Are Hallmark Stars Jesse Kove And Martin Kove Related?
The 2024 Hallmark film "A Taste of Love" stars Erin Cahill and Jesse Kove as reunited exes Taylor and Jacob. Martin Kove plays Glenn, Taylor's father. Off-screen, he's Jesse's father in real life. Unlike Hallmark stars Jill Wagner and Lindsay Wagner, who aren't related and whose names are a coincidence, Martin and Jesse are family.
At 2024's Dunedin International Film Festival in Dunedin, Florida (where the movie was filmed), fans got to see the movie "A Taste of Love." At the event, Jesse talked about how he likes working with his father. Martin didn't initially want Jesse to enter the entertainment industry, but Jesse loves it and loves working with his dad. "Everything that we do is forever. I'll be able to look back at these things that we've done for the rest of my life," he said (via Wide Open Country).
During the film festival Q&A, Martin talked about how Jesse has progressed in his chosen career. "The most interesting thing for me is to watch the growth of my son as an actor. I remember working with [Jesse] and helping [him] on auditions and all, but one doesn't have to do that anymore." Martin also recalled getting emotional watching Jesse's performance in "A Taste of Love," adding, "Watching my son play this romantic hero that I never got to play ... it was such a pleasure. I was in tears the whole time."
Martin and Jesse Kove also co-starred in a western
Martin Kove is known by many as the tough John Kreese in "The Karate Kid" film franchise. Martin almost didn't star in the "Cobra Kai" spin-off show but doing so allowed him to watch Jesse Kove act in one episode's flashback sequence. "Cobra Kai" and "A Taste of Love" aren't the only projects Martin and Jesse have collaborated on. Another one is 2023's "Far Haven," a movie in the western genre (a favorite genre for the father-son duo). While discussing the project in an interview on "The KJ Today Show," Martin and Jesse shared a sweet moment. Jesse said, "We're always excited to be promoting stuff together. So, thank you." Martin added, "It's always good to be with my son."
Later in the interview, Martin mentioned another western he and Jesse want to bring to life: a comic book they also want to develop into a series. At the Dunedin International Film Festival, they said the project was called "Prodigal Son" (via Wide Open Country).
On "The KJ Today Show," Jesse also discussed how one of the "Far Haven" gunfights he shot with another actor was elevated by Martin when he suggested a special move. "And I did it," Jesse said, "and the director loved it and they wanted to get a special shot of that." Jesse gave credit to his father for that moment and added, "Those are the kind of magical things that happen on set when we're working together."
The father-son duo love to collaborate
Jesse Kove sees his father Martin Kove's acting career as an inspiration for his own. In a 2023 interview with Unclear Mag, Jesse said he enjoyed being on set with his dad as a youngster, and Martin being an actor influenced him to do the same. "Watching him work was inspiring, and it opened the doors for me to see what's possible in this business and the successes an actor can have," Jesse said.
Jesse isn't the only Kove child taking after his father. His twin sister Rachel Kove is an actor too. As of writing, she is slated to be in a not-yet-released western Martin and Jesse are in called "A Gunfighter's Deal." When that film comes out, it wouldn't be surprising if Martin has lovely things to say about both his children. After all, in an interview on "The Neil Haley Show," Martin spoke very highly of Jesse. He raved about working with him and said, "He does so many things better than I did at such an earlier age." Martin laughed and added, "It's a pleasure to actually view that, you know?"
In that same interview, Jesse talked about how his love of movies came from his dad. Jesse said they work hard when collaborating and added, "And it's also just fun. It's like summer camp every time we work together. It's just so much fun at the same time."