Tetona Jackson Teases "Really Fun" 'Housewives' Cameos for 'The Housewives of the North Pole' (EXCLUSIVE)
Published Nov. 30 2021, 2:56 p.m. ET
While Hallmark and Netflix have long been known for putting out dozens of fun and attention-grabbing holiday movies each year, another major streamer is getting in on the festivities in 2021.
Peacock is joining the ranks with the streamer's first-ever holiday-themed original feature film: The Housewives of the North Pole.
The Christmas movie takes place in the (fictional) small town of North Pole, Vermont, as best-friends-turned-enemies Diana (Breaking Bad's Betsy Brandt) and Trish (played by RHOBH star Kyle Richards) deck the halls at their homes in order to try to win the Golden Reindeer at the Best Holiday House decorating competition.
The fight between the longtime North Pole "Christmas Queens" polarizes the town, and an investigative journalist named Kendall (Tetona Jackson) recognizes that there's a compelling story there that is begging to be written.
Ahead of the Dec. 9 release of the instant Peacock classic, Tetona spoke exclusively with Distractify about her character, what it was like to work alongside the Real Housewives star, and how there was a lot of movie magic used to make the filming location feel like a winter wonderland.
Tetona Jackson on her character in 'The Housewives of the North Pole,' and working alongside Kyle Richards.
In the Christmas film, the Boomerang actress plays Kendall, who temporarily moves to the Vermont small town to work on a piece for American Life.
When she first settles in to the neighborhood, Trish and Diana describe themselves as a "Yin and Yang" duo, but something ultimately happens that leads to a divide in their long-standing friendship (viewers will have to tune in to find out how their disagreement begins).
Kendall seizes the opportunity to shift her focus from covering the Best Holiday House contest to featuring the feud. She plans to give her exposé an eye-grabbing title: "Real Housewives of the North Pole."
"She's a super, super sweet loving girl," Tetona explained to Distractify about her character's personality. "But you will see in the film that there is another side of her that people kind of don't expect."
Though the title of the film is a subtle nod to The Real Housewives (both Peacock and Bravo are part of the NBCUniversal family), Tetona noted that viewers shouldn't expect to see knock-down, drag-out catfights or the other drama that the franchise is known for.
"It's more of your feel-good Christmas movie," the actress said.
However, she did tease that fans of The Real Housewives in particular will enjoy the movie because Kyle Richards isn't the only reality star who will be making an appearance.
"People who watch The Real Housewives will love it because Kyle Richards is in it, and there are a few other really fun appearances in there," Tetona teased, before adding that she couldn't say names.
While Kyle often has to have disagreements with her RHOBH castmates to fuel conflicts, Tetona had nothing but positive things to say about the longtime actress.
"She's such an amazing lady," Tetona said about her co-star, who has been acting since she was a young child. "She was so much fun to work with."
The 'Housewives of the North Pole' star dished on the surprising filming location as well.
Though Peacock's first foray into original holiday films takes place in a New England town in the wintertime, the Housewives of the North Pole stars shot the movie in Utah in the summer.
"It was actually such a trip, because we were filming in Utah in the middle of summer," Tetona shared, and she confirmed that the temperature was quite high throughout. "It was in the 90s, and all of us were outside in full winter gear."
Though the filming environment didn't exactly match the plot or the setting of the movie, Tetona enjoyed getting in the holiday spirit a few months early — and she turned it into a "Christmas in July" experience for herself.
"I'm personally a huge Christmas fan," she continued about the perks of shooting the movie long before the actual holiday season. "It was so much fun to have Christmas in the middle of summer."
You can catch Tetona in The Housewives of the North Pole, which will be available to stream on Peacock beginning on Dec. 9.