Kelsey Grammer is playing a role in the new Christmas movie, 12 Days of Christmas Eve, that he’s prepared for his whole life. Starring in the film with his daughter, Spencer Grammer, the two play a father and daughter duo with a strained relationship.
Turns out, the two didn’t have to do much acting in the movie. Their relationship has been rocky for years.
In a recent interview with People, Kelsey admitted that he and his daughter have had a tense relationship since she was just a child. The two became strained when Kelsey split from Spencer’s mom, actress Doreen Alderman. At the time, Spencer was just a toddler.
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The actor shared how he didn’t have much time to spend with his young family when Spencer was born in 1983. The following year, Kelsey took on the role of Dr. Frasier Crane on Cheers. The show called for a grueling 20-hour workday that just didn’t allow him to see his daughter very much.
“I certainly regret I let her down a couple of times,” Kelsey remarked. “Obviously she was a child of divorce.” The actor went on to say, “It was hard on us.”
Even though the two were distant for years, they have worked on their relationship. Kelsey shared his gratitude that the duo has been able to mend things. However, it was certainly a rocky road for the father-daughter team to get to where they are now.
‘We Blow Hot And Cold Like All Fathers And Daughters Do’
When Kelsey first pitched 12 Days of Christmas Eve, he realized that the strained relationship between the on screen father and daughter mirrored his off-screen relationship with Spencer.
The movie tells the story of a father who puts business first rather than his family. With the storyline in mind, Kelsey knew his daughter would be the perfect person to star opposite him in the movie.
“It seemed like the right idea to me,” Kelsey recalled. However, he didn’t know if Spencer would want to do it. “I said, ‘We’ll have to make sure she wants to,’ because you never know,” Kelsey said. “We blow hot and cold like all fathers and daughters do.”
When Spencer was asked to play the role, she was hesitant at first. However, the actress soon came around to the idea and knew it would be fun to work with her dad for the first time on screen.
“There’s definitely aspects of this movie that resonate with me personally,” Spencer remarked. “First of all, playing daughter to your actual father is something unique. He’s been such an incredible influence on my craft and my performances and also my work ethic, so working with him was actually quite a pleasure.”
The actress went on to say that the experience was healing for her and her father. “Honestly for me, for that month that we shot, it was incredibly fun and wonderful to spend time with my dad,” she said. “I think it was really healing for us.” Spencer added with a laugh, “Thank you Lifetime, for the therapy!”
12 Days of Christmas Eve premiers on Lifetime on November 26.