There’s a new movie coming your way this holiday season, and not only was it filmed in the Pittsburgh area, it’s full of Mt. Lebanon talent, too.
Chocolate for Christmas is a cozy Christmas movie about Penny, a woman who returns to her small hometown to save her family’s chocolate shop. What starts as a reluctant trip home turns into something much more meaningful, as Penny reconnects with her past, embraces her family legacy and finds love unexpectedly.
Film director Cathy Lynn Yonek grew up in Pittsburgh and always wanted to shoot locally with Pittsburgh-based actors. They used My Favorite Sweet Shoppe in Collier to bring the film’s chocolate shop to life over the span of eight days.
“Filming was super fast-paced,” said Emily Moore, Duquesne Drive. “It was a super healthy set. We all bonded really well, both cast and crew.”
Moore moved to Pittsburgh five years ago for her husband’s job, and quickly realized the city has a thriving film scene.
“There’s a tax credit that the companies get, so it attracts a lot of productions out of LA to come here and film. So that is why there is so much activity in the film industry here,” explained Moore.
She found work in local films, got an acting coach and landed an agent. One opportunity led to another, and eventually, to Chocolate for Christmas.
Moore stars as Delilah, the down-to-earth owner of a local Christmas tree farm.
The Hallmarkesque movie also features Ella Marks, a sophomore at Mt. Lebanon High School, who plays Belle — a teen navigating grief after the loss of her music teacher, who also happens to be Penny’s mom. Bell is struggling to find her voice without her mentor.
Marks said preparing for the role meant doing her homework. “I always want to know what the director is like before auditioning, to see how I want to play their character,” said Marks. “I want to be able to do her justice.
”Chocolate for Christmas is such a beautiful storyline. And I think it’s very realistic.”
“I feel like some Christmas movies are so cheesy and blown out of proportion, but this one takes the human side of the Christmas movie and vulnerability of people during the holiday season. The media doesn’t really take that into account because sometimes Christmas can be sad for some people, and sometimes it feels like the best day of your life. I think this story really takes both of those perspectives into account.”
Marks became an actor at age 5, and landed her first role at 12 in the movie Cha Cha Real Smooth. She is active in the high school’s theater program but says acting for film is a distinct experience. Theater is so expressive, with big gestures, big voices, while film is much more dialed down, she said. “It’s almost an entirely different form of acting.”
After Marks’s first audition, she got a call back the next morning at 6 a.m. “I was so surprised. Usually, it takes weeks to hear anything,” said Marks.
Looking ahead, Moore will reprise the role of Delilah in the Chocolate for Christmas sequel, Marry Me in Greece, which is filmed this fall in, you guessed it, Greece!
The Chocolate for Christmas team is working on distribution for the 2025 holiday season. Plus, according to Moore, a local premiere is set for December 20.