Hallmark's Jen Lilley Did Intense Behind The Scenes Work For Snowkissed

Back in 2021, "When Calls the Heart" fans were excited to see one of their faves, Chris McNally, take the lead in a romantic Hallmark movie. "Snowkissed" starred McNally as a bed and breakfast owner in the great Canadian wilderness trying to lure in future investors. To do so, he needs the help of the film's other star — Jen Lilley. A Hallmark veteran before she left the network, Lilley was no stranger to the channel's winter-inspired films.

It's true; a Hallmark romance movie is nothing without two actors coming together as a couple, and we do love McNally's swoon-worthing acting skills. But there's no denying that Lilley did some major behind-the-scenes work to make the film come to life.

Shot primarily in Winnipeg and Banff, Alberta, Canada, you probably think she had to go through a vigorous training regime or even wilderness survival training to film in the elements. But her required off-screen work was actually a lot less cold and snowy than you would imagine, having to do more with her bedroom than the rugged Banff territory.

According to AfterBuzzTV, Jen Lilley had to make her hotel room completely soundproof while filming her romantic Hallmark movie, "Snowkissed." The former "Days of Our Lives" actor stated, "Putting it together I was sweating. I hate working out ... But it was an adventure in my own room. I was literally moving things around as if my children's lives depended on it because I did not want to be the reason that this movie has any issues."

But before you jump to conclusions about why a hotel room might need soundproofing for a romance movie, let us explain. The soundproofing was actually in her hotel room bathroom and was necessary for ADR, or additional dialogue replacement, as it's known in the business. ADR is used when normal environmental sounds interfere with the recording of the dialogue in films; it could be anything from a busy street to a gusty wind. Actors must then re-record the scenes in a controlled environment, like a soundproofed hotel bathroom, for example.

"Snowkissed" was released in 2021, and much of the filming was done prior, some of which overlapped with Covid. Instead of doing the ADR in a post-production studio, Lilley was confined to her hotel room, explaining, "The ADR was really amazing. It turned out very well in my hotel bathroom while quarantining." It seems like all her hard work paid off!

Soundproofing may have been physically hard, but Jen Lilley divulged she also struggled with her character's persona too. Lilley played Kate in the "Snowkissed" film, a journalist who loathes traveling and wants to stay in New York forever. Speaking to Steven Brittingham on the Hollywood and Beyond podcast, she said, "The challenge is when you're playing a romantic lead who people are supposed to like and you're very blunt, but you're also supposed to be funny, it's really hard to kind of walk that balance of 'oh we still really like her,' so that was the biggest challenge for me." A scary concept when you're acting for hundreds of astute Hallmark fans. 

She also confessed that shooting on location was tricky due to the cold temperatures, admitting that the "fashion coats" she often wore weren't really designed for warmth. Thankfully, Canada didn't give the crew its worst. Lilley noted, "We got very lucky, or blessed, in the fact that the weather was very mild for them," adding, "It was maybe negative six or something versus negative 40." Yet she managed to pull it off, as her character appears both cheerful and plenty warm enough, and not the least bit cold (or cold-hearted).

"Snowkissed" may not have been one of Hallmark's most popular "Winterfest" offerings, but even if the sweet love story doesn't warm your heart, the frigid Canadian scenery will surely sweep you away, making it worth the watch.