Dan Jeannotte Tells Us The Not-So-Glamorous Secrets Of Hallmark Christmas Movies
When Dan Jeannotte took time out of his busy schedule to discuss his starring role as Edward Ferrars in Hallmark's new iteration of Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility" exclusively with The List, he told us filming felt like falling (in a good way). As Jeannotte gushed about his coworkers: "We all had time to hang out together and it was a lovely cast and a kind of immediate sense of family and of support." The actor has also made a handful of Christmas movies over the years, some also made by Hallmark.
When asked if there was a different vibe on the set of a festive film versus other productions, he took a moment to ponder it. "That's a good question. Is there a difference? I mean, it's funny because you're always inevitably shooting Christmas in like August in Southern Ontario. And it does not feel like Christmas. It's hot outside and we're wearing jackets and we're sweating," Jeannotte reasoned. He also remarked that there are invariably jokes on the set about how they're filming in "the wrong season."
However, "You can't help but be a little bit swept up in the Christmas spirit because there's a tree. Christmas trees everywhere, decorations everywhere. You know, they really always make it look very Christmasy." The "Bold Type" alum also acknowledged that a lot of work behind the scenes goes into making viewers believe the movie is actually set in a wintry environment, quipping, "You just think this is Christmas time in a [...] cold city."
Jeannotte's Star Trek role still has him astonished
Hallmark star Dan Jeannotte continued explaining the surprising inner workings of a Christmas movie in his exclusive interview with The List, revealing, "If you're watching a theme that's got snow, chances are that snow is either like a carpet of cotton that's been rolled out across somebody's green grass lawn or it's this kind of foamy spray stuff that they spray or have a hose that they spray onto trees to make it look like snow when really [...] it's probably August and it's probably really hot outside."
The in-demand actor also starred in Hallmark's "Paris, Wine, and Romance" in 2019, alongside soap alum Jen Lilley. "I remember very clearly the first moment I met her," he said, explaining that after shaking hands she hilariously stated, "Hi, I'm Jen. I'm five months pregnant." Jeannotte responded, "Okay, I wouldn't have known. But thank you for letting me know." He also talked about playing Sam Kirk, brother of the legendary Captain Kirk, on "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds."
Jeannotte's astonishment at nabbing the role was apparent, with the actor confessing, "It's a dream that I [...] feel like I'm gonna wake up from at some point." Jeannotte didn't even realize he was up for Sam until he got the part. "The fact that Sam Kirk has only ever been played before by William Shatner lying on the ground with a fake mustache is pretty incredible," the Hallmark star marveled, adding, "It's pretty great shoes to step into."