Loretta Devine Says a Boyfriend in Her Dreamgirls Days ‘Got My Mother High by Accident’ When They Met (Exclusive)

• Loretta Devine stars as Lewin family matriarch Linda Lewin in Hallmark’s first holiday series, Holidazed
• Devine tells PEOPLE the holidays can be “stressful” for her, “but it’s also about love and being happy to be with your family”
• The Emmy-winning actress says she feels “amazed” by everything she’s accomplished so far and hopes to continue working in Hollywood

The holidays often serve as a popular time to introduce a significant other to one’s family, which can come with some awkwardness. The Lewin family in Holidazed expects exactly that when matriarch Linda Lewin (Loretta Devine) brings her new, much younger boyfriend (Ser’Darius Blain) home for the holidays after splitting from her husband (Dennis Haysbert).

“It was a thrill to do this part and have a young boyfriend and a gorgeous husband,” Devine, 75, tells PEOPLE. “It was like something I dreamed up on my own.”

Devine met her off-screen husband Glenn Marshall in her 50s, “so it was a whole different feeling” when she introduced him to her mom for the first time.

But, Devine remembers introducing another boyfriend to her mother when she starred in Dreamgirls on Broadway in the ‘80s.

“She had never been on a plane, so she flew into New York around the opening so she could get to see what my life was like,” Devine recalls. “He was a little wacky. He was smoking weed on the balcony or something and I think he got my mother high by accident.”

Things went a lot better when Devine’s mom, who has since died, met Marshall for the first time.

“She really loved him,” the actress says. “It was a wonderful thing to have someone to share my life with. I think that’s what she was most happy about.”

Devine tries to bring that happiness to her family on Christmas.

“It’s such a special day,” she says. “You get your list together and try to make sure you can get things that people really like. I have three older sisters and I have to get to all of their houses and spend an equal amount of time with each one. So the holiday can be stressful, but it’s also about love and being happy to be with your family.”

When it comes to holiday shopping, Devine says she used to start chipping away at her list the day after Thanksgiving. “But now you got Amazon, you can go to Walmart. Everything is so much easier if you do it that way,” she says. “But the truth is, with my family, they would prefer cash. I work a lot and I save up so I can do that during the holiday because they really appreciate it.”

Devine knows of another gift that won’t cost her a thing. “Half the stuff I’ve done is on Tubi so I can go watch it again. I’m like, ‘Oh my God, The PJs and The Carmichael Show,’” she says. “They can go on and see it for free on Tubi. I think that’s a great gift. I always say, ‘If you want to see me, go there.’”

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The Emmy winner feels “so blessed” for the career she’s had so far — and she has no desire to slow down.

“If you look at my record of all the stuff I’ve done, I’m amazed by a lot of it,” Devine says. “Sometimes, you feel like you need to go somewhere and sit out. But most of the time, I’m so excited with the new things that are coming out.”

Devine acknowledges that actresses often receive less opportunities in Hollywood as they get older. “It’s just with the way the industry works,” she says. “It’s ageism. It’s all about what the young people come up with.”

But she remains optimistic. “Everybody has to have a grandmother!” Devine remarks.

When Devine does have downtime — she appeared in a recent episode of Dr. Odyssey and has psychological drama Finding Faith with Paula Patton and thriller Breaking the Cycle coming up, too — the Grey’s Anatomy alum enjoys knitting by herself.

“I’m sort of like a loner,” Devine admits. “I should spend more time with other people. But I’m really crafty. I love to knit and crochet, I make gowns and I make jewelry. It relaxes me and it actually makes me sing. I can hear myself humming. My husband says, ‘There you go. You’re humming again.’”

Devine wore some of the outfits she crocheted on set of Holidazed when they filmed in 2022. “I wore an outfit I made to the airport and I’ll never do that again,” she says. “Every little old lady stopped me and asked me how to make a granny square.”

Still, Devine loves sharing her gift with the world and bringing people together at the holidays. “I feel so blessed to still be able to work and to get parts and stuff,” the Texas native says. “It’s a happy time.”

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New episodes of Holidazed premiere Thursdays on Hallmark+.