Travis Kelce might not be winning the award for son of the year — at least when it comes to keeping up with his mom’s schedule.

At the New York City premiere of his scripted TV debut, Grotesquerie, Travis’ mom, Donna Kelce, was on hand to represent him, which was fitting considering she’s also making her acting debut this year.

Donna, 71, will appear in two upcoming Hallmark Christmas movies, Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story and Christmas on Call. But when asked whether Travis, 34, had any advice for her, she tells PEOPLE, “No. I don’t even think he knew I was doing it.”

“He was like, ‘Really, mom?’ ” she says of Travis’ learning that she’ll be making small appearances in both movies. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, I just dipped my toe in it.’ “

Donna’s approach is similar to her son’s when it comes to acting. She says she also was “not really” surprised to learn Travis had joined Grotesquerie after arranging a meeting with Ryan Murphy.

“I think this is something he’s always had in the back of his mind,” she says, noting that he’s “very coachable” thanks to his decades of experience playing team sports.

“I just think that he thought, ‘If I get an opportunity, I would like to try,’ ” she continues. “He’s pretty good at just about anything he does because he’s got a good work ethic, so we’ll see.”

Both of Donna’s upcoming roles pay tribute to her sons. In Holiday Touchdown, she plays the manager of a Kansas City BBQ restaurant called Norma & Nic’s — who also happens to be named Donna. In the trailer, she wore a Kansas City Chiefs jersey with the no. 87 on the back.

The film follows Chiefs superfan Alana (Hunter King) as she competes in the team’s “Fan of the Year” contest and meets Derrick (Tyler Hynes), who is tasked with evaluating her in the contest.

Christmas on Call takes place in Philadelphia, and is her tribute to Jason Kelce, who lives in the city and played for the Philadelphia Eagles for 13 years before his retirement last season.

PEOPLE revealed earlier this month that Donna works at a popular Philly cheesesteak spot in the second movie, which centers around the lives of first responders in the city. It stars Ser’Darius Blain as an EMT and devout Eagles fan, along with Sara Canning as ER doctor Hannah who is new in town.

Christmas on Call premieres Nov. 22 on Hallmark Channel followed by Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story on Nov. 30. New episodes of Grotesquerie air Wednesdays on FX and are available to stream the next day on Hulu.