Once in awhile, an unforeseen opportunity drops in your lap in a manner you never could have imagined in your wildest dreams. Who would have speculated that attending the Hearties Family Reunion in October of this year would lead to an interview with an absolute legend in the film and television community? Notwithstanding, thanks to Paul Greene’s influence, not only did I have the opportunity to interview the one and only Beau Bridges, but my mother actually spoke to him first–I jest not. While I was aware of the idea of the interview, my mom was the first to answer the phone when Beau called, and I’ve lost track of how many times she has related that story to friends and family. Moreover, while this was an impromptu interview, Beau’s kindness and generosity towards me (and my mom) is a memory I shall cherish as long as I live. 

Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage.com

RH: Beau, I cannot thank you enough for chatting with me today. You took me quite by surprise, but I’m ready to go, so let’s do this now.

BB: Sounds good to me, Ruth.

Christmas In Angel Falls is not your first Hallmark film, is it?

Kate Drummond (Nikki), Beau Bridges (Jeffery), Brooke Shields (Abby), Brennan Elliott (Marco) Credit: Copyright 2016 Crown Media United States, LLC/Photographer: Shane Mahood

No, recently I’ve done the Flower Shop Mystery films with Brooke Shields. I played her dad, and we did three of those. We actually filmed them up in North Bay, Ontario–the same place we filmed Angel Falls. It’s a wonderful small town, very picturesque and quite beautiful. On the other show, I was there in the winter, and it kind of made it difficult to get around. But when we did Angel Falls, the weather was beautiful. I got to get out on the water and look around. It was great.

I was a huge a fan of the Flower Shop Mystery films. We wish so much there were more of them, but sadly, it sounds like they have come to an end. {pause} Now, you’ve been in this business quite some time and have had an incredible career. In fact, aren’t your children involved in the business too?

Beau’s Children

Beau and his sons

Yeah, one way or another, they are involved. I have five kids. My oldest, Casey, is a documentary filmmaker, and he runs an organization called Tools For Peace. They have programs in schools across the nation teaching compassion, which is something I think we need right about now.

My second oldest, Jordan, had a hit series for seven years, Rizzoli & Isles. He played Frankie Rizzoli in that, and he continues to act.

My son, Dylan, is a director of social media at Universal, so he’s on a bit of a roll right now. They’ve been breaking records for successful movies.

Beau and Emily

My daughter, Emily, is an actress, and she and I wrote a play together a couple of years ago, which we performed recently up in Minneapolis where she lives with her husband. Our play is called Acting: The First Six Lessons. We also performed it here in Los Angeles; it’s a two-hander. Samuel French published it, so other people perform it now, which is kind of cool.

Then my youngest, Zeke, is an actor who is leaving for a job in Prague quite soon. He just graduated from Chapman University, so he’s just kicking off his career.

So they’re all involved one way or another.

I was not aware how all your kids were connected to acting and film. That’s really amazing. {pause} Something I wonder about…a lot of people in your position might get to a point where they would think, “Well, I’m done. I’m just gonna go ahead an retire.” I look at your credits though, and you are not slowing down by any means. Why is it that you continue to make films and shows like you do?

Beau and his father, Lloyd

Well, I’ve always enjoyed film and TV and going to work in my father’s shop, so to speak. Lloyd Bridges, my father, was an actor. I’ve always enjoyed being a part of telling the stories. I think acting and telling stories has been around since the beginning of man, and it’s a wonderful experience. I really love it.

Beau and his wife

What’s kind of cool now is…when my children were younger, my wife had to stay home with them. But now that they’ve all flown the coop, she gets to come with me, and we travel to a lot of different places and have a lot of fun together. I love this business. It’s something I look forward to doing for the rest of my life.

Since you have done some Hallmark work previously and now your back doing another Hallmark movie, what do you like about working for Hallmark? What do you appreciate about the network?

