Eva Tavares Interview (Director: The Christmas Baby, Texas Two Step)

[00:00:02] This is a Bramble Jam Podcast Hi, I'm Bran and I love Hallmark Movies I'm Dan and I despise Hallmark Movies Hi there, I'm Eva Tavares and I am in all Hallmark's movies from all sides And this is the Deck the Hallmark Podcast Deck the Hallmark, it's this podcast And friends host this podcast

[00:00:30] We hope you like this Wow, wow, wow, Dan Oh boy, what a special one we've got today I'll say this Some people, and by some people I mean all people Are saying this is going to be the biggest episode of the year Many are saying I will say this, this is only, I believe And correct me if I'm wrong because we've done about 1,700 episodes That is not an exaggeration

[00:00:59] This is the second director Well, Ashley Williams has been on the show And Young Kay Crystal Lowe have been on the show Both before they directed But they are both now directors But of the time of their interview I believe this is the second director Who's the first? Ron Oliver Ron Oliver He's been on numerous times Right I believe this is the second director Of, at the time of air Wow That we've had on the show So it's big time This is big time, Eva How does that make you feel? I feel so honored This is wild

[00:01:29] Yeah This is big It's big for us as well Not just because we're excited to talk to you about Hallmark But also, I believe you won Who What Win when you came on in December Is that right? No Topher definitely won Okay, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories Honestly, I had a 50-50 chance and I just went for it Salt in the wound, my friend Salt in the wound But that's okay We'll get over it Topher's tough in that regard That was going to be an uphill battle regardless there

[00:01:56] I think this is the first time we've had someone on for the first time After meeting them on Who What When though That's right You did Who What When before That's a show we do for South Carolina Public Radio We don't even own that Before you did Deck the Hallmark So good for you That's terrible Yeah It is great to have you on You have a new movie coming out this weekend Which is very exciting Your second Hallmark My second Movie that you've directed Which we are going to dive into But you're not just a director

[00:02:26] You've also been an actor for many years And so we're going to talk about all of it But first I want to go back to the beginning of life Maybe not life for mankind But life for you Where were you born and what were you like as a kid? What was that spark of creativity that you initially had as a child? Oh, Lord Okay, so I was born in White Rock, British Columbia Which is a suburb outside of Vancouver Shout out

[00:02:55] My mom is an immigrant from Scotland She came here when she was 17 My dad is from Portugal And they met at a self-improvement concert Conferent Dude, those self-improvement concerts are amazing Yeah, a self-improvement concert The encore is really hit Yeah, self-improvement conference Where my dad was looking to level himself up And my mom was running the course So that will tell you a lot about their dynamic Wow Oh my gosh

[00:03:25] She was already leveled up When are you making that movie? I There's a lot of movies that I'll make about them at another time She met him and she was like I got a lot of work to do with this Yeah, this is a full-time job Yeah, no, no, they're amazing And yeah, so that was them I was But my mom grew up doing a lot of dancing And my grandmother was a singer So I started dancing at a very young age

[00:03:55] And really thought I was going to be a competitive dancer That was kind of my track But my grandmother, who was an opera singer Was consistently like You really need to start, you know, training for singing You have a voice And I was in children's choirs and that kind of thing And I kind of didn't pay attention to her Until I went to a fine arts high school It's called Langley Fine Arts Shout out to Langley Fine Arts Some amazing people have come out of there It's a public school But it tries to do more with their funding Than it has license to

[00:04:24] And it really works very hard for its kids And I had a choir director there, Mr. Sparks Who was like, you should get singing lessons And I was like, whoa, that's a new idea I haven't heard from anyone My grandmother hasn't been saying that for years So then I ended up actually doing a bachelor's degree In opera performance Wow At the University of British Columbia From there, I went to do a lot of musical theatre And opera as a singer and as a choreographer

[00:04:52] And then did a whole bunch of regional stuff in Canada And then by a lot of very amazing things falling into place A combination of being ready and being in the right place At the right time I ended up as Christine in Phantom of the Opera The Broadway tour Oh, that old thing? That old thing That's an offshoot I mean, I hear it might be something one day But it's not there Which is actually the last time I was in Greenville Oh wow

[00:05:22] The Peace Center Yes, in I think it was 2018 Honestly, I may have seen that There you go I also had the worst food I have notes, by the way Thank you I did indeed have the worst food poisoning of my life in Greenville Please tell me where Do you remember where you ate? I would love to hear it I love Whole Foods with my whole heart and soul But that hot bar really got me bad

[00:05:50] It wasn't a Greenville establishment Yeah, I love Whole Foods Shout out to Whole Foods Don't hold that against you I still go there all the time It was just a bad one It was a bad one But, so I did that right until just before the pandemic And then a pandemic happened I don't know if you heard I shifted into acting for film because there was no theater And so I did a string of rom-coms

[00:06:17] I actually did a lead for one of the TF1 Which is the other kind of offshoot of the Yeah Kind of vibe And, but I also was in an acting class on Zoom And I had been like editing videos And for my parents' YouTube channel My parents have an off-grid farm in the middle of nowhere Nice I had this site called Off Grid Chick And I did little videos for them

[00:06:44] So I was, I was doing editing and filming in a certain way But then as I started acting for film more I started to get excited about the options that were available to us And as filmmakers with storytelling And I had been coaching actors for a very long time as well So it kind of just all came together And my partner at the time was also a producer, director, gaffer, lighting designer

[00:07:11] And so, so we started producing stuff together And music videos and that kind of thing And it kind of just steamrolled Like it just kept, I was just so excited And I felt so, so much like all of the skills that I had developed in all these different arenas Dance, singing, acting, even like farming And just kind of like scrappiness of like getting things together

[00:07:36] Kind of all came to a, to an epicenter with directing It felt like I was using all of those skills And yeah, and then So my favorite story to tell I might have told you some of this on the last time we spoke But I was, I did a movie right in the beginning of 2020 called I think it was, it turned into a vineyard romance Sure And the, the, one of the leads of that movie, movie was Marcus Rosner Yep. Shout out Marcus

[00:08:05] Shout out Marcus. I will always shout out Marcus So he has a production company and he produces Hallmark films in Edmonton, which is his hometown And at the time I had actually just been playing around with writing a rom-com script And I had, I was in this movie with him, but I had no scenes with him I met him on a tape, at a table read on zoom But I just, I, I found him on Instagram I was like, oh, this guy is doing stuff I'm really interested to know more

[00:08:34] And so I reached out to him on Instagram I was like, you don't know me, but we're in a movie together And I would love to chat with you about a script that I'm writing And God bless him, he was like, yeah, let's jump on zoom He read my script, he gave me notes on my pitch deck And ever since then he's been one of my touchstones Like he reads everything I do, he gives me notes He's such a jerk to us I can't believe that he's nice to you We've sent him multiple scripts

