The protagonist of the new Lifetime holiday movie Christmas Ever After is romance novelist Izzi Simmons. She spends every Christmas at her favorite bed and breakfast but this year she’s on deadline and is suffering from writer’s block. She’s inspired when she meets the new B&B owner Matt (Daniel di Tomasso) who looks just like the handsome hero of her books.
[More Lifetime movies streaming are always available.]
Izzi is portrayed by Tony Award winner Ali Stroker. She’s known for her roles on Lethal Weapon (Nina), Instinct (Ella), and MTV’s Faking It (Wendy), among others. She made her big TV debut in a 2013 episode of Glee as Betty Pillsbury.
The 33-year-old from Ridgewood, New Jersey is the first actress who uses a wheelchair for mobility to appear on a Broadway stage, and to be nominated for and win a Tony Award. She won the 2019 Tony Award for her role as Ado Annie Carnes in Oklahoma).
In the video interview above, Ali (who is paralyzed from the chest down) says she’s been in a wheelchair since she was two years old: she was in a car accident with her mother and brother.
Christmas Ever After premieres on Lifetime on Sunday, December 6 at 8 pm.