You know, they’ve been around an awfully long time. I like the audiences they seem to target. They do a lot of family shows, and I’m always pleased to do those. And I’d never played an angel before. {laughs} In Angel Falls, I play Michael, the archangel, and playing him is kinda fun.

When I was talking with Paul about the film and he told me the part you played, I thought, “Oh, I can see that.” And when I have discussed the movie and your role with other people, they tend to agree with me. It seems like everyone agrees that this role is a perfect fit for you even though you haven’t played an angel before. What else can you tell us about the film without giving away too much?

Rachel Boston, Beau Bridges Credit: Copyright 2017 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Shane Mahood

Angel Falls is a love story really. The wonderful actress, Rachel Boston, she is the angel Gabriel, or Gabby, as we call her. I have a problem with her as her mentor angel because she seems to get too involved with the people she’s interacting with. I tell her that’s not a good thing because angels and humans can’t really interact that much. I mean, you can help them out and so forth, but you can’t get too involved. Then she meets Paul Greene’s character–a mortal, a man–and they get interested in each other. And I don’t think I’d better tell you any more than that. I think it’s a great story. I’m just trying to straighten my angel out. Love gets in the way, I guess. It’s a very interesting story.

Beau Bridges Credit: Copyright 2017 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Shane Mahood

Well, it certainly sounds interesting. Now this was also filmed up in North Bay, right?

Yes, North Bay is a wonderful town. You know, Paul and I didn’t have very many scenes together. In fact, I don’t think we had any together ’cause he couldn’t see me because I was an angel {laughs} We were around together in some of the scenes, but we couldn’t interact. But we favored the same sushi restaurant. We would see each other every evening just about, and we got to know each other that way.

He certainly spoke highly of you, and he said you both got to work together on some kind of charity event if I remember right.

ancient Chumash village Photo Credit: Wishtoyo

I’m a board member of a group called Wishtoyo. It’s a wonderful organization, and we just celebrated our twentieth anniversary. The mission is to save the oceans and the California coastline from pollution. We have lawyers that take on some of the polluting offenders and these big companies and so forth that are dumping their trash into the rivers. We also work to save the sacred sites of the Chumash Indians who were the original people who lived along the California coast. The group was founded by a friend of mine, Mati Waiya, who’s a Chumash ceremonial leader. Recently, we had a big yearly event. I talked to Paul quite a bit about the organization because I know he’s kind of an eco-warrior himself. He was very interested. And he came to the event, as did Rachel. He had the opportunity to see it for the first time, and I think it was really great for him. The organization has built an ancient Chumash village in the old style on the bluffs of Malibu, and that’s where we held the event.

I’m so glad to see people in entertainment involved in things like that. I believe everyone should give back, but when actors and entertainers do it, it really makes me feel better about people in this business. We always hear the negative stuff about the entertainment world, so it’s nice to highlight the positive stuff for a change. {pause} So in addition to Christmas In Angel Falls, do you have other upcoming works you can mention?

Yeah, I’ve been pretty busy. I have a film coming out that I completed maybe two and a half years ago. It’s a very unique project. It is directed by  Steven Soderbergh, and I think it will be coming out fairly soon. It’s called Mosaic. The reason it took so long to get it ready is because it involves a new kind of technology in terms of how it’s being released. HBO is going to have you download for free an app that people will be able to get if they want to watch the show. On the app is all the characters in the story; it’s a murder mystery. You watch the story from the beginning, and this woman gets murdered in a ski town in Colorado. As the case starts to unfold, you can activate on your app which character you want to follow and you can follow all the different characters. So then in the end, like any murder mystery, you try to figure out who did it. The script was like 350 pages long. It took us a long time to film it. So I’m excited for that to come out.

After Angel Falls, I did a movie called Elsewhere, which is another love story. I play the father of this guy; my son is kind of a lost soul, recovering from grieving for his wife who just passed. And then I’m back in Vancouver to do a movie called Two/One which is about doppelgangers.

