‘Must Love Christmas’: Liza Lapira Compares Her Christmas Movie Character to ‘The Equalizer’ (Exclusive)

The Equalizer fans tuning in to see Liza Lapira on Must Love Christmas will watch the star play a very different character. In the new CBS Christmas movie, Lapira stars as Natalie, a romance novelist who finds herself in the middle of a love triangle. In an exclusive interview with PopCulture.com, Lapira jokingly asked for four hours to explain how different Natalie is from her Equalizer character, Melody “Mel” Bayani.

Must Love Christmas introduces viewers to Natalie, a romance novelist whose books are famous for their Christmas themes. She has no time for romance in her own life, even as her friends push her to find someone special for the holidays. When she finds herself in the charming Cranberry Falls, she winds up in the middle of a love triangle with her childhood crush Caleb (Nathan White), and journalist Nick (Neal Bledsoe). It is a whole different world from what Mel deals with as a former U.S. Air Force sniper who works with Robyn McCall (Queen Latifah) on The Equalizer.

During The Equalizer winter finale, Mel was “literally punching and kicking someone, putting a gun to his face and saying, ‘Where’s my brother?’” Lapira points out. Meanwhile, Natalie is a “self-proclaimed mousey, most awkward novelist who can’t leave her house.” Her biggest problem is worrying about who will feed her cat while she’s in Buffalo.

Although the two characters are total opposites, Lapira noted that they are two sides of the same coin. “You go from hyper-confident, hyper capable, very in touch with who she is and what she brings to the world, which is Mel,” Lapira said, “And then insecure because of circumstances around her.”

Natalie “was embarrassed [by her past] and that’s why. It’s just nothing wrong with her, she’s just reacting and has low self-confidence at that point, and a bit of social awkwardness, and a phobia,” Lapira said of her Must Love Christmas character. The common link between the two characters is “that they’re both striving to be better and they both end up OK at the end,” Lapira said.

Mel and Natalie are also characters who are dedicated to their work. “They’re mildly obsessive about their jobs, both of them. They’re so weird,” Lapira said.

Natalie also might seem cynical about the holidays in trailers for Must Love Christmas, but Lapira didn’t think so. She’s just cynical about love, which is important in the romance novels she writes. Natalie still loves Christmas and the festivities, but she has a fear of leaving her apartment and has no idea what to say to a man in real life. “She lives her life awkwardly,” Lapira said of the character.

Christmas is as important to Lapira as it is to her characters. She has three favorite holiday traditions: eating delicious food, watching old movies, and playing board games. This year, she plans to have her family watch Must Love Christmas. “They have no choice. If they must love me, they must love Christmas,” Lapira joked. “And then also board games. We’re a big board game family. So those three things basically make a Lapira Christmas.”

Must Love Christmas debuts on CBS Sunday, Dec. 11 at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT. The Equalizer will return from its winter break next year. Fans can catch up on the show with Paramount+.