[00:09:01] And he's always like, oh, I'm just in over my head Has he come to Greenville every July just for our little festival? Yes, he has, but a jerk to us personally Always I just love him And anyway, so then he was doing a movie with Ashley Williams Right around the time that the deadline article came out about make her mark And when that deadline article came out, I was like, how do I apply for this? I have to apply for this And I couldn't find it because it was brand new

[00:09:30] And Crystal had just been announced But there hadn't been a formal process established yet And so him and I went for lunch when he was filming here in Vancouver And he said, oh, well, why don't I just talk to Ashley? Because I'm with her right now And I'm like, oh, that would be amazing I just want to know what's happening Like I want to apply, tell me how to apply And so he sent my stuff to her and he had a chat with her And then she got on a Zoom call with me

[00:10:00] And I thought it was just a Zoom call of get to know me See what the, you know, give me info about the program But at the end of the call She said, all right, that was, you know, first test Send me, here's some questions to fill out Officially, you're a part of the interview process now And I was like, what? And that went on for a few months Where I was chatting with all the people at Hallmark And then I think it was January

[00:10:29] They told me that it was happening And then I got paired with Peter Benson For my shadowing And then now we're here I'm just finishing movie number three Peter Benson, who is also Like in front of the camera and behind the camera Is directed a ton for Hallmark Yes, yes, he's my guy So anyways, it's been an amazing ride I'm incredibly grateful to be here I feel so supported and celebrated

[00:10:59] And, and really just such an incredibly family An incredible family to be a part of On both sides of the camera Because I love acting in these as well They're just such a good time I do have, I have so many questions But I have to ask one more follow about your parents Please One's from Scotland And one's from Portugal And they run a farm in the middle of nowhere in Canada Yes How did they get to Canada? Like how did, how did that occur?

[00:11:27] My, my, uh, dad's family came over on a ship You know, in the sixties Yeah, and my, my mom came here when she was 17 After she finished high school Wow, okay My grandfather was a My mom kind of came over separately But my grandfather was a vet A scientist, a large animal scientist He actually was the vet for The queen For her

[00:11:57] The queen For his, her Hanging dogs and horses And that kind of thing And, but he had come here to work for the Canadian government actually For veterinary services and testing And she had kind of followed And made her own way And then he actually went back to Scotland He's like, I don't like it here, bye bye And then my mom stayed Wow So you were a true third culture kid Wow Like your mom, very Scottish Yes Your dad, very Portuguese And you very Canadian

[00:12:27] Yes, correct What was that household like? Like going to school with Canadians and coming home to I mean, was your dad speaking Portuguese at home to you? No No, no, I wish My, my dad In, in the way in which a lot of immigrants might want to just assimilate My dad very much stopped speaking Portuguese It's funny actually I've roped him into doing Portuguese lessons with me now That's cool Which is really, but yeah

[00:12:56] He used to speak Portuguese at home And then there was a certain point when he just made the choice that That was not necessary to, to being a part of this community here in Canada So, yeah, but many of my aunts and uncles still do And I'm around it, you know, and I, and I want to We, we still have lots of family in He's from the Azorish islands off the coast of Portugal And whenever we go back, they're always a little sassy when we can't speak perfect Portuguese Yeah

[00:13:25] And so I really want to be able to go there and not get side eye from my aunts That's a big goal Yeah, it is, it's hard, yeah And so you were making YouTube videos for your parents? Yeah Yeah Does it bother you that you're not getting the same type of buzz as the other YouTubers turned movie directors? That's right We have Off Grid Chick right here with us Yeah, yeah, exactly Backrooms who?

[00:13:55] Yeah, 824 you cowards hire Ava Tavaris Off Grid Chick didn't quite have the same buzz that the background rooms did I really liked them, I thought they were adorable But no, I started making them partially because my, my parents are, they're researchers They are constantly trying to find new and interesting things They're big on sustainability

[00:14:24] And I initially started making those videos because my dad was trying to do, build, raise some money for an underground greenhouse as a test for these different growing practices Underground greenhouses, underground greenhouses use geothermal heating to, to keep things warmer for longer so you can be growing tomatoes in the, in the winter kind of thing And, and I, I made like a little fundraiser thing for them and I mean I don't think I raised very much

[00:14:52] I can't remember but it was a good exercise I learned a lot of things Yeah Fantastic, that's great Now I do want to touch on, so you did, you were acting in Phantom doing stage acting That's kind of what you were comfortable with Was the transition to acting on screen for a movie, was that hard? Did you feel like you had to like learn how to act differently or act a totally separate thing or did it kind of come naturally?

[00:15:18] Yeah, I would say, you know, all of it is just storytelling and authenticity It, the only thing that changes is, are you playing to a seat, you know, a house of 3000 people or are you right in front of somebody? Um, so it's just a matter of like keeping all that sincerity and, and genuine connection, um, but just adjusting your sphere, I suppose your, your, your, um, the reach that you need to, to, to accomplish

[00:15:47] I, I didn't find it, certainly like I was training, I was taking class and I'm still, you know, always be in class, always be learning, um, the, the work is never done and that helped me shift But it, it was, I was incredibly fortunate because the shift did not take very long Like I, I got off of tour in 2019 and I booked my first movie in 2020, like a few months later And it does seem as though you came to directing pretty holistically

[00:16:16] Like you have all of these things that happened in your life It's like I could, that could culminate in directing and not like I grew up wanting to be a filmmaker Do you ever has directing kind of changed the way you watch movies though? Like do you, are there directors that are inspirations for you or how has that changed? How you, how you just watch movies for leisure?

[00:16:39] It's funny because looking back, I think this was always within me. Like I, even before I even was starting to work in film, I was the person that was like pointing out continuity errors in movies and like finding the issues. My eye is always looking for those kinds of things. Um, and then yeah, as you said, very holistic in that I had been coaching actors for storytelling through musical theater for so long

[00:17:05] So my whole thing is authenticity, which is, which is what these movies thrive off of. Are, are we, um, achieving grounded performance? You know, some of these stories seem on the outside to be heightened, right? We're talking about the summer market competition fair, blah, blah, blah, that we're trying to save the town or all those things.

[00:17:28] But when you boil it down to the core of them, it's still about human connection, human authenticity and, and seeing someone right across from you and, and being able to support them or hear them, make them feel safe. And so it's, that's, that's kind of, you know, that core of all of that is, is what's carried me through in all the other ways I've supported actors.

[00:17:50] And, and, and also I'll say like, as an actor myself, knowing things that work for me and ways in which I am able to connect to things helps me communicate that with other actors on the other side. Um, so yeah, it's, it's like, it was always there and now it feels like it's all able to be present in the process. If that makes sense.

[00:18:12] Yeah. Um, a lot of the, I would say a majority of the actors that we talk to have a, you know, a career of acting before ending up on Hallmark or in the major TV space. You kind of, that's kind of your entry points into the TV acting is the Hallmark movie. Were you a fan of the genre beforehand or was it just kind of what was being, yeah.

