They're stars to us: Familiar MCC faces turn up in Hallmark Chiefs movie
Maybe you or someone you know is a Hallmark-movie superfan. Or, perhaps, like this writer, you’re someone who has been only peripherally aware of a syrupy-sweet brand of cinematic love story marched out in bulk each holiday season by Hallmark Media (a subsidiary of Kansas City’s own Hallmark Cards).
Either way, there’s a really solid chance you’ve heard something in the past few days, weeks or months about “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story,” one of 32 new films Hallmark released this holiday season as part of its annual “Countdown to Christmas” … and the only one set in Kansas City with the Chiefs as its backdrop.
Maybe you even heard the film was loosely inspired by everyone’s favorite real-life Chiefs love story. (Yes, we’re talking about Taylor and Travis. Again!) But did you know the film features at least two Metropolitan Community College, Kansas City, employees who were cast as extras?
OK, to be fair, in the case of Vice President of Institutional Advancement Billy Dunbar, maybe the word “features” is a little strong. Dunbar’s hoodie, an arm and a hand made the final cut.
Melody Lloyd, whose day job is as a Learning Center coordinator at MCC-Maple Woods (she’s also president of the Maple Woods Staff Association), actually appears three times in the movie, including in the opening scene. (In fairness to body parts and clothing, Lloyd’s torso appears in a fourth scene.)
Lest you think Dunbar and Lloyd got the cushy Hollywood treatment, you should know their first day of filming had them sitting in the stands at Arrowhead Stadium donning hats, gloves and heavy coats as they cheered the fictional Chiefs to victory. However, their wintry scenes were actually shot in July on a day Dunbar says the heat index was 116 degrees, and the extras’ 15-hour workday finally ended at 3 a.m.
Extras earned $150 per day for their work, but the real “pay” was bringing home amazing memories and the experience of meeting some famous faces.
“For someone that loves the holidays as much as I do, I couldn’t turn the opportunity down,” Dunbar says. “Meeting Mama Kelce in craft services was also pretty fun.”
Lloyd, who got to come back for a second day of filming on the Square in Independence, said she enjoyed meeting lead actors Hunter King and Tyler Hynes, as well as Ed Begley Jr. and a few others.
“They were all very nice, especially Tyler, who kept checking to see if (the waiting extras) needed anything,” Lloyd says. “Hunter King was nice, too. She was wearing heels for two days straight to film one scene, and her feet were killing her to the point she could barely walk. Mine were, too. There was a lot of walking and then standing around in uncomfortable shoes.”
Lloyd said she got to spend several hours on the day of the Arrowhead shoot getting her hair, makeup and wardrobe styled, which was fun and helped the time pass quickly. On her second day of shooting, Lloyd brought Skip-Bo cards, which a group of the performers enjoyed playing as they waited.
Lloyd said the whole experience was exciting and gave her a new appreciation for the hard work that goes into filmmaking. She said the best part was connecting with the other extras, some of whom she has even hung out with since shooting wrapped.
Something unexpected for Lloyd was discovering her likeness was digitally duplicated during the editing process and used multiple times to fill seats in a single crowd scene. For example, if you look closely, you’ll find six Melody Lloyds sitting in the stands during the opening shot depicting a game at Municipal Stadium, the Chiefs’ home from 1963-1971.
“In one part, I walk in and sit right behind the main characters,” Lloyd says, “and you can clearly see me sitting right behind … myself!”
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE FILM
First of all, if you haven’t seen “Holiday Touchdown” yet, it’s not in any way about TayVis. (You can probably still catch it; see end of story.) It’s about a missing lucky hat. The Chiefs, you see, can only win the Super Bowl if someone wears the lucky hat to a Chiefs game on Christmas. There’s more to it, of course, including two families who meet and become lifelong friends because of their adjoining season ticket seats. Anddd, a love story. Obvi.
WHERE TO LOOK FOR OUR MCCers
- Melody Lloyd appears in the opening scene, which takes place at Municipal Stadium in the 1960s; she sits directly behind the young kids we soon learn are the grandparents of the female lead.
- If you look closely, you might spy Lloyd’s red pillbox hat as she and two other women pass through the background of another 1960s scene in which Santa Claus is speaking to a young version of the film’s grandfather.
- Lloyd appears in a modern-day scene where she and another extra are seen shopping in a Chiefs store owned by the main characters. See photo at top.
- If you squint at this photo (look for the circle we added), you might spy Billy Dunbar’s torso, arm and hand in the front row of the Christmas Day game. (He’s right behind a guy wearing Chiefs-logo overalls.)
“If Santa would have just moved his head,” Dunbar laments, “I would have been right in the pivotal moment of the film.”