching them. But after a while they can feel almost a little unrealistic because they’re quite sentimental. But we yearn for that. We all want that. I know I do. But it’s fun to have something like “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” meets “It’s a Wonderful Life.” It’s an unexpected Christmas film coming out of the Christian world. I think it’s fun. And I’m thrilled the film had a theatrical release, and on December 14^th it started streaming on Amazon Prime. (Here’s the link: Watch All is Merry & Bright | Prime Video). So that’s exciting!  Hope everyone will watch!

MTOTV: Tell me what you’re working on now or what you have planned maybe for the future.

NS: As you know, you film things, and it’s months or a year before it’s out. “All Is Merry and Bright” had an amazing turnaround. We shot this movie in around April, and it was out in December. Unbelievable. But right before I did that (“All Is Merry and Bright”), I did an episode of a series, a wonderful series, called “Blue Ridge.” It first debuted on Peacock. Now it’s on Amazon Prime.

I was in the second season – the finale of season two, which should be released Spring 2026.   I’m excited to be on that show. It’s a great series and an amazing cast, created by Gary Wheeler at INSP. I’ve worked with him on a number of films and I just love working with him.  

And last year, I did a film that will be released soon called “Florida Wild.” It’s pretty exciting. It’s a period western, but it takes place in Florida. It cuts back and forth between present day and the story of the history of the cattle industry in the state of Florida. I play a TV reporter who’s interviewing Lee Majors, a wonderful actor who plays the patriarch of this family. He’s a fifth generation cattle rancher in Florida. And he’s telling the family story. Historically, Florida became a leading cattle producing state by the mid-1800s and continues to this day. The project took me back to my roots in Florida. I’m a fifth generation Floridian myself. In fact, I had an uncle who had a very small cattle ranch in Leesburg, Florida that I visited often as a child and college student, but not anything large like those in this project. The hope is that “Florida Wild” will be out in mid 2026.

I’ve also been contributing to a couple of books. I’m one of the writers in a book of short devotions of wisdom and inspiration. It’s called Always Remember by Broad Street. It’s a perfect Christmas gift! Kim Crabill compiled the book and invited me to join, along with some other fabulous women. It’s a daily inspirational book of God’s faithfulness in tough times. In addition to my own books, I like to contribute to others’ books these days. And I have a few films and other things pending. I’m so grateful to God – Always something on the horizon!  

MTOTV: Well, as always, it’s been a pleasure speaking with you. Thank you for agreeing to do the interview with me.

NS: You’re very welcome. And take care.