[00:18:34] Yeah. They're delightful. I mean, this, these movies are, I mean, I'll say even in the pandemic, like, you know, I was definitely just watching those to get through. You know, they, they serve such an important purpose. Um, and, and yeah, and they had for me for years previously as well. So yeah, it wasn't, it wasn't just like a quick shift. It had been present in my life for a long time. Yeah.

[00:19:01] So I, you're, you know, you have an actor sensibility directing, which I would assume a lot of actors appreciate, but we know from interviewing a lot of actors on this show that when you're making a Hallmark movie in 15 days. Sometimes it's, it's, it's, it's not good. It's best, you know, sometimes it's, we don't get 10 takes, we get one take. And then you'll talk to some stalwarts of the genre, like Nikki Deloach, who will just be honest and say, no, I'll put my foot down here.

[00:19:31] Bethany Joy Lins, I'll put my foot down here and go, we have to do this again. Uh, when it's very important. Right. So for you who knows it's 15 days and knows we have, you know, uh, a lot of pages and we have a, a two or three locations and we have a limited amount of time and a limited amount of daylight. Yeah.

[00:19:51] What's that balance like on your side of the camera going, you know, maybe directing actors who have been acting longer than you've been acting or directing and, and, and being in a position of authority and them having to gain that trust. What's that like?

[00:20:09] Well, yeah, I, I, there's so many layers to answering that question. I, I totally, when we are in the prep process, I am working with my first AD and the rest of my team to protect those moments. So we don't have to feel rushed.

[00:20:25] So for example, like on this last one that I just did, the end of the movie was, I think a four page scene. I knew it was going to, we were needing some time. I knew we wanted to have space and not feel rushed. So that day we did two scenes. Right. Like there was that the end scene and one other scene that I knew if I could try, if I had to truncate it, if this one took longer, this could be truncated, but this couldn't be right.

[00:20:50] Right. So you, you start at that point to try to be conscious of what the actor needs. Before we get to set, I call every single actor day players or otherwise, because each one of them is a puzzle piece in the story. I want to know how they want to be spoken to, how they like to receive notes. I want to know if there's something I can do to make them feel safe. I want to know what their thoughts are on the character. Like we don't have space on set to have those conversations.

[00:21:18] So I like to do that beforehand so that we can establish that connection. And even more importantly for someone who's only there for a day, because they're not going to be able to connect with me in that moment. They're in, they're out, they're gone. Right. But you know, a lot of times those characters are just as important to the vehicle of the story and you need to get them on board and get them in the thing.

[00:21:41] In moments like that, where it's like, Oh no, I need another take. It didn't feel connected. Eva, please. Can we go again? And I'm looking at the clock and I don't have time there. I've had that happen a couple of times. And most of the time I'm able to say, let's go one more.

[00:21:59] But there have been a couple of times where I've been like, you have to trust me. We have it. It's okay. I'm not going to, I would not move on if I didn't think that we had it. And the thing that I, a lot of where I started in this, in, in film directing is actually in editing. I, that is where the movie is. That is exactly right. Yeah. No, for sure.

[00:22:22] You can do, if you didn't get the perfect take of this one thing, but you got a look that lands it from like an out of context, other beat, like you can make, it's such an, I'm in it right now. So I'm feeling really excited as well. Just of, of like the, it's so flexible and adaptable and, and it allows us to serve the actor best.

[00:22:47] And so I always like, I know when I have what I need for the edit and that's where that trust piece comes in. And, and hopefully at that point of the process, the actor feels confident enough in me to, to know that that's true. Um, and that's what I've experienced that we've kind of developed those relationships with all the conversations and connection that we've had before we even get to set.

[00:23:11] So that when we are on set and I have to say, Hey, I totally hear you. You want to go again? We don't, we absolutely have it. I would not move on if I didn't know that for certain and, and we'll, we'll continue on, or I can say, let's do one more right away. Here we go.

[00:23:26] Um, the one I just did, I had an actor say, I don't think I got it on that last take. And I was able to, um, adjust the next setup so that I could get that line again on another size. That's the other thing. It's like, if we're having that really open dialogue, if I have to keep moving, but I'm still facing in the same direction, you know, I can, I can get it again. That's the nice thing.

[00:23:51] I had a mentor tell me once, um, less takes more setups. So like moving the camera, so you have more options, but, but, and then that means that you can cover the same moment, multiple different ways, and you can get it in different sizes and different setups and different angles.

[00:24:08] So, you know, if we didn't get it on that one, we'll get it on this one and then we'll edit it together. It's just like, you kind of have this dance with, with the story and with everyone's needs. And, um, yeah, it's, it's fun. Do you, are the, you're, you're about to, or you're in the edit for your third one right now. Um, do you have an editor that you're working with that you've worked with for the other two?

[00:24:31] Yes, actually. So the editor, I, for Christmas baby, I've worked with Arlene Worf Garcia, who is awesome. Um, for Texas two-step and this one that I am about to do that. I'm not sure if I can say it out loud yet. Um, it's, uh, Brayden Overson who I actually, he was the editor on five year Christmas party, which is the movie that I shadowed Peter Benson on. Oh, cool. So him and I got along so well on that, that I asked for him on Texas two-step and now he's stuck with me.

[00:24:59] I imagine that makes it a lot easier to like, at some point you have to hand it off to the editor to just let him do his thing. And I imagine knowing that, like, I, I trust this editor that's, yeah. Cause it is so much about the editor. I was going to ask though, like when you find out that you're doing the maker mark program, I have to imagine you started to kind of watch these types of movies a little bit more.

[00:25:23] Critically, like what, in your opinion, as a director going into it, like what makes a good one, one that stands out above the, you know, last year, 24 other Christmas movies that came out in two months and what kind of, uh, makes it just a standard or one that's forgettable? Like what did you notice anything in your kind of watching?

[00:25:45] Yeah. Yeah. I think honestly, the thing that makes it are the in-between moments. It's not what's on the page. It's like the moments where they're just like clocking each other across the room or, or like there's if, if, you know, in Texas two-step, for example, there's lots of little beats of, of, you know, the action is over here.

[00:26:06] There's one scene specifically where it's, um, uh, our, our character June and our character Olivia, they're doing a little dance lesson. And I could have just sat on that dance lesson. Cause that's what's happening, but actually what's happening is Luke is watching them. And so that's not on the page. That's not, there's not a slug line. There's not an action line saying Luke watches Olivia as she, that's not, that wasn't there.

[00:26:33] But I'm like, Oh, but that's an opportunity for him to see her in this moment when she's having a good time. She's in her element. And there's something really beautiful about that. So it's like the little extras of where can we layer in even more connection between these two, even if they're not saying it, because there are lots of words that, you know, these characters are really open. They, you know, they talk their stuff out and that's a beautiful thing.

[00:26:58] But how many other ways can we layer in their narratives with the ways in which we naturally relate between humans? And I, those are the ones that really make it for me where it's like, I can feel the undercurrent and the subtext and the connection, even when they're not saying it.

