Katie Stevens Talks HGTV’s ‘A Christmas Open House,’ Life After ‘The Bold Type’

Katie Stevens was able to cross an item off her acting bucket list of being in a holiday movie thanks to A Christmas Open House. The HGTV-spirited film sees The Bold Type star play Melissa Norwood, a property stager who returns home to Rutledge, Georgia for her mother’s wedding. 

While there she takes up the job of preparing her childhood home for sale. Helping along the way is high school crush and realtor David Phelps (Victor Rasuk). As the renovations come together, the two enlist the help of David’s artisan friends Henry and Sarah Wright, played by Home Town power couple Ben and Erin Napier in their acting debut. 

Here Stevens reflects on a busy year, life after her hit Freeform series, and the upcoming life-changing milestone of becoming a mom. 

How much of an HGTV fan are you? Are you big into DIY?

Katie Stevens: I’m a fan of HGTV and a fan of people who can do DIY well. My mother is one of those people, so I’ve been around it much of my life. At the same time, I would say it’s not part of my skill set. So it was very fun to be a part of a film like A Christmas Open House in collaboration with HGTV and pretend I’m well-versed in the renovation space. 

How much of yourself do you see in Melissa?

Melissa has big dreams that she wants to pursue of having her own business, but her heart is back home in this small town. I grew up in a town myself with 7,500 people. I got up in the middle of math class one day and said, “I’m going to audition for American Idol.” That started this whole crazy journey of my career. I’m a hometown girl at heart. Going back home is one of my favorite things to do where I can reconnect with my family and where I started. I think Melissa does the same. 

How was it getting to know Erin and Ben as they tried their hand at acting?

The first day we met they were going over their lines and were a little nervous because the acting was a different animal for them coming from their show. I was so impressed. I was shocked they never acted in a movie before because they were so on top of it and natural. We got to go to their shop where they filmed Home Town. They showed us around where we got to see what a big impact they had in their town was really incredible. They are just the kindest, warmest, nicest people. They are as lovely as you wish they would be. I had so much fun working with them. They presented at the CMA Awards as well, so I got to see them there too. 

HGTV/Discovery+

There is an open mic scene, but you didn’t participate. Was that because you were a ringer?

It wasn’t scripted I sing, but in a weird way, I liked that because people expect me to sing. So it was fun to be the person sitting in the audience watching them play their songs. It was a fun turning of the tables for me at least. 

This was really your first big starring role since The Bold Type ended after five seasons. How has the career transition been?

It has definitely been wild because we shot the last season of The Bold Type during the pandemic. I know the pandemic partially had an effect on the show ending, as it did many shows out there. I think we ended at the right time, but it was definitely a transition because in our industry auditioning and filming is a whole new animal post-COVID. This year has been great though. I’ve been able to work a ton on little things here and there. It was been really wonderful because I’ve been able to spend time with my family. Now we’re adding on to our family where I’m going to be a mom, which will be my newest job. I do miss the filming, but to go make this movie and go away for a couple of weeks and have the experience was really awesome. 

You recently had a baby shower with The Bold Type girls. There seems to be a strong bond there.

I’m just so lucky I developed such a bond with a family within The Bold Type. They were some of the first people I told when I found out I was pregnant. They all kept my secret for a very long time. I happened to be going to Los Angeles for a couple of days where Lara [Azzopardi] was like, “Let me throw you a baby shower. It was the sweetest thing. Along with showrunner Wendy [Straker Hauser], and Meghann [Fahy]  they all hosted at Lara’s house. Aisha [Dee] couldn’t be there unfortunately because she was shooting in Australia. She hasn’t even gotten to see my baby bump in person, but we FaceTime all the time. It was so beautiful and intimate and so kind. I feel so blessed they are in my life, and we celebrate what is happening in each other’s lives whether it’s personal or professional. 

Discovery +/HGTV

Meghann landed a big role on The White Lotus. Do you watch?

I never miss an episode. I text Meghann every time I watch, and we talk about it. She and I FaceTime constantly when she was in Italy filming. My husband and I happen to fly to Rome, where we were doing a belated honeymoon. The White Lotus was shooting in Rome, so I got to be in Italy with Meghann for part of the shooting. I’m so proud of her. She is one of the best people I’ve ever met in my entire life. She deserves the world. I’m happy people are getting to see how talented she is in this new show. She is such a star. 

Any update on new music?

As my belly is growing and it becomes more difficult to audition for things, it has been more a time where I’ve been writing music. The plan is to release something after the baby arrives. Right now, I’m writing a ton and getting all that ready. 

With the holidays coming up, can you share a fun Christmas tradition?

I have a massive family. We’re all over the place during the holidays. My mom for the last 10 years has hosted Christmas the week before so nobody has to go anywhere and we can be together. It ill usually start n the afternoon and up until sometimes two in the morning. We eat tons of food, and there is an annual catchphrase game. My family is very competitive. They love games. We always have a game night, which usually ends with my dad winning. He rubs his win in all our faces, which is one of my favorite things. 

A Christmas Open House, Movie Premiere, Wednesday, December 7, 10/9c, HGTV (And Available Now on Discovery+)