Stealing hearts

Christmas romantic comedy film Jingle Bell Heist is out now on Netflix.

Starring Olivia Holt and Connor Swindells, the film follows two thieves – sharp-witted retail worker Sophia (Olivia) and down-on-his-luck repairman Nick (Connor Swindells) – who both realise they have plans of robbing the same department store in London on Christmas.

The duo find themselves in an uneasy partnership, and as secrets unfold and emotions escalate, both their relationship and the heist are put in jeopardy.

In an interview, actor Connor recalled the moment he read the script and what excited him to take the role.

“There were some great sequences that I was really excited to do, a lot of the heist stuff, sneaking around, scurrying,” he said.

“I knew that we were probably going to have some real free rein to play around with all of that stuff. And there was so much of it. Every page, you know, it was just fun,” he added.

Olivia added that shooting the film alongside her co-star was as fun and exciting as reading the script, describing the experience as a ‘blast’.

“Overall, the movie has so many beautiful, wonderful, joyful elements, and bringing those to life made the whole experience really special,” she said.

“One day we were in a really heavy scene filled with lots of emotion and dialogue, and then the next, we were sneaking around in heist mode, every day was an adventure.”

The ensemble also includes Motherland star Lucy Punch, BAFTA nominee Peter Serafinowicz, and Poppy Drayton, who has featured in everything from Downton Abbey to Father Brown.

The film was directed by Michael Fimognari and co-written by Abby McDonald and Amy Reed.