[00:27:15] It's a great answer. I love that. When, for you, when do those moments happen in your mind? Is it when you're preparing with the final script, like coming up with a shot list or is it on set or a combination of, of, of both? I'd say it's a combination of both more often than not. It's something that I'm, I'm feeling when I'm, when I'm, when I'm leaning into the arc of these characters. And when I, I do a shot list and a storyboard and previs and all kinds of different things to prep.

[00:27:44] And the more I kind of go through the script and feel into the script, things will come up for me where I'm like, oh, that could be a really sweet moment. It's like, you know, they're, what if, what if their hands touch here accidentally while they're having this conversation? Like at this point in the story, there's starting to be a little bit of an inkling of the romance. Maybe that's the moment where, oh, there's like a bit of a something that throws them off, but they're off kilter.

[00:28:11] But it's also like, what's, what's motivated by what's happening? Like, is, is it that the character is now spinning out? What had them spinning out? Okay. This conversation, what could have happened in that conversation? Like you just start to kind of like an archeologist, like you're digging into all these different moments and finding even more magic than is already on the page.

[00:28:34] So you are a classically trained opera singer. Like, yeah. And you've been in a bunch of Hallmark movies and I've, I've watched a bunch of Hallmark movies, Ava. And I've had to endure a lot of bad singing. Why, what can, what do we have to do to get these two worlds together? So you can sing in a Hallmark movie?

[00:28:56] I, I don't know. The thing that is so funny to me is I have, you know, as an actor, I have acted in a lot of singing specific shows. Like on the irrational, I played a murderer who played Audrey in little shop of horrors, but my character didn't sing.

[00:29:16] And then I played, I played Chris McNally's fiance in rise of the pink ladies, which is a Greece, like on paramount plus. Um, I didn't sing in that either. And that's all saying in Greece, rise of the pink ladies. I assumed you sang. I literally played Sandy the same year. I just did. I was like someone for the love of God. Yeah.

[00:29:44] Well, can I, can I request we've, I have been pushing since we started this podcast. You've been pitching a Hallmark musical for forever. And I know it can be done because we also reviewed Disney channel original movies, which are made very similarly, similar budget in Canada. And they do it on a regular basis. We can do this. We can do it. And I think that, I think you're the person for the job. Thank you. Do you know, um,

[00:30:12] do you have any connection to Max Quinlan over there in Greenville, South Carolina? He runs the theater there. He runs the peace center. Uh, the, the, oh my gosh. Oh, now I want to look it up. He, um, uh, he has a theater company there in Greenville. Greenville theater. I think so. That's a good name for one. Hold on. This guy looks very familiar. Are you looking him up? Yeah. Yeah. I, I, there he is. I feel like I've seen him around town. I mean, there's only 60,000 people that live here.

[00:30:42] Greenville theater or yeah. He, yeah. Greenville theater. Anyways, he, he was my resident director on tour. Okay. Um, so yeah, we're anyways, all of that to say, please someone give me a singing movie. I, I want it. Yeah. Sounds like it's something we're just going to have to make. It's crazy. Yeah. I have to listen to actors sing. Oh, Holy night in these movies. And Ava's right there. And it's like, what are we doing? Oh, Holy night's really hard to sing.

[00:31:11] Oh, you, oh, you toured, you toured a fan of the opera. You're like, what if we have this actor sing? Oh, Holy night. What are we doing? It's public domain. I would simply love to, but simply love to just let them know. I just don't even like, it dawned on me halfway through our sixth director question that we skipped over the fact that a classically trained opera singer isn't singing in these movies. Yeah.

[00:31:41] We'll change it. I feel like slowly, slowly, but surely we're going to get there. I'm just, I'm still new. There we're going to find my place. I'm also seeing in your IMDb, you have a director credit for euphoria currently having a moment. Can you tell me about that? Not euphoria, the TV show. Euphoria is a music video. Oh, okay. Which is also really exciting. You can see how this picture made me think. It does look like the picture attached to it looks like the HBO show. I will say though, fun fact.

[00:32:11] So Kristen Carter, who is that singer, she is one of my closest friends from high school. We've known each other since we were 12 and 13. And her, one of her songs is the, um, in the, one of the big dance scenes in our movie. I got her. Yes. And she also appears in the movie. There's lots of Easter eggs in Texas two-step. I have a bunch of friends and family who are in background all over the place. Okay. Um, so yeah, she's in there too. Well, I got it. I have to, as a followup. I don't want to skip Christmas baby.

[00:32:41] We will get back to it. But all of this talk of Texas two-step, I'm very concerned as a, as a Southern, as a Southern boy that you are, you, you guys are going to Canada, Texas. Wait, Oh, you haven't watched it yet? No. Oh, okay. Yeah. And so I like, we've not seen the film. So, so, you know, I understand.

[00:33:07] I want to be very, when we started this podcast, one of the first movies we watched was a Texas barbecue movie. Okay. That was so, so, so bad. And it had, it made you very mad. It made me so angry. Mark Lucas, Autumn Rees are both wonderfully talented individuals, but none of them have ever seen a Texas and they, and they go to Texas and they got a smoker and they don't know what a smoker really is.

[00:33:35] They think that, that it, it doesn't work because it, the electrical outlet goes out. I'm like, bro, that's not a real smoker. Like, and then, you know, and so what I realized after watching that movie, that was like the fifth one we watched, we've watched now over a thousand that you don't, when they make the, when can't, when Hallmark makes these movies, you can't make a movie where everyone is trying an accent because most people aren't good at them. Right. And so instead of have one person with a Texas accent, you just, you just say we're in Texas

[00:34:04] and then you don't, you don't do the accent. Um, which I think now in retrospect, probably better than having one person being like, how y'all doing? And everybody else not knowing the accent. But I say all that to say the movie's called Texas two-step. It has Brendan Penny and Heather Hemans, two incredibly attractive people who are great actors, amazing people, uh, in the movie. But neither, both of them are, are not from Texas. Like what was the vibe there?

[00:34:33] You're, you're British, you know, Canadian making a movie. Like what's the, what's the idea that you're going for when you are directing this movie that you know is supposed to be about Texas, that it doesn't really involve a lot of Texas. I will say I have lived in Texas. Oh, cool. I've lived in Houston, Dallas, and Austin. Shut up. While I was on tour, spent lots of time there.

[00:34:58] Um, our writer is from Texas and our exec has family there. We did have some cast members, BJ Harrison, she, her family's from Texas. Oh, nice. Um, we did have some representation. Good. From Texas. And we did our research. There are some folks doing some accents. There's not everyone. There's some, um, and yeah, I just like the biggest thing that I, with this movie that

[00:35:24] I was leaning into and researching was the community around line dancing in Texas two stepping and those, those honky tonk, um, the honky tonk culture, basically. Um, the way in which people come together in these spaces and support each other and how that's a deeply Texan kind of, you know, everyone's helping each other out and we're all connected and, and the neighbors are family.

