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On March 15, Netflix will debut Irish Wish, a rom-com starring Lindsay Lohan (ex-Alli, ANOTHER WORLD), which was produced by Michael Damian (Danny, THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS) and directed by his wife, Janeen.
“Lindsay plays a book editor, Maddie, who works at a publishing company in New York City,” Damian offers. “Maddie has had a sort of crush on this famous writer and he’s very handsome, but she never said anything about it. She invites her girlfriend to his book premiere party, and he falls in love with [the friend]. And now, Maddie is going to their wedding in Ireland, where she sits on a rock and says something, and her wish comes true. So the message is really be careful what you wish for.”
No kidding! Maddie wakes up to find that she’s now taken the place of the bride-to-be but has no idea how to reverse the wish — even though she really doesn’t want to. “She’s thrown into this altered world, and it feels like it’s happening in real time,” Damian shares. “It’s got a lot of heart and comedy, and the setting is quite beautiful. We shot the whole thing in Ireland. Our goal is to really let you feel like you’re there and have this immersive experience.”
Aside from Lohan, Irish Wish boasts an impressive cast. “Her leading men are wonderful,” enthuses Damian. “We have Ed Speleers from DOWNTON ABBEY, who also plays on [STAR TREK:] PICARD, and there’s Alex Vlahos from VERSAILLES. And we also have the lovely Ayesha Curry, who’s a huge social media influencer and married to [NBA player] Stephen Curry. This is a big breakout role for her.”
Irish Wish marks the second time the Damians and Lohan have worked together. Their first project, Falling For Christmas, “is still one of the most popular Netflix movies of 2022,” he marvels. “There are a lot of movies they put out — we’re talking about the mega-budget films — as well as the big blockbusters. So to be included in the Top 10 of all of the movies released in 2022, and for quite a while it was number one in the world, really feels amazing.”
Damian has included a song in Irish Wish that was surprisingly composed a few years back. “It’s called ‘Wild Irish Heart’ that we had written and recorded a while ago,” he recounts. “When we started doing this movie, Janeen said, ‘Hey, remember that song?’ So, I went back in the studio with a bunch of really awesome Irish musicians and made a new version of it.”
Also interesting to note, Damian is an Irish citizen. “I’m actually half-Italian and half-Irish,” he shares. “Through my grandfather and my dad, I got my Irish citizenship and passport, so I have dual American and Irish citizenship. I couldn’t get the Italian passport because when my other grandfather came to the United States, he had to relinquish his Italian citizenship.”
Damian gives props to his long-time connection with soaps (he first started playing Danny in 1981) for fueling his love to produce romantic movies. “Soaps really inspire me and that’s something to not lose sight of,” he declares. “Those audiences are so wonderful, and they’re all connected. They follow me and they’ve been supporting my projects and I really appreciate it. So, I want to thank them by giving a big shout-out to the fans because they’ve been so amazing and loving.”
Netflix
Lindsay Lohan as Maddie in Irish Wish with Ed Speelers and Alexander Vlahos.
