The holiday season is officially in full swing, which can only mean one thing: It's the perfect time to cuddle up on the couch with a mug of hot cocoa and the newest holiday Hallmark Christmas movie.
Hallmark has a full roster of romantic and warm holiday-themed films that are sure to get you in a festive mood. But the network's newest film, "Catch Me If You Claus" (2023), premieres on Hallmark on Nov. 23 and will be available to stream on Peacock for a limited time.
The exciting new movie follows an anchorwoman named Avery, played by Italia Ricci, who confronts a home intruder who claims to be the son of Santa Claus (Luke MacFarlane). Their encounter inevitably leads to a crazy night of adventure and maybe even a little romance.
Ricci is a Hallmark movie centerpiece at this point, racking up credits in the films including "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" (2021) and "Rome in Love" (2019).
While fans love to watch the Canadian actress fall in love on screen with various hunky heartthrobs, she actually has been with a heartthrob of her own in real life for more than 15 years.
Ricci is now married to fellow actor Robbie Amell, best known for playing Nathan on the Prime Video series "Upload," and they also have a son together. Amell is also starring in a new 2023 Christmas movie on Amazon Freevee, "ExMas," which hits the streamer on Nov. 17.
Here's everything we know about the couple's long-lasting love:
Italia Ricci + Robbie Amell Love Story
Vincent Sandoval/WireImage
The pair were both actors and had secured a number of roles before they ever got together. And their beloved profession is actually the only reason they took an interest in each other.
The two were both cast in the American raunchy comedy "American Pie Presents: Beta House" (2007). Amell played a freshman at the university trying to pledge the Beta House while Ricci conveniently landed the gig as his love interest.
Ricci told "The Chosen Life" podcast that the couple actually shared their first kiss on screen during the film!
However, it wasn't until the couple had been dating for years that Amell admitted they had actually met for the first time a few years earlier while working on "Cheaper By the Dozen 2" (2005). But their first interaction was so minor that Amell didn't even remember it until Ricci told him.
Shortly after filming for "American Pie" ended, the pair grew closer and started seeing more of each other. Eventually, Amell convinced Ricci to move from her Canadian home to Los Angeles to further pursue her acting career (and each other).
It wasn't until 2009 that they finally revealed to the world they were dating. The two made their red carpet debut at the Kids' Choice Awards, since Amell starred in the Nickelodeon series "True Jackson, VP" at the time alongside actress Keke Palmer.
The next year, Amell and Ricci got to share the screen once again. Ricci had a small guest role on one episode of "True Jackson, VP" where, funnily enough, she played herself.
The hard-working performers both spent the next few years happy and working hard. Amell earned roles in productions such as the TV Scooby Doo animated movies and the ABC drama "Revenge."
Meanwhile, Ricci secured a lead role in the indie drama "Don Jon" (2013) and the comedy "Dean Slater: Resident Advisor" (2013), among other projects.
After seven years of dating in 2014, Amell finally got down on one knee and asked Ricci to marry him. And she said yes!
Amell told Hollywood Life in 2015, "We do everything together, we have so much fun, and now we've got the rest of our lives to do that."
Italia Ricci + Robbie Amell's Wedding
Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic
The attractive Hollywood couple had said consistently they wanted a long engagement, as they weren't in any rush to walk down the aisle.
Ricci told Us Weekly in 2016 that she hadn't even wanted a large wedding initially.
"At first when we got engaged, I asked him if we could just go to Vegas and get married by Elvis," she said. "Just because I didn't want to deal with planning a wedding."
But after a two-year engagement, Amell and Ricci finally tied the knot during a gorgeous wedding ceremony in downtown Los Angeles on Oct. 15, 2016, surrounded by their closest family and friends.
Ricci donned a voluptuous James Clifford dress, which she told Us Weekly weighed around 35 pounds. She also wore Betsey Johnson shoes and jewelry from Neil Lane. Meanwhile, Amell sported a Samuelsohn tuxedo with custom embroidery inside his right label that read "10.15.16" - the date of their wedding.
The pair joked that it was the longest ceremony since they had a massive wedding party — 10 bridesmaids and 10 groomsmen. After trading wedding rings made by Amell's jeweler dad, the happy couple celebrated their first dance to "Never Stop" by SafetySuit.
"I still feel like I was just in my own Disney movie. It was a perfect night," Ricci told Us Weekly. "Everything that I ever dreamed I wanted my wedding to be — this was better."
The longtime couple finally got to enjoy a few years of wedded bliss while continuing to live their dreams in Hollywood.
Ricci secured the role as White House Chief of Staff Emily Rhodes in the drama series "Designated Survivor" for several seasons. And Amell got a gig playing Ethan in the romantic comedy "When We First Met" (2018) alongside Adam DeVine and Alexandra Daddario.
Do Italia Ricci and Robbie Amell Have Kids?
Instagram/Italiaricci
In April 2019, Amell and Ricci announced to the world through Instagram that they were expecting a child. The pair posted frequently throughout Ricci's pregnancy, joking about her growing tummy and their anxiety around becoming parents.
Amell praised Ricci on social media a few weeks before she gave birth for carrying their son for nine months.
"My pregnant wife is the strongest person I've ever met," he wrote on Instagram. "So if you can, give your mom a hug, because having watched Italia carry our son for 9 months, I know that it's harder than anything I'll ever have to do and she's doing a better job than I ever could. I'm a very lucky man."
Finally, the two welcomed their son, Robert Amell V, born on Sept. 12, 2019. Amell posted, "And now everything is different" in announcing his son's entrance to the world.
The couple say they love their new lives as parents, even if it's shifted how they view their acting careers.
"Every time I think I've nailed parenting, I end up getting a massive curveball," Ricci told Parade in 2021. "Being a parent has shifted my priorities in the way that it makes me much more aware of the content I'm committing to and how long it will keep me away from my family."
Now, the couple switches off their filming schedules so they don't have to separate and their son isn't constantly moving homes.
"It's hard because now we have to juggle so our son has roots somewhere and isn't being dragged around," she told "The Chosen Life" podcast. "He has a little best friend, and it's really sweet."
Amid parenting, the happy spouses took another big step together and became U.S. citizens in 2020. The Canadian natives were sworn in alongside nearly 4,000 other people from 116 countries, according to Amell's Instagram story at the time.
In 2021, Ricci told Parade she loved things about both of her home countries: "I like that the United States has In-N-Out Burger. I like that Canada has Harvey's."
If their social media channels are any indication, the couple are living their dream life with their son in Los Angeles. But if you're hoping to see them on screen together again anytime soon, don't hold your breath.
"We don't even really act with each other. We haven't found the right project," Ricci told "The Chosen Life" podcast. "We've had people come to us with opportunities, and I'm just like he makes me nervous. He makes my palms sweat."
While we wait for the beautiful couple to find the right project, watch Ricci in her newest Hallmark film, "Catch Me If You Claus."