[00:35:51] Like, it's just, that was kind of what gave the authenticity for me when I was, when I was doing that research and reading the script and, and, and feeling into it. Um, we also actually shot in a true line dancing bar in Canada, but still. Still. And there is a, it was an amazing night in prep where me and our line producer, our first AD, our locations manager, our second, like the whole team went to the line dancing bar in prep.

[00:36:21] And it was an amazing thing. We, we got out onto the floor while we were aligned to do a line dance and we didn't know what was going on. We had just kind of like fallen into it. Like we're going to, you know, kind of follow along. And I'll never forget. There was this girl who was behind us who, or sorry, in front of us. Cause of course we had shifted from behind to in front and blah, blah, blah. Um, and we were kind of hooting and hollering being like, I don't know what's happening. Where's my foot going? Like having a silly time.

[00:36:50] And she turned back to us and she was like, you're doing great. Like, don't worry. Like just kind of bringing us along on the ride in such a kind and welcoming way where she could have been like, Oh, you're messing this up for me. You're getting in my way. It wasn't that dynamic at all. And in fact, we didn't really know what we were doing, but if you just kind of follow the wave, they've all got you around you.

[00:37:14] And, and it felt like such an important metaphor for me to actually feel before, before we did the movie. Um, and that's kind of more than anything, what I'd love for the takeaway to be, um, and how that is so categorically Texas as well, um, of the community mindset and kind of everyone helping each other out. Um, this is probably, I feel like I should know this answer, but I don't know it.

[00:37:39] How do you as a director find out what your next gig is? Like we, you told us that you could tell it again, cause it's great, but you told us how you got Christmas baby and Topher and all of that when we talk on who I went. And, but I, but I think the folks on deck, the hallmark would love to hear that. Lots of times, like an actor will get a call, like not very long before shooting begins. Like it's pretty close to it, but it sounds like you have. Have some, you had had some lead time to give some thought to, and you're, you're doing some planning and whatnot.

[00:38:09] Talk about the process for a director and what it's like getting a hallmark. I mean, I will say like, yeah, for the, say for example, the one that I'm on right now, I had not, I had less than a week of lead time. I'm still incredibly pedantic. I do, I, in whatever time I have, I do as much prep as I humanly can. I'm, I'm pretty, my shot list is almost done by the time we have our first day of prep.

[00:38:38] Like just in the concept of like what I want the movie to look like. I've done my breakdown of the script. Like I'm just, I, as much time as I can put into that prep, the more I will do, you know? Um, but Texas two-step is a little bit of a different thing. Yeah. With Christmas baby, I had done my shadowing, you know, the, the big overarching goal of the maker mark program was for them to set us up with our first gig.

[00:39:06] But with, uh, certain movies that are licensed deals that are outside of the Hallmark proper, um, you know, that's, that's up to those producers to bring you on. And so I had to interview for that gig and I got it and thank God, because that was such an important movie for me. And, and as a queer person as well, just like being able to tell that story was, was just incredibly impactful. Um, but with Texas, I, it's an interesting, uh, interesting go around.

[00:39:36] So I was through the maker mark program on a zoom call with a bunch of our amazing execs in LA. And it was just kind of an intro call of everyone, you know, Christmas baby had just finished and, um, they were just kind of getting to know me. And one of the execs, she mentioned, Oh, uh, I've got this movie, that movie, I've got a line dancing movie on my slate. And I'm like, huh, interesting. And I just kind of filed that away.

[00:40:05] And then I had to go down to, um, down to LA and I messaged her. Her name's Dickie Copeland. And I said, Hey, I'm in town. Uh, we'd love to link up. And so we had a little lunch and I had prepared, not knowing anything other than it's a line dancing movie. I had prepared a pitch. Essentially.

[00:40:29] I had taken clips for my music videos and I had found reference images and I had kind of all these ideas of what I would do with a dance movie coming from a dance background myself. Yeah. Um, and, uh, we were sitting in a restaurant and I whipped out my iPad and I said, so funny about that line dancing movie. I've got these things to show you. And I kind of pitched her. And, uh, at the time she didn't really say too much. She's like, Oh wow. Yeah. And I was like, Oh, I've crossed the line. This is too far.

[00:41:00] And then, um, months later that was in August, uh, September, October, November, December, January, six months later, I got a call and she said, I would love for you to do this. Can you do it? Um, and I was like, yes, please. That's awesome. Um, so that was a very specific scenario. Um, with, with this next one that I'm on right now, uh, I think at this point now, you know, Hallmark is, is getting to know me and they, and they want to keep me, keep me telling these stories.

[00:41:30] And so that was kind of a, an ask, uh, right on the heels of finishing Texas two-step, but it's, it's really, you know, it's kind of situational. It's based on what's going on and who, who knows you and who feels comfortable with you and all that good stuff. Um, I do want to touch on Christmas baby for sure. Um, for sure. Absolutely. Fantastic. Click.

[00:41:52] Um, I, I think something that I've, uh, kind of, it makes sense and talking with you, you put, there's so much care I hear from you and these projects. And I think looking back at Christmas baby, that's kind of the takeaway is there was a lot of care put into that movie on one hand. You're given this movie to us. This is a bit of a layup. You got an amazing writer.

[00:42:20] You got two incredible leads that are just top, top of the game here on the network. On the, on the other hand, it is first of all, uh, not necessarily a love story in the traditional hallmark sense and every, uh, possible story, but it is a love story. It's not two people meeting each other. They know each other in their life together, which is rare. Um, uh, also it is, uh, two women, which groundbreaking, uh, for the network.

[00:42:47] Um, so on one hand lay up on other hand, incredibly difficult, uh, especially from a hallmark standards. And this is your first one. So I do want to hear kind of just the story of when you first get this, when you, when you get this, your, your thoughts, your feelings, and then just the, as much as you want to share about the making of that movie and the care that you put in. Yeah, no, it was, ah, man, just, I count my lucky stars really with that one.

[00:43:17] The script was so strong. I mean, I got the script and I was like, how did I, how did I, what did I do right in my other lives to get this script? Cause it was just so delightful and sweet. And as you say, like, we actually got to lean into the truth of these relations, like an actual relationship that's been established for a really long time and the intricacies of that.

[00:43:40] And the, the navigations of bringing in a new child and also, um, a queer relationship and also just people that have been together for that have history. Um, just such a gift. And it was funny when I did my initial interview with Angela Mancuso, the EP, I had been told nothing about it. And then she told me that it was two married women and I started crying. I was like, Oh God, I'm in the right place.

[00:44:08] Um, and yeah, I mean, and I think I might've said this. So Allie was one of the first people that I shadowed that were the, I, I shadowed Gail Harvey. Um, and I shadowed Allie when she was directing, uh, the holiday sitter starring, uh, Jonathan Bennett and George, George Krissa, George Krissa being one of my best friends in the whole world. Um, from my theater days.

