A dream job! Alison Sweeney dished on some of her Hallmark movies costars — and teased which one is her “favorite” after nearly 10 years with the network.
“How am I supposed to pick one? They’re also wonderful,” Sweeney, 46, exclusively told Us Weekly while promoting her latest Hallmark Channel film, A Magical Christmas Village. “I feel [like] you’re twisting my arm and it’s already a giveaway, but I’ve done a couple movies with Marc Blucas — and I can’t even say this because he is, like, maybe my favorite, but also Cameron Mathison is my favorite. Whatever, they’re all my favorites.”
The California native — who has worked with Mathison, 53, on multiple Murder, She Baked movies and 2021’s Sweet Revenge: A Hannah Swensen Mystery — revealed that it’s “all about that chemistry” with each of her Hallmark leads.
“[It’s] also just the positive work environment that they put forward,” Sweeney said. “Cameron comes to set with, like, the most amazing positive attitude every single day. It just helps you get to work and to make [the films] as good as you possibly can.”
When it comes to someone she hasn’t worked with yet, the Irresistible Blueberry Farm actress pointed to Andrew Walker as a coworker she’d happily join forces with someday.
“I guess I would say — only because we’ve met at, like, so many different events and we happen to know personally … Andrew Walker is just a wonderful guy,” she explained of the Dying for Chocolate: A Curious Caterer Mystery actor, 43. “My husband [Dave Sanov] and I are friends with him and his wife, [Cassandra Troy], and so it would be fun to work together once with him.”
Sweeney has had many dream costars over the years, and her A Magical Christmas Village partner, Luke Macfarlane, is no exception.
“Luke Macfarlane plays my love interest in the movie, and he is super talented and such a wonderful guy to work with,” the former Biggest Loser host told Us. “And we had so much fun in this movie. … We just clicked right away.”
She continued: “It’s so funny that we have both been in the Hallmark world but had never had the chance to work together. And right from day one, we had a really fun connection, and he loved the script too so we were able to really find these two characters easily, and it was a lot of fun.”
The soap star revealed that A Magical Christmas Village, which also stars Marlo Thomas, was somewhat out of her wheelhouse when it came to the story line.
In the film, Sweeney plays single mom Summer who has to navigate the holidays while her mom, Vivian (Thomas), is staying with her and her daughter. Throughout the season, she experiences a little magic thanks to Vivian’s Christmas village decorations — some of which may influence her relationship with Ryan (Macfarlane).
“Most of the movies that I make for Hallmark are very based in reality,” Sweeney explained to Us. “I like to keep it real [and rooted in] relatable things that people can really understand and identify with in their own lives.”
The new “Countdown to Christmas” film, which premieres on Friday, November 4, tells a different kind of love story.
“This movie we added a little bit of that fairy tale fun, Christmas magic feeling to it,” the Chronicle Mysteries star teased. “With the magical Christmas village perhaps nudging these two in the right direction. Otherwise, they would never have gotten out of their own way to meet someone new. They needed a little nudge in the right direction and the magic of the Christmas village helped.”
Outside of the movie, Sweeney revealed to Us that she “totally” believes in the magic of the season. “I love the idea of Christmas magic,” she confessed. “Yes, I do believe in Christmas magic, for sure. I love it.”
A Magical Christmas Village airs on Hallmark Channel Friday, November 4, at 8 p.m. ET.
With reporting by Johnni Macke
