Written by Ellen Marie Hawkins, Relate Contributing Writer

Stuck in an elevator.

Those few words create many different reactions from people. Most of us would feel claustrophobic, or panic or just plain awkward with a stranger. The chances of being stuck in an elevator are pretty good, especially compared to being struck by lightening, so we take that chance every time we step into an elevator. And although there are things to do to lessen our chances (stop pushing those floor buttons repeatedly, or banging on the doors, or, c’mon, we’ve all done this, hopping around in one) it could happen.

So do you think you could make a love connection in a suspended elevator with a random stranger?

In the upcoming movie Elevator Girl,a Hallmark Channel Original Movie airing Saturday, February 13 at 9 p.m., the sparks fly. Lacey Chabert (Party of Five and Mean Girls) plays a free spirit who gets stuck in an elevator with a focused and driven lawyer played by Ryan Merriman (Taken and Final Destination 3). Although they have opposite personalities, they fall for each other.

(Photo by Hallmark, Lacey Chabert and Ryan Merriman in Elevator Girl)

So if you were stuck in an elevator, who would you want it to be with and why?

When asked this question, Lacey wanted a Hollywood legend with her in the lift. “I wouldn’t mind being stuck with Natalie Wood. Splendor in the Grass is one of my favorite films. She captured a unique magic on screen that inspires me.”

Ryan, too, wanted to be stuck with an inspiration as well, Paul Newman, who was “such a cool cat and one of my favorite actors and I never got to meet him.”

For those of us who would be able to form coherent questions for our idols, those are good answers because it would be an amazing opportunity to learn so much. But for those of us who would panic, there is always the obvious answer. Jason Ritter, co-star in Joan of Arcadia and The Class wanted to be trapped with the elevator’s inventor, Elisha Otis, “to get us the heck outta there!” Good response, Jason, although an elevator repairman would be just as great.

Courtney Thorne Smith from both Melrose Place and According to Jim said, “I’d want to be trapped with my dad, Walter Paul Smith, who died a couple of months ago. Just to be able to hear him tell a few bad jokes (for the thousandth time) and so I could tell him how much I love him (for the millionth time).”

And that girls, sums it up best. Lacey herself was discovered by an agent when she was nine while in New York City on a family vacation, so unexpected meetings can totally alter the direction our lives can take. Whether it is that hot guy you’ve been dying to talk to or your favorite musician or an old friend you haven’t seen in a while that you’d want to be trapped with most, you have to make the most of the opportunity. So, visit the restroom before you get on any elevators (you never know how long you might be stranded!) and think of some great conversation starters because the next elevator trip you make may not be so mundane after all.

And be sure to tune in to the Hallmark Channel on February 13 at 9!

Tags: celebrities, claustrophobia, elevator, Elevator Girl, elevator jam, Hallmark Channel, Lacey Chabert, Ryan Merriman, unexpected meeting