[00:44:33] Um, and then him and I did a show together in 2016 and we've been best friends ever since. Um, so I was shadowing her on that and then she directed me in one of the Christmas on Cherry Lane movies. And then now I got to direct her. So the, like the full circle of it all was not lost on me. It was incredibly, it really felt like divine timing in so many ways.

[00:44:56] And, and then, yeah, I mean, gosh, first movie, uh, 14 days with a four month old child and dogs. And, and, and it was a heat wave in Kelowna, BC, you know, like there were challenges, there were challenges, but man, I mean, we really got to prioritize the intimacy of this relationship and the intricacies of what happens when a child is brought in and, and you didn't choose it.

[00:45:24] And what, what goes through your mind as you try to navigate the changes in your relationship and, and your community showing up for you and, and all of those things, like it just was so special. And also, uh, you know, I had so many friends that ended up just inadvertently getting cast. Like, obviously I'm always advocating for, for people that I trust and know as far as who's telling the story, but ultimately the network makes the final choice on cast, but it ended

[00:45:50] up that, you know, Kat Reynolds, who is one of my closest friends, also a theater performer, Allie Liebert, theater performer, um, uh, who else was in there? Andrew Hampton, also a theater performer. I just, I had just done elf the musical with him. I played Joe, um, you know, like there was just theater, Devin Buswood also, I'd just done Greece with her. She played, um, Marty. Um, there, it was just like a real, um, family dynamic immediately.

[00:46:18] And it, like, you know, just chosen family tight and, and free. Like we were playing with some of the comedy and we were, we were leaning into the emotional sides of it. You know, I, I know that there were some reviews that was like, oh, this is like really got me. Like it had, there's, there's feelings that we were investigating in that story that, that we haven't been able to do as much in, in other Hallmark movies. And that I just, it was just such a privilege.

[00:46:46] I just, I just, um, yeah, I really just count my lucky stars with that one. So one follow-up and it, it might, it's a quite a follow-up, but then we can, we can be rapid fire. Cause I get the feeling this is a long answer and I'm sorry in advance for the question, but you talked about one specific theme in there. The whole movie is great. Uh, as a, as a guy who, uh, has been a foster parent and, and became an adoptive parent through DSS, uh, and, and, um, is, it's aside from marrying my wife, the best thing I've ever done.

[00:47:15] Uh, uh, you know, I always would watch Hallmark movies about adoption and I would, my spectrum would range from actively angry to you. And on the good side, you just shouldn't have told the story like that was as good as, as it, as it could get was you shouldn't have told the story because it is so incredibly complicated. The, the, the emotions are, are complicated. Yeah.

[00:47:41] Like the, the, the feelings that you have are not, it's not, it's not linear and it's also not 100% of anything. Right. Like when I explain when I'm fostering someone and like even a kid that I want to adopt the best version of this is this kid reconciling with their biological parents, even if it rips my heart out, that's the best version of the story. Right. So I say all that to say, how'd you do it?

[00:48:07] And when I say, how'd you do it, you guys took a few shortcuts, but not many, but not many. And the one, and the shortcuts that you took, you, you, you can take because you didn't lose the, the epicenter of the heart of the difficulty of the trauma of the emotion. And so you get a couple of days to edit it before you hand it off to the editor. Topher's written a script. Yeah. Still, my question is how'd you do it?

[00:48:32] How in an 84 minute movie that are carrying an unfortunate weight, which is we're normalizing a queer relationship on a Hallmark channel. We're normalizing a queer married couple on the Hallmark channel. You already have that, right? Yeah. How, how, like, how did it seem so incredibly seamless that you told a story and I'm not just trying to compliment you. I, I like, it's a movie that really moved me and, and I didn't think was possible, but

[00:48:59] the flip side of it is you've ruined it because now I'm holding, I'm holding adoption stories on Hallmark to a higher standard. Yeah. And we can blame you and the team for that. So how'd you do it? So it's gotta, I mean, listen, I, I remember when, um, the two of you did the, the, I love that episode that you did on Christmas baby. Cause you spoke about this and I just like, it made me so, so happy.

[00:49:23] Um, because yeah, of course, like if I'm doing anything, I want to try to, to lean into the authenticity of the, the, the layers of this. I, I, I just feel like that's what these movies require. And I gotta say, like, it, it is really all Topher as far as like, he, he laid that ground work. He leaned into the things that he knew were important and what needed to stay to, to, um, correctly represent that process.

[00:49:54] Um, and then it just, and then from there, it's like, I'm just, you know, the keeper of the story. I, I feel like the parent of the story. Right. And, and for me, as I've, as I've said countless times, like it's the authenticity piece. Like, how does this actually feel? I'm not, I'm not wanting to shy away from that nitty gritty that you're talking about where like, yes, Sydney Scotia's character comes back and she's like, I might want to keep this child.

[00:50:19] And there's the, as you say, that that's the best case scenario, but it's also the most heartbreaking piece for Allie and Kat's characters. Right. And like being able to hold those two truths in that moment of like, they absolutely want him to be with his mom, but they've also become his mom. That's right. And, and in a world where they didn't even really think that they could have that.

[00:50:45] So there's just, there's, I, I don't, I didn't want to shy away from any of the depth of what those moments meant. And I think we, those, and I told the actors that as well, I'm like, we're not, let's reel for real. Like, I'm not going to gloss over any of this. Let's lean in. And I think that's why the movie works and why the arc of these characters work and why we root for them so hard and root for the community also that kind of shows up to, to help them navigate this.

[00:51:12] I just, but, but Topher lay the great, the groundwork, you know, our EP Angela and our producer Jill, like they, in the moments where I definitely had moments where I'm like, oh man, is this maybe a little too heavy? And, and Angela was like, no, real for real. And I'm like, yes, that's what I want to do. I'm not wanting to shy away from this. Like, that's a disservice to this narrative. If I, if I try to sugarcoat it. Um, and we still have the brightness of, of comedy.

[00:51:41] There's incredibly funny and like, and everyone's like bringing their biggest hearts to it. Um, so it's, it's not, but, but I didn't think it would work if we didn't lay into the honesty. Um, and everyone was really on board with that and that it was a real team effort to do it. Fantastic. Well, we're very excited to see your follow-up Texas two-step, which I think will be equally as, uh, moving and groundbreaking.

[00:52:08] It does sound like we're getting a proper amount of two-step though. That is unfair to this, to, to this wonderful, wonderful human for you to do that to her. But you're right. Brendan Penny and Heather Hemans line dancing is up there with the trauma and love and redemption of adoption and foster care. Both stories are important. They both are very big. It is. It is so different. It is so different. It could not be more different, but it is. I am so proud of this film.

[00:52:36] I absolutely cannot wait. I'm like, I, they're all my children. Like I love them, you know, it's, but they, God, I can't wait for you to watch it. I really, I had a feeling that you might have seen it already, but you haven't. So that's like, I want to talk to you about it. We utilize screeners when we have to for our schedule, but we would prefer, like, I don't watch any like commercials for any of these movies either. We, we usually, we try to watch them complete like Monday morning at like eight in the morning.

