Just Friends Director and Actress Amy Smart Reveal the Film Wasn’t Originally Meant to Be a Christmas Movie (Exclusive)

Just Friends has found its way into the Christmas cannon, but it wasn’t always destined to be a holiday film.

Director Roger Kumble tells PEOPLE that the film had started with a focus on the returning home story. Over time, adding the holidays and exploring the themes they shared just made sense.

“It wasn’t always meant to be a Christmas movie, but once the production designer kept adding a little bit of Christmas to everything, we talked about it,” Kumble tells PEOPLE.

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“And we were like, ‘This could work as a holiday movie.’ But it wasn’t like a mandate or anything. We just kind of kept it at, ‘Let’s see if it clicks with everybody. It did deal with the themes of family and forgiveness, no pun intended, coming together for the holidays.”

Amy Smart, who plays Jamie Palamino in the 2005 classic, says the added holiday element cemented the shoot among her favorites.

“This was one of my favorite films to shoot and it was such a fun experience, and I am happy it’s a Christmas movie because it does have that bit of magic and warmth and nostalgia to it,” she shares.

“I also think, more than anything, it’s a friendship movie. I like that it’s not just centered around Christmas, it’s centered around relationships.”

The hilarious cast also includes Ryan Reynolds as Chris Brander, the guy out to redeem himself after years in the friend zone, Anna Faris as a displaced emerging pop star, and Chris Kline as Brander’s frenemy, Dusty Dinkleman.

For Kumble, adding the holiday element and seeing the film thrive, both as a comedy and as a holiday movie, has been seeing it succeed “in the best way.”

“When you make a movie and it comes out, I don’t really judge it based on whether or not it worked at the Box Office or didn’t. It’s usually like you’re kind of like, ‘Let me wait 10 years and see.’ Because a lot of it’s on how much they spent on marketing or the release date instead of just judging the film on its own,” he shares.

“So I mean, with this movie, it’s great to see so many fans of it. I’m just really pleased. I’m glad people watched the film and still love it. It’s just great. And it was really a group effort.”

Just Friends is available on Digital & Blu-ray and currently streaming on Apple TV and Peacock.