For years, audiences have known Alexandra Breckenridge as the warm, grounded heart of Virgin River — a woman who brings quiet strength to every role she plays. But in Netflix’s upcoming holiday comedy My Secret Santa, the actress trades stethoscopes and small-town serenity for sleigh bells, prosthetics, and a disguise that would make even Mrs. Doubtfire proud.
In this whimsical yet deeply human Christmas movie, Breckenridge, 43, takes on her most surprising transformation yet: a struggling single mom who goes undercover as Santa Claus to keep her daughter’s dreams alive.
“It’s very much a Mrs. Doubtfire situation,” Breckenridge tells PEOPLE with a laugh. “Only this time, instead of wanting to see her kids, she just needs a job — badly.”
🎅 Desperate Times, Christmas Measures
In My Secret Santa, Breckenridge plays Taylor, a down-on-her-luck mother who recently lost her job just before the holidays. When her teenage daughter’s expensive snowboarding lessons at a nearby luxury resort are suddenly out of reach, Taylor hatches a wild plan: if she can’t afford Christmas, maybe she can be Christmas.
Her brother and his partner — who conveniently own a 3-D printer — help transform her into an older man fit for the North Pole. “So let me get this straight,” they ask in the film’s first trailer. “You want us to make you into an old man so you can get a job as Santa Claus to get your daughter half-price snowboard lessons?”
Cue the makeover montage — prosthetics, fake beard, and all.
When Taylor, disguised as “Hugh Mann,” lands the gig at the resort, her plan snowballs into chaos. The fake Santa quickly becomes a local sensation, drawing long lines, news cameras, and unexpected attention from her new boss (played by Tia Mowry) and the resort owner’s charming son (Ryan Eggold, New Amsterdam). What begins as a comedy of errors slowly unwraps into a story about identity, resilience, and the unexpected magic of second chances.
💫 A Role Unlike Anything She’s Done Before
For Breckenridge, stepping into the role of a gender-bending, undercover Santa was both exhilarating and nerve-wracking.
“This was very out of the box for me,” she admits. “It was something people normally wouldn’t approach me for, and I was extremely flattered. I’m used to being cast as the romantic lead — not the person in full prosthetics pretending to be a 60-year-old man in a Santa suit. But that’s what made it so fun.”
Breckenridge, who has two children, says even her family didn’t quite know what to make of her new character. “My kids didn’t understand,” she says with a laugh. “I tried to explain that I was playing a female Santa, and they were like, ‘But… you’re Mom, not Santa.’ Even my friends were confused!”
Still, she found the absurdity refreshing. “It was scary, but I wanted to take on the challenge. It’s a totally different side of me as an actor.”
🧝 Behind the Beard: The Art of Becoming Santa
To bring “Hugh Mann” to life, Breckenridge worked with an award-winning prosthetics team — and the process was more high-tech than she ever imagined.
“They did a digital scan of my face,” she says. “I didn’t have to sit there with cement on my head, which I was really grateful for! The whole process blew my mind.”
The transformation took roughly three hours the first time, but soon the team cut that down to just over an hour. “They’d have everything preset — the facial pieces, the painting, the wig. It was wild to watch myself disappear in real time.”
The moment she first saw her reflection in full Santa form, she couldn’t help but laugh. “I giggled nonstop,” she admits. “It was surreal — and so hot. You have the bodysuit, the velvet Santa coat, all the prosthetics. I was sweating through Christmas cheer!”
Director Michael Rohl (who also worked on Virgin River) added the finishing touch — the iconic white wig. “That was it,” Breckenridge says. “When he put that wig on, I was gone. I looked in the mirror and thought, ‘Okay, I’m really doing this.’”
❤️ A New Kind of Holiday Romance
While My Secret Santa leans into slapstick comedy and Christmas chaos, at its core, it’s a story about love — both romantic and familial.
When Taylor, still disguised as Hugh Mann, begins to fall for the resort owner’s son (Eggold), things get complicated fast. “She’s living a double life,” Breckenridge says. “She’s trying to hold everything together — her job, her secret, her daughter’s happiness — and of course, love comes crashing in.”
Eggold, known for his charm and warmth, brings a tender energy that balances Breckenridge’s comedic bravado. “Ryan was incredible,” she says. “We had so much fun playing these ridiculous situations as if they were real, which made them even funnier.”
🌲 A Holiday Film With Heart
Despite the laughs and disguises, My Secret Santa carries a deeper message — one that Breckenridge believes people will connect with this season.
“At its heart, this is a movie about resilience,” she explains. “About doing whatever it takes for the people you love. We’ve all been through tough times, and sometimes you have to laugh your way through them. That’s what Taylor does.”
The official Netflix logline reads:
“A vivacious single mom in need of a job decides to disguise herself as a man in order to get hired as the seasonal Santa at a luxury ski resort. But when she starts to fall in love with the hotel manager, complications develop that could ruin everything.”
🎁 ‘My Secret Santa’ — A Holiday Surprise Worth Waiting For
With a powerhouse cast including Tia Mowry, Ryan Eggold, and Breckenridge in a career-defining comedic turn, My Secret Santa is shaping up to be Netflix’s feel-good holiday event of the year.
“I hope people laugh, cry, and feel seen,” Breckenridge says. “It’s silly and heartfelt — and honestly, I think that’s what we all need right now.”
My Secret Santa premieres December 3 on Netflix.
This holiday season, Alexandra Breckenridge reminds us that sometimes, to save Christmas — you just have to believe in yourself enough to put on the suit.