[00:53:04] We'll start the Hallmark movie from Saturday night. So we're watching it completely sober minded and like focused in a theater room. Like with, so we watch movies. So if we have to do a screener, we got to, but we try to just like actually watch them in the manner that, that we, we think is the most without the watermarks. And then some of the movies could do with, we've had a couple of drinks and we're doing laundry. Like they probably could, it would help them if we didn't do that. But here we are. Yes.

[00:53:34] We're very excited about it. Um, yeah, be excited. I'm excited. Okay. Good. I love it. Uh, shall we rapid fire? Let's rapid fire. You go first. Uh, one of your, if not your most memorable movie going experience as a child, a movie you remember seeing in the theater and walking out going, Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. This is a great question. I have a couple there. Well, the one movie that immediately springs to mind is I went to see Lord of the Rings and ran out crying. Cause I was so scared.

[00:54:04] Um, but that is, um, I'm trying to think of a movie going. I mean, You're so young, Eve. If you, you, you know, the movie scared that you're just young, you're just young. It's not fair. Rent was a really big one for me. I do. I do remember going to see rent and how beautiful that story was. And, um, the music, obviously. I mean, I think I was singing it for all of my, my, my time after that.

[00:54:30] Um, I also was pretty, I mean, this is going to fall into the line of, you know, movie musicals cause that's the crossover that I definitely land in, but Chicago was another big one. Rob Marshall. Oh my God. It's good. Uh, it's so good. Um, I, I also though grew up like the movies that I would watch were oftentimes via VHS is at home. Like I grew up in one of my favorite movies that I can probably quote every word to is clue with Tim Curry.

[00:54:58] I love, I love some broad comedy like that. And Madeline Kahn with her most famous line of improv, the best, even breath, breathless, um, genius. Um, but yeah, I, I definitely, uh, I loved and hello Dolly, like these like old, old school ones. It's Shirley temple. Watched a lot of Shirley temple when I was young. Chicago was like, I grew up in the South, played five sports. And like, we were just separated in this.

[00:55:27] And I remember watching Chicago going, nah, man, musicals rule. Like I, I like, I didn't get to watch any of them because that was like, we're not going to like, we're not seeing the music. Like, yeah. I saw Chicago was like, Oh my, Oh my goodness. Like this is, this is unbelievable. So yes. Totally. Um, your parents are off the grid to bring it back to your parents. They're off the grid. Um, are they so off the grid that they haven't seen your stuff? That's such a great question.

[00:55:55] I mean, they've been in two out of my three movies now. Okay. Um, I, my, my mom and dad are, if you watch Christmas baby, you will see them. They are behind Ali when she's watching the, um, theater performance with cat, um, uh, with cat up on the stage with the kids. My dad, he kept on, um, makeup kept coming to like, powder his little ball spot. And he was, he was, he was like, I think I'm on camera.

[00:56:25] So great. Far, you know, they came off the farm for the day. Um, so no, they have seen my stuff. They don't have cable. They don't have cell phones. Uh, they, they, so they, but they not be listening to this. They won't be listening to it. Well, they might, my mom, they do have internet, but it's a satellite. Yeah. Um, so they, they occasionally will find interviews and stuff like that, but, um, yeah, they're in Texas two-step. They will see a link. I like, no, I like the idea of you like having a, like a,

[00:56:54] back in school when you had to roll in the rolly cart with the AV stuff. As you go onto the farm with the gear, we're going to watch the movie today. It's a pop-up. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, Ava, better food, Scottish food or Portuguese. Wow. Portuguese. That's the right answer. I just didn't want to give it for you. Cause I didn't live in those places or I'm not from there. The only thing that I'm really, so I'm celiac. I'm gluten-free. Oh, okay.

[00:57:21] And there's some like, they're like the pop sex, like the Portuguese buns or the pastiche de natis, the egg tarts, like things that I, my sweet, sweet Tia Grace, my, my dad's youngest sister, she'll make gluten-free versions of those things for me sometimes. And when I'm like Christmas and stuff and I'm like, Oh, thank you. There's some real key things of, from that, uh, cuisine that I can't eat anymore. And I'm so sad.

[00:57:49] Um, not counting any of the big cities, which of the, what small city was your favorite that you spent a little time in while touring? I love that question. Oh, that's incredibly easy. Um, Kalamazoo, Michigan. Okay. Weird way to say Greenville, South Carolina. I did love Greenville. It's clouded by, but no, uh, Kalamazoo, Michigan, my, um, alternate.

[00:58:17] At the time, Emma Grimsley, who's a dear friend who took over when I, as the lead Christine, when I left, uh, we rented a cabin by a lake and I, my car rental, it was, it was winter. My car rental was a truck. We were driving through the show and it was like, it was a magical time. Her and I, we had a fire every night. We had, we made food. We sat by the lake. We went to the show. It was just like the most idyllic little experience. I, we talk about it all the time. We find it on Airbnb.

[00:58:46] We're like, what if we went back to Kalamazoo? How often are you just staying in a hotel nearby versus getting a cool Airbnb somewhere? For when you're on tour. Yeah. Yeah. It kind of depended, um, on like price points. Cause we were kind of given like a weekly per diem and we would have to figure out our housing from there. But oftentimes they would have a, um, like a hotel rate that was given to the, the touring company.

[00:59:15] So sometimes that was the least expensive option in certain cities. It wasn't. So then we would look for Airbnbs. It was kind of an. Cause that whole foods isn't anywhere near the peace center that you went to. Oh yeah. I think I was living a little far out. I was in an Airbnb for sure. Yeah. I was. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. My last question is a tough one. Oh God. Okay. Ava, you can see one show on Broadway with its original cast. Wow. One. Oh, actually.

[00:59:45] Yeah. And that's the only one you get to see and you get to see it one time. Original cast. What are you choosing? Um, okay. I'm going to go. I, I, I have two, but I'm going to go with one. It would be the Sunday in the park with George with Bernadette Peters. Okay. And, um, Maddie Patinkin. Maddie Patinkin. Phenomenal. Yeah. Phenomenal.

[01:00:14] I mean that and that music and their performances was, I mean, you have so much of it online, but I, I, I just remembered another one that I didn't get to see. And it's a more recent one, but I didn't get to see. It was the color purple with Cynthia Erivo. Oh my God. I, I was on, I was not able to get there when it was happening. Cause I was doing another show, um, for a long time. What was the other one you were going to say? Uh, well, the other one I was going to say was light in the piazza with, uh, Victoria

[01:00:43] Clark and Kelly O'Hara. But your final answer is color purple or is it the other one? I don't know. This is too hard. Um, no, I think it probably should be the color purple because I, I, the videos I've, I've been, I went on a deep dive for the videos of Cynthia doing that role and the visceral reaction you can get from the videos of what the audience feels.

