Eliza Bennett Confirms What We All Suspected About Hallmark Actors & Christmas Movies - Exclusive
In recent years, many actors including prominent soap stars have made the move to Hallmark. British actress Eliza Bennett, who starred in the vigilante series "Sweet/Vicious" from 2016 to 2017, has also joined the channel in the 2024 film "An American in Austen." She plays Harriet, a Jane Austen enthusiast who's having difficulties in her love life. When she wishes upon a shooting star for her own personal Mr. Darcy, she mysteriously ends up in the universe in which Austen's novel "Pride and Prejudice" takes place.
Hilarity abounds as the oft-clumsy Harriet finds her presence is altering the course of the book, and she must work to put right the events of the story, along the way gaining insight into her own romantic woes with boyfriend Ethan (Bert Seymour). Bennett sat down with The List to discuss the film, noting the fiery chemistry between all of the actors — a connection that truly translates on screen.
She also gave us some insight as to why many actors are jumping aboard the Hallmark ship. When we asked if she could see herself starring in a future Austen-themed Hallmark Christmas film or any other holiday flick for the network, she incredulously responded, "I can't imagine what a Jane Austen-themed Christmas movie would be, but maybe someone knows what that would look like." Thinking further on it, she added, "But yeah, I feel like it's probably like an actor's bucket list thing to do a Christmas movie at some point."
Accents are a good tool for Bennett
In Eliza Bennett's conversation with us about her new film, "An American in Austen," she mused about one day starring in a Hallmark Christmas movie. "When I told my friends I was doing a Hallmark movie, they were like 'a Christmas movie?'" she stated, adding, "And I was like, 'No, it's not a Christmas movie,' but I feel like they're so iconic that yeah, they feel like it's like an actor's bucket list."
She talked about how during filming, many of the actors started reading the novel "Pride and Prejudice." However, Harriet is obviously not in the book, which allowed her some leniency when playing the character, whereas the other actors had to remain true to the story. "I sort of had the freedom of not having to play one of the original characters because I think you definitely, when you're playing Elizabeth Bennett or you're playing Jane Bennett ... you definitely want to sort of have an essence of who Jane Austen wrote, and honor that."
Bennett also explained that she's used an American accent in other projects extensively. "I work sort of 50/50 now, either in my own accent or in an American accent." She's used a dialogue coach in the past, but no longer needs to, further explaining that mastering different accents are useful. "Sometimes it's actually quite a good acting technique, I think, to create a whole another person, and it's kind of actually a tool that helps."