While the actors that played Natalie, Jo, and Mrs. Garrett are nowhere to be seen, two of the Eastland girls of the popular 1980s television series The Facts of Life will be reuniting tonight on the Hallmark Channel for a movie called “For Better or For Worse.”
At recent Hallmark Channel “Christmas in July” event, we caught up with those two Eastland alumni, Lisa Whelchel and Kim Fields, who had an on-screen reunion for this new project.
“It’s a funny romantic comedy,” Kim Fields told us. “We’re wedding planners who are dealing with this divorce attorney to works next to them in their office, and how they clash, and also what happens when their kids start to interact and fall in love.”
Although Whelchel was cast first, it was not an intentional reunion for the two actors. “It was just one of those [where] I read the script, and it was a good time to commit to a project like this for me. We were already dialoguing with Hallmark about other projects, so it seemed like a good fit to extend that relationship,” Fields said.
Fields plays Roseanne, best friend and co-worker to Lisa Whelchel’s Wendy, who may have some love in her future after losing some in her past. “I play a woman who has lost her husband, and is in the wedding planning business, and a divorce attorney moves into the office next door, and of course, there’s lots of sparks flying, negatively at first, and then the sparks fly in a positive way,” Whelchel explained. “It’s a really delightful romantic comedy about opposites attracting. It really is an adorable, fun, well-done movie.”
With this movie now airing, could we ever see these two women playing their classic Facts of Life roles again?
Kim Fields says she has no plans to revisit Dorothy Ramsey. “When we did the reunion show in 2001 I think it was, that was good. That was enough, so that’s fine,” she said. Whelchel isn’t as definitive with her answer. “I wouldn’t say no. I had a fun time playing her. I doubt it’s going to happen, but it sure was fun,” she said.
In the end, Lisa Whelchel hopes fans who loved The Facts of Life in their younger days will check out her new film. “Be intentional about it. Set your DVR and put it on your calendar, and bring in some friends who maybe had watched Facts of Life growing up. It’ll be a bonding time for everybody!”
Here’s a trailer:
