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Kelsey Grammer is ringing in the holidays with his new movie Karen Kingsbury’s The Christmas Ring.
In the film, the actor, 70, plays Howard Miller, a widower and the father of Ben (Benjamin Hollingsworth). After Ben falls in love with military widow Vanessa Mayfield (Jana Kramer) as she searches for her lost family Christmas ring, Howard, an antiques dealer, makes a discovery that could change everything.
“This guy’s got a quiet sense of faith, and he’s lost his wife several years back and he’s still kind of devoted to her, and I like that about him,” Grammer tells PEOPLE of his character. “One of my favorite things in the movie is when I said quietly to a picture, ‘I miss you, babe.’ It’s sweet.”
Grammer says he was drawn to the “element” of grief portrayed in the film.
“The first Christmas without your loved one, that’s a tough year,” he says. “It’s a tough, tough year, but then hopefully you get around to a sense of renewal. You get to reacquaint yourself with the joy that you knew with that person, and that’s a very important thing. I think this film has that a little bit, so I was glad to do it.”
Grammer says his character has been a “devoted antiques dealer for a long time” and started his business with his late wife.
“They had this dream of making that one big splash where they could finance a nice vacation for themselves, that kind of thing, and he thinks he’s found one, and it turns out he has to give up on it,” he says. “He does the right thing.”
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While shooting in Franklin, Tenn., Grammer was thrilled to get to “walk to work.”
“I mean, I was staying right across from where they had the antiques store,” he says. “It was pretty great.”
For costar Hollingsworth, getting to share scenes with Grammer was like getting “to throw the ball with Tom Brady.”
“He is such an icon and a legend, and I had high hopes of working with him, but he even surpassed that,” Hollingsworth says. “He’s very generous, and when he’s on set, everyone kind of ups their game. He has this depth about him as an actor and getting to act in a scene with someone so talented is not only something that makes you better, but it’s just an enjoyable experience because you really feel like you’re in the moment. He was really kind.”
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Grammer says hearing his costars sing his praises is “a very nice thing.”
“I’ve spent a long time at this, and I’m glad that there’s a gentle recognition that it’s time well spent if you have a chance to work with me,” he says. “That makes me feel like I did my job. My job has always been to make sure I’m doing the best I can.”
At this stage of his career, Grammer says he’s looking for “unique” roles where he can say something “I’ve never said before.”
“I think, ‘Oh, I’ll try that,'” he says. “I mean, I’ve got one coming up where I’m going to be hunting down a mountain lion that’s killing people. It’s called Claws, like Jaws. I’ve never done that before, so it’s going to be fun.”
Karen Kingsbury’s The Christmas Ring premieres Nov. 6.