Wow, you have been busy. Well, it sounds like you aren’t going to be retiring anytime soon. You sound like you love what you do, and you’re going to keep on doing it as long as you can. 

Yes, that’s the way I look at it too. I love what I’m doing, so why stop?

Well, Beau, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me today.

Ruth, I appreciate you taking the time to talk with me too. Have a great evening, and say “hi” to your mom for me.

Beau Bridges Credit: Copyright 2017 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Shane Mahood

While I have conducted other last-minute interviews in my relatively short journalistic career, this is one that dazzles me beyond belief. As my loyal readers will know, I customarily highlight the supporting cast, and all too often, I am the first (or one of the first) to interview the industry professional at hand. I regard it as my sacred responsibility to complete my homework and ensure a competent and enjoyable environment for my interviewee. While I quickly develop a rapport with the majority of these people, I strive to guarantee that the experience is one that will create authentic connections, and natural communication is always key.

Rarely do I have the honor of chatting with a man who has probably done hundreds, if not thousands, of interviews throughout his celebrated career, and what a humbling experience to be on the receiving end of such unselfish hospitality as he ensured that I was at ease. While everyone with whom I converse is generally cordial and gracious, Beau’s poise, geniality, and effortless way of speaking are enough to eradicate any barriers existent between himself and the interviewer. In fact, the highest compliment I can give Beau is that he reminds me of my grandfather who’s sedate mannerisms and fascinating tales perpetually enticed me, even in my childhood. As I could listen to my grandfather for hours on end, I can undoubtedly state the same thing about Beau. I would have gladly basked in his presence and hearkened to the anecdotes of a bygone era, but then this interview’s length would have been prohibitive. And that is one of the main reasons I attempted to keep the interview brief and focused on his more recent works.

Another thing I wish all of my readers could have heard was the unmitigated pride which radiated from his voice when he spoke of his children. I realize that the vast majority of parents are exultant of their children’s accomplishments, but I believe in Beau’s case, the fact that they are carrying on the “family business” in a sense gives him a reason to highlight their accomplishments even more as they share a common industry. While I am certain Beau would still have hailed their successes had they selected a less prominent career, I too comprehend the joy of sharing a common interest where your children are concerned. 

The final thing that overwhelms me on a particularly intense level is Beau’s commitment to giving back to the community. I am aware of the fact that numerous actors make it a point to align themselves with charities, and some even give a profusion of funds to the ones they prefer. But with Beau, it’s a bit different. Just as he is not one who attracts undue attention to himself, he is the same way with the Wishtoyo. He doesn’t deliver riveting speeches nor announce his work with the organization in order that he will be acclaimed. Instead, he underscores the others. In fact, he goes out of his way to spotlight everyone but himself, thus demonstrating his pure spirit of humility. While he is aware of the fact that he is contributing to this organization and society as a whole, it is a sublime responsibility for him to aid the causes closest to his heart, and he doesn’t take that obligation carelessly. He would never coerce anyone to become involved, but the invitation is always there. And it looks like Paul and Rachel were in attendance at the special event a short while back, thus attesting to the extraordinary bond that has been fostered amongst these three actors. 

Therefore, I invite everyone to tune in Saturday, December 2nd to the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel to witness the premiere that will inevitably inspire, encourage, entertain, motivate, and most of all, remind us of the sincere spirit of Christmas. No matter when you watch Christmas In Angel Falls this holiday season, I pray with all of my heart that you don’t miss one of the most astounding men in show business today–Beau as Michael the Archangel. Even as he reaches the latter portion of his life, there is no doubt in my mind that Beau is still evolving as a person and a performer. I mean, anyone who makes a film that uses a new kind of technology when he’s somewhat my senior in terms of age–that simply dumbfounds me!  Additionally, be sure that you check out Beau’s links below and consider following him where applicable. A sweeter, more affable man you will scramble to find, and I can hardly wait to see all of his forthcoming works. And it can’t help but cross my mind just how many more people my mom will regale about her celebrity encounter with this phenomenal human being! 

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