When Cedar Cove met its untimely end on the Hallmark Channel, I promised the lead actor, Dylan Neal, that I would continue to support him (along with the balance of the cast of that show) in all his future endeavors. And even three years later, he can’t seem to get rid of me! 😊 Recently, Dylan agreed to return to my site for an exclusive interview about his most recent Hallmark project, Truly, Madly, Sweetly, and I am honored to share it today in anticipation of its Saturday, September 22nd premiere!

Photo: Dylan Neal Credit: ©2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Brendan Meadows

RH: Dylan, thank you so much for agreeing to chat with me again.

DN: Ruth, it’s always a pleasure. Thank you for reaching out.

So let’s jump right in then. Please tell us a little about the story and the process of bringing Truly, Madly, Sweetly to the network.

Sure, I’d love to tell you. Truly, Madly, Sweetly is based on a book of the same name by Kira Archer and is a sweet story about a character named Natalie who is a cupcake truck owner whose dream in life is one day to own a bakery. Her former landlord is an elderly woman who, when she passes away, names Natalie in her will. When she shows up at the lawyer’s office, she meets an attractive man named Eric who has also been named in the will because that landlord was his aunt. The two of them have been left this whole building together that was once a bakery. While they are attracted to each other, they have the requisite frustrations with each other, and they both have different ideas about what they want to do with the building. Eric would like to simply sell it and make a profit. But of course, Natalie sees the opportunity she’s always dreamed about, which is to own a bakery. The story unfolds from there with how they’re going to figure this out.

Photo: Nikki DeLoach, Dylan Neal Credit: ©2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ryan Plummer

I do understand that it may not be the most original Hallmark premise; it’s very much like All Of My Heart.  But I knew with that title and premise, I could sell this movie. My main concern was not copying All Of My Heart, and as I set about writing it with my wife, we studied that movie quite a lot to avoid similarities as much as we could.

As I mentioned, I knew I could sell this book to the network for a couple of reasons, but the real trick is how I discovered the book. All the producers at the Hallmark network have a similar challenge. Hallmark ideally likes to purchase book adaptations, especially with their Movies & Mysteries Channel because hopefully, it’s going to be a franchise that is ongoing. I think they feel a certain comfort in knowing there’s “x” number of books with an established mystery plot that even though they know they are not going to adhere exclusively to the books, there’s a certain comfort in knowing that there’s a template in place for the writers to follow. And they assume there will be less problems with an existing property. And I get that.

But they also like that premise with their romantic comedies. It’s great when there’s an existing story that we can all rally around so there’s no guesswork in what they’re buying. But the problem for us as producers is that because Hallmark makes almost a hundred movies a year and there’s at least a dozen regular producers if not more who are combing over all the exact same books… Hallmark makes a very particular product, as we know, with very specific parameters and a template for what they will allow, so there’s only so many books out there that check off all of these boxes. And we producers have often picked over everything. So that is where the challenge comes in.

Photo: Dylan Neal Credit: ©2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ryan Plummer

Well, I found myself one day, when I was getting ready to pitch a number of projects, burrowing through different titles of books on various sites that I regularly visit. And you know how sometimes you’ll click on something that will take you to something else. And then you click on that, and it will take you to something else. And a half an hour later, you’re in a completely different area than where you originally started.

On this day, I ended up in a sub-genre of romance that I didn’t even fully understand existed. Truly, Madly, Sweetly is not erotic fiction as far as genres go, but is shall we say, very “spicy”. Technically, it’s a contemporary adult romance novel written by Kira Archer, a lovely woman whom I’ve met since. And she explained the difference to me between erotica and adult romance, which while often spicy, has sub-genres and hers is very close to what a Hallmark movie is. Erotica is when the attraction between the two people is completely attached to sex. For example, the series Fifty Shades of Grey is erotica. There is no story without the sex. It’s the glue that brings them together.  In this case, Kira writes in a genre that is almost an exact template of a Hallmark movie with cute characters in cute circumstances and in many ways is quite innocent in tone. However, since it is adult romance, there is a fair amount of sex that goes on as well. So while I was aware of  steamy romance novels like Harlequin –typical bodice-rippers–I didn’t know about all these sub-genres and this one, in particular, that was so wistful with its Hallmark-like framing of characters and story.

Photo: Dylan Neal, Nikki DeLoach Credit: ©2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ryan Plummer

I figured probably no other producer had stumbled onto this book, so I pitched Truly, Madly, Sweetly to one of the execs at the network and they loved it. They were sold on the story and characters. But then I did say, “By the way, just so you know this book is highly sexual in nature, and do you have a problem with that if any of your audience members go to look up this book?” Well, they weren’t worried about it. They knew we were going to tailor it to our needs and knew the viewers would understand that the book is the book and what we’re making is a Hallmark product.  And fortunately, the publisher and Kira are big fans of Hallmark and they were more than happy to let us option the book and make a movie out of it, knowing that we were going to have to change quite a lot of what she had written.

