Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story subtly pays homage to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s romance. The film’s stars Hunter King and Tyler Hynes exclusively tell Life & Style that they think fans of the A-list couple will enjoy the Hallmark movie’s “subtle” references to the stars.
“Whether or not you’re a Chiefs fan, I think you’ll be able to relate to this movie in some capacity,” Hunter, 31, says. “I feel like there’s just subtle little nods to things [related to] Travis and Taylor. Taylor fans might like, like, [Tyler’s] last name in the movie. There’s just certain, like, little tiny Easter eggs, as we’ll call them, that I think they’ll have fun hunting for.”
Tyler, 38, adds, “I think that their love story has inspired the world in a lot of ways and it’s something that everybody’s kind of rooting for. I think there’s a feeling within that that’s certainly captured in the movie. Even though we’re not tackling that storyline head on, it feels like we’re getting the best of it all. We’re telling a multi-generational story that feels very Hallmark and feels very inviting for anybody from any walk of life to join in.”
In the film, which premieres on Hallmark Saturday, November 30, at 8 p.m. ET, Hunter plays a lifelong Chiefs fan named Alana Higman who wants to win the team’s Fan of the Year contest. Tyler’s character, Derrick, is the Chiefs’ director of fan engagement and has to determine if Alana and her family can beat the other two finalists.
“As the pair spends time together, it’s clear there’s a spark between them but when her grandfather’s vintage Chiefs good-luck winter hat goes missing, Alana begins to doubt everything she believed about fate, destiny and even questions her future with Derrick – unless, that is, a little Christmas magic can throw a Hail Mary,” the film’s synopsis says.
“I love the script,” Hunter admits. “I love how centered around family and tradition it was. I am so, so close with my grandma and getting to read the script and see the relationship that my character had with her grandparents, I just absolutely loved that. That was so inspiring to me and felt so true to my own life.”
For Tyler, the movie was a perfect fit after he previously worked with members of the Chiefs organization on a commercial. “I had gotten to know them and fell in love with the city so much,” he gushes. “That part of it was a big component that I was excited about.”
The actors got to film on the field at the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium, and Hunter says the “coolest part” was when they were alone in the stands for one scene. “That was such a magical moment,” she reveals. “[And] my favorite part was getting to mess around and throw the football on the field. I was like, ‘I will never get tto do this again in my life.’”
Meanwhile, Tyler admits to becoming a “die hard” fan of the Chiefs after working on this movie and the commercial. “I was swept up in it,” he shares. “I gotta be honest, I didn’t know much about football. I’m Canadian. So I was really interested [after the commercial]. And then after shooting the movie, that’s when I became a true fan. I watch all the games when I’m not on an airplane and watched the documentary series, which covers all the games and the different seasons. It’s been a blast. I’m all in.”
