Brooke Lena Johnson on A Dog’s Perfect Christmas, Ice Skating, and Covering Joni Mitchell: Podcast

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Brooke Lena Johnson has never heard of picking a lane. The Strangers and Cruel Intentions actress brings her figure-skating chops, musical theater background, and considerable patience for four-legged co-stars to Netflix’s A Dog’s Perfect Christmas, an adaptation of W. Bruce Cameron’s novel that manages to pack some genuine emotional weight into its holiday wrapping paper. Speaking with Kyle Meredith, Johnson digs into a production that had her navigating multiple dogs, three-year-old twins, and elaborate skating sequences, all while finding time to record a cover of Joni Mitchell’s “River.” For someone who also trained in circus disciplines and once fronted jazz bands, it’s another day at the office, assuming your office occasionally requires a triple axel. Listen above or wherever you get your podcasts.

The old Hollywood warning about never working with animals or children served as a personal invitation. “I said let’s do all of them and let’s do multiple dogs and multiple twins,” Johnson laughs, recalling a set where six or seven dogs rotated through depending on whether they were better at cuddling or hitting their marks. The toddlers weren’t much more predictable, occasionally falling asleep in the middle of car scenes while their adult co-stars waited for their lines. “You just roll with the punches and I think that’s what creates those really authentic and memorable scenes in the end,” she says.

At least the skating was a little more controlled. A decorated figure skater before turning to acting, Johnson was able to perform her own ice sequences, even helping co-star Ethan Loomis with his figure-skating skills. Some scenes were captured in uninterrupted takes, allowing audiences to see the actors actually doing the work. “You can tell it’s really us,” she says.

Then there’s the music. Johnson’s haunting rendition of Joni Mitchell’s “River” arrived after filming had wrapped, with director Cathryn Michon contributing harmonies to the recording. For an actress who spent part of her youth singing with touring jazz bands, it might also be a preview of yet another creative chapter. “I definitely see music kind of coming up and wanting to do that,” she reveals, leaving the possibility of future recordings wide open. But beneath the puppies, skating, and Christmas decorations, Johnson says the film has something more complicated on its mind. Comparing its emotional trajectory to It’s a Wonderful Life, she appreciates that the story isn’t afraid to confront grief and family hardship before delivering its holiday resolution. “I wanted to tell a Christmas movie that wasn’t just happy and superfluous and everything’s great all the time,” she explains. “I really liked that it kind of faced some challenges head on.”

Listen to Brooke Lena Johnson talk about A Dog’s Perfect Christmas, her figure-skating career, covering Joni Mitchell, and more in the new episode above or by watching the video below. Keep up on all the latest episodes by following Kyle Meredith With… on your favorite podcast platform; plus, check out all the series on the Consequence Podcast Network.