Jana Kramer’s latest film, *The Christmas Ring*, is proving to be a special project, largely thanks to her husband, Allan Russell’s, acceptance of her romantic roles on screen. The actress, 41, exclusively shared with *Us Weekly* how she cultivated this comfort, highlighting the unique chemistry between herself and co-star Benjamin Hollingsworth.
“He gets it more,” Kramer told *Us Weekly* of Russell’s reaction to her roles. “I think in the beginning, it was definitely harder for him, because he’s never dated an actor.”
In *The Christmas Ring*, Kramer portrays Vanessa Mayfield, a military widow who falls in love with antique dealer Ben Miller (Hollingsworth). The film centers around their blossoming relationship as they search for a lost family heirloom – a Christmas ring.
To foster a comfortable environment, Kramer went above and beyond. “I think with any movie you want to feel like these two characters have this emotional connection,” she reflected. “And I think where Ben and I really leaned into that is, I mean, I just adore him as a person. He and I always try to make my husband feel comfortable in this too, where, before we even started filming, I invited Ben and his wife over, and his kids, and we had a barbecue.”
Kramer emphasized the special bond she developed with Hollingsworth, noting, “The kids were playing, and Ben and I formed a friendship, like a true friendship. I formed a friendship with his wife, and our kids formed friendships together. Being on set together with him, he’s such a good actor. … I feel like I’ve been friends with Ben since high school. That’s what it felt like. We had this beautiful chemistry, and I think it was because our characters both felt that loss, but also, we worked really well together, and it was special.”
Kramer married Russell, 44, in 2024. They welcomed their first child together, son Roman, now 23 months, in November 2023. (Kramer also shares daughter Jolie, 9, and son Jace, 6, with ex-husband Mike Caussin.)
While *The Christmas Ring* offered a more emotionally driven story, Kramer acknowledges her previous experience filming Lifetime’s *A Cowboy Christmas Romance* (2023), during which she was pregnant with Roman and filmed the first-ever sex scene for a Lifetime Christmas movie – a decidedly uncomfortable experience. “I’m like, there was nothing sexy about that, like the whole experience,” she quipped, revealing she was “vomiting” in between takes.
Despite the challenges, Kramer values the diverse roles she takes on, particularly appreciating the deeper emotional connections found in *The Christmas Ring*. “Do I think every Christmas movie should have this steamy element? No, I think what we have in *The Christmas Ring*, there’s more of an emotional chemistry than in the movie that I did with the sex scene,” she noted. “There is just more chemistry between Ben and I in this movie on that emotional, deep level that we didn’t need the other piece.”
*The Christmas Ring* is set to be released in theaters on Thursday, November 6.