[01:01:10] I just like, I don't think it's matched to anything. So that, that would be, that would be pretty high up there. I could keep going. I mean, yeah. He's Louise. I didn't, I, I didn't think I saw wicked in the theaters and I didn't think it was doing anything for me until Cynthia started singing the wizard and I, and all of a sudden I was transported and that was on a screen. So I can't even imagine. I know. I know that show, that show is really special, but yeah, there, there is an amazing bootleg

[01:01:37] on YouTube of Cynthia's final performance in color purple. And it's from the wings. It's from like one of her cast members is, is filming her. And she becomes so for clamped with the feeling, everything she's feeling about doing that. She can't keep singing. So she stopped and she stops and the audience gets on their feet and they're cheering for her and being like, you've got this. And I was just like, I'm weeping. I'm like, Oh no. Chills. Chills. Just hearing the story.

[01:02:06] And then she comes back. You have to find it online. She comes back and she just says very, the next line, which is very simply, I'm beautiful. And they all just like lose their minds. And I'm just like, Oh my God. The theater. So great. I love it. And she finishes the song. Anyways. Yeah. We don't condone the, the, those recordings, but thanks. Shout out to the recordings. God, it's there. But this is one of her friends who probably got permission.

[01:02:33] Can I, can I tell you one funny, funny story about that? So I, we, I'll never forget where we were either. We were in Portland, Oregon and I was doing the show and it was the second act. And I'm, I'm at the very edge of the stage having the scene and the second act where I'm in the manager's office and they're trying to convince me that I have to go down into the lair to get the phantom and blah, blah, blah. And, and putting me in danger. And I'm like, don't do that. That's crazy.

[01:03:02] And I'm speaking to, um, Carlotta and I say, how dare you, you vicious woman. How dare you? This isn't my fault. And then I turn and I say to one of the managers, I don't want any part in this plot, but then from here to here, someone in the front row was like this with a phone and my, for those of you who can't see what I'm doing, the phone is pressed against their chest. It's facing towards me.

[01:03:28] And I, uh, my brain just stopped. I was like, you see it and you're like, uh, and I said, how dare you, you vicious woman. How dare you? This isn't my fault. No words came out. Like stumbling over myself. And then I was holding the hand of, um, my friend Rob, who was playing one of the managers and he just kind of squeezed back. Cause I thought I was having an aneurysm. I was like, what's happening? What's happening?

[01:03:58] And, uh, the rest of the show, I thought I was going to forget my words, but what was crazy is when I got to the stage door, the woman, cause I could see her face. I could see her like that. We can see you. We're not that far away. It's, you're not like protected by some kind of barrier. Right. So she came to the stage door and she's like, wanted me to sign her program. And I said, were you sitting in the front row? And she says, yeah, I was. I'm like, yeah. Can I just offer?

[01:04:24] Like, I just wouldn't film anything if you're in the front row. And she's like, oh, I wasn't. I was like, yeah, we can see you. It's fine. But like, just don't do that. This is a natural way to hold a fight. I sit like this when I watch everything. Even in the movie theater. And like, I'll say like, I have some bootlegs of me on YouTube that I really, I'm so glad

[01:04:53] I have because it's such a good laugh. Like I have, there's a bootleg on there that's called Phantom of the Opera Blooper Fail, where my skirt had fallen off in the middle of thinking of me. Oh my gosh. And I had to, it's very funny. Go watch it. But I'm so glad I have that. I'm so glad that someone in the balcony was filming though. Yeah. Not someone right in front of me. Um, cause that made my brain break. So that's crazy. Fantastic. Yeah. Last question. Here it is. Question is what's your go-to candy?

[01:05:23] My go-to candy. So, I mean, as you might be able to guess, my, I was raised in a very natural kind of household. That's a weird question for- I did not eat a lot of candy as a kid. That being said, my mom being British, one of her favorite candies was a wine gum. And so I definitely liked wine gums as a child. We got to look it up. Oh, you don't even know what that is. There you go. We're looking at a chewy, firm fruit flavored candy. It looks like a- It's like a fruit snack.

[01:05:52] Like a jujifruit or a myconic or something. Yeah. They come, I don't know if you can see on there, they come in like a tube and they're little, they can come in these little like circle rounds and they're quite chewy. I don't think there's any wine in them. I don't know why they're called wine gums. Yeah. The name is deceiving. There you go. The wine gum. I was in London with my family two years ago and I did not, I tried a lot of candy. I did not try wine gum. Yeah. I do like wine gum. Did you try a Rowan tree? I don't know. A Rowan tree candy? Wow. Did you even try, did you even candy?

[01:06:22] I don't know. We got very addicted to the Cadbury eggs and it was hard to like pivot from there. That's fair. That's fair. The dairy and the chocolate, it's crazy. It's sustainably sourced and real. It's unbelievable. Yeah. It's so good. Wild concept. No, I'm definitely more of a chocolate person. Generally candy is never really my go-to, but if it was, it would be, it would be the wine gum. Very good. I love it. We did it. We did it. Ava, you were just an absolute treasure. Thank you so much for joining us. This was so fun. You're both the best.

[01:06:51] Thank you so much for having me. We're very excited about Texas Two-Step. Yay. It airs tonight. It airs tonight. It airs tonight. Upon the release of this episode, it's tonight. Tonight. Okay. God bless. You had a little freak out there. You were like, wait, what day is it? It does air tonight. I know. You're listening to this. Yes. It is a Thursday feeling Saturday for sure, I would say. I've always said Thursday's the new Saturday. Thursday's the new Saturday. That's right. Yeah. That's what I think. Yeah. 100%. Yes. Always been saying. Yes. No. Yeah. Please watch Texas Two-Step.

[01:07:20] It's such a good time. Brendan and Heather are delightful. Our entire cast is so delightful. There's dancing. There's so much dancing. Okay. I love it. One cast member that wasn't delightful though. Go. I'm kidding. You don't have to do that. Marcus Rosner. Marcus Rosner. He's always the correct answer. And I mean it so sincerely. I haven't. Everyone is. I really, really, really mean it. The best. Like I have not had. I love them all. They're so. There we go. I had to get that in there. Yeah. Of course.

[01:07:51] Really? Yeah. 100%. Yeah. All right. This was so much fun. We can't wait to watch a movie. Can't wait to talk to you again soon. Until then, maybe the first to wish you a Merry Christmas. Yes. Woo-hoo. Deck the Hallmark is a Bramble Jam podcast produced by Brandon Gray and yeah, that Greenville, South Carolina. For more information on the show, go to deckthehallmark.com or follow us on the socials at deckthehallmark.com. If you can leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, five stars if you please. It helps others find the show. It's up to you. Support the show financially by becoming a double-decker at bramblejamplus.com.

[01:08:20] That's ad-free podcasting. That's live video watch-alongs. That's movie chats and so much more. Do it right now. Goodbye. You're about to hear some ads that help keep the lights on here in the old studio. Thanks for listening or don't listen. It's really up to you at this point. It's at the end of the show. I mean, you're listening to me. Hi. But here they come. I promise they're coming. Yep. Here they are. Happy day.