I find it interesting that you’re mentioning this because I too have read books that were set up like a Hallmark movie and I’ll think, “This would make a perfect Hallmark movie,” but then scenes pop up that are not Hallmark-friendly.

As a writer and producer for Hallmark, I’ve learned that we have to very often make substantial changes to a book, whether it’s the relationship or theme. Or in the case of murder mysteries, it’s the actual plotting and sleuthing. There are times that adapting a book can cause more work than coming up with something completely original on your own.

Matthew Kevin Anderson (Munro), Dylan Neal (Henry), Brooke Burns (Maggie), Marc Senior (Bailey)

For instance, on the Gourmet Detective series, at the time I was pitching that franchise, my wife and our producing partner actually pitched two novels, and Gourmet was my least favorite of the two. Mainly because I knew there were going to be some heavy-duty changes that would have to be made. The Gourmet Detective novels all take place in Europe, and none of the supporting characters you see in the movies existed in the books. These books are at least thirty years old and were written before cell phones and modern communication existed. Plus, the leading man in the book is nowhere near what a Hallmark leading character should be in terms of personality and likability. So every element that made those books correct for the book series were actually a detriment to actually telling a Hallmark story. Honestly, by the time we got to the fourth one, Becky {Southwell} and I used only the smallest kernel of plot from the book, and everything else was made up. And actually, that made my life a lot easier as a writer.

So that is always the challenge for us producers in that we sometimes use books to make our pitches to the network, and while that can sometimes make our sale a little bit easier, the downside is that it often means a lot of work for us as we untangle all the elements that aren’t going to work for Hallmark. So when you do come across a book that you like, don’t worry about the parts that don’t work. Focus on whether there is a kernel of a story that works for Hallmark. Do you have a strong female character that works for Hallmark? Is there an interesting hook? What’s the lead character’s challenge and how does she grow as a person by the end? Almost everything else can be adjusted. And you would tailor your pitch accordingly, knowing that whatever is in that story, you’re going to take a lot of detours to get to the final product.

Photo: Dylan Neal Credit: ©2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ryan Plummer

In the case of Truly, Madly, Sweetly, we had a lot of detours in development. Ultimately, we brought on Ron Oliver, who was the director of the film, to do a major final polish of the script. Ron was able to get those elements tweaked just right so that the network was happy. While Becky and I did write many versions of the script and are responsible for some of the key elements that survived, I will say that this script is more Ron’s script now, and that doesn’t bother me in the least. After all, that is the nature of the business! And I love Ron.

Actually, Ron and I go back thirty years. We did a horror movie back in the 80’s that he wrote and directed called Prom Night 3. We have kept in touch since then. This was back up in Toronto when I was maybe still in high school or just out of high school. Then when I moved down to Los Angeles in 1992, I stayed on Ron’s couch in West Hollywood for the first couple of months while I was getting set up in Los Angeles. We had not worked together since 1988/1989, whenever that film was. We had seen each other and we both knew we were working at Hallmark. We occasionally would see each other at network events. And we definitely have mutual friends. But it had been literally thirty years since we had worked together. And it was fun to go down memory lane and to see how we’re different people now. Ron is a very confident, clear director and he runs a really fun set. You’re not ever going to hear someone say they didn’t have a good time on his set. He’s a good mentor to people in the crew. I always learn something on every project I’m working on whether that’s in my capacity as an actor, a producer, or a writer. And certainly, I learned things from Ron on this project. I’m really thankful that he came on board. I’m very grateful that he was responsible for helping to get our project past the finish line.

Photo: Dylan Neal Credit: ©2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ryan Plummer

In this business, every writer is in danger of having their sold projects scrapped and thrown out, even after months or years of hard work. Even though Ron’s polish got this one across the finish line, he’s had other scripts at Hallmark thrown out the window. Everyone has their mountain to climb when they’re delivering a script to any network or studio. I always find it interesting to talk to other writers about their successes and struggles because you never really graduate. You know, Aaron Sorkin has written about the daily challenges that a writer faces because you’ve got the devil in front of you, which is the blank computer screen, and that’s a daily challenge that never goes away. And then you have the challenges of your studio, your network, your co-producers… because with the film industry, it really does take a village to make it across the finish line. Sometimes it’s easy, and sometimes it’s just hard and challenging. And you never really graduate from that.

So this was the first time you worked with Nikki DeLoach, correct?

That’s right. I met Nikki about two years ago at a Hallmark event. She came up and introduced herself to me because we had a mutual friend in Brooke Burns. I’m