Actor Brendon Zub Talks His Latest Role in Lifetime’s ‘A Twist of Christmas’

{Image Credit: Noah Asonias}

With December officially here, television networks like Lifetime and Hallmark are kicking off their slate of holiday-themed-feel-good flicks, and introducing viewers to new and gifted young actors in Hollywood — like Brendon Zub, one of the industry’s freshest faces, who has landed some impressive roles that have helped him carve out a unique career.

Speaking exclusively to The Hudsucker about his new Lifetime holiday movie with actress, Vanessa Lachey about two single parents who accidentally mix up their children’s toys at a crowded department store, Zub admits the best part about playing alongside the beloved TV personality in the festive romantic comedy was how much of “a dream to work with” she was.

“You always hope to find some chemistry with your co-star, and thankfully we hit it off right away,” Zub tells The Hudsucker. “It’s probably the most fun I’ve had on a Christmas movie to date.”

Zub admits that the two “share a similar sense of humor” and were “cracking each other up throughout the film constantly.” He adds, “She’s become a trusted friend and I hope I get to work with her again in the future.”

Zub featured with Vanessa Lachey in Lifetime’s A Christmas Twist. {Image Credit: Lifetime}

The Vancouver resident is excited about his role in the holiday movie, premiering Dec. 1 on Lifetime, sharing how he thinks the film is one audiences can “really expect to connect with” this season.

“The reality is that there are many single parents out there that do it all for their kids year round, and our film delves into that often hectic time around Christmas,” he said, reiterating how his role as a single dad trying to juggle a rising career and limited time with his daughter is all too relatable for families everywhere.

Zub divulges how his character soon crosses paths with Lachey’s single mom character and the two share a journey where they learn the importance of teamwork.

“And perhaps discover something even more special in the end,” Zub smiles.

While A Christmas Twist is set to enchant audiences this weekend, this isn’t the first Christmas movie for Zub. Most notably, the Canadian born actor starred opposite actress, Laura Bell Bundy in Hallmark’s The Christmas Calendar in 2017, which earned him a 2018 Leo Award nomination for Best Lead Actor and won praise by fans for its festive charm.

Humbled and modest about his achievements, Zub admits he was a bit of a “class clown” growing up, but that it was from this shtick he really found his passion for acting and pursuing a career in film and television.

“What attracted me to acting was all the diverse characters you could be,” he said. “I always enjoyed mimicking kids, doing impressions and making people laugh. I didn’t take it seriously though until I moved to Europe where I grew up watching Turner Classic Movies on the only English channel we had.”

Zub adds that once he learned “people did this as a career” and after booking the lead role in his high school play, he “was hooked.” Since then, Zub has gone on to some impressive projects, with his resume stretching out in mainstream television with roles in ABC’s The Good Doctor, FOX’s Fringe, The CW’s Supernatural, iZombie, The Flash and most recently, in the network’s 2018 reboot of Charmed as Detective Trip Bailey.

Zub admits when he first auditioned for the role, he had no idea it was a reboot, revealing that having grown up in Germany and Hungary, he wasn’t able to watch a lot of the shows everyone else did in the early ‘90s and 2000s.

“I was oblivious to its history with so many fans,” Zub said. “Thankfully my lovely co-stars Melonie Diaz and Ellen Tamaki were able to fill me in.”

Zub shares he admittedly went back to re-watch a lot of shows over the years for acting references, especially roles that were beloved and well aware of by his peers in the industry.

Zub seen in a still from Charmed with Ellen Tamaki and Virginia Williams. {Image Credit: The CW}

“It has been very fun for me,” Zub said of his role. “I didn’t realize [the series] had such a fan base when I started, so I’ve been very grateful for all the support I’ve gotten from the fans and the cast of Charmed.”

Zub’s character, Trip, has been one of the more curious and efficient characters on the series, with hopes to find the underlying cause of all the weirdness surrounding the Vera sisters. However, in the one of the more recent episodes, Trip’s character dies, ultimately leaving one of the leads, Mel (Melonie Diaz) remorseful of her actions. But while he’s gone for now, don’t count him out just yet.

“You never know with magical shows like Charmed,” Zub said of the supernatural series. “There’s always a chance. I’d keep watching and find out…you never know which direction the writers will take things.”

While Zub’s return to Charmed has fans guessing when he will be back, viewers can catch him in the premiere episode of the A&E channel production, Blue Book Project — a series based on real events outlining UFO-related phenomena in the ‘40s to ‘70s, starring alongside Game of Thrones’ Aiden Gillen.

“I don’t believe in aliens as most people would probably define them…but I’m open to the possibility of something being out there in some galaxy far, far away,” he laughs. “From what I’ve learned our planet and solar system is quite uniquely tuned to host life so the chances life as we know it exists elsewhere is very slim. That being said I’m a big sci-fi book nerd, so they do exist for me in some way I guess.”

Zub has got some exciting projects in the works, sharing with The Hudsucker how he recently had the opportunity to work with Kumail Nanjiani on an episode of the CBS All Access revived series, The Twilight Zone, as well as a Hallmark movie that has him super stoked.

“I’m mid-shoot on another Hallmark movie called Snow Princess set to release in January where I play a British Prince,” he said. “So a lot of fun roles coming down the pipeline!”

With all the roles Zub has taken on since first breaking out onto the scene in 2010, he admits one of his favorite parts when it comes to acting is surprisingly, all the pressure that comes with auditioning for more challenging and diverse characters.

“It keeps me studying and on the lookout for those unique people you stumble across in life that you can learn so much from.”

A Christmas Twist airs on Lifetime Saturday, Dec. 1 at 8 p.m. ET. Check your local listings. And keep up with Brendon Zub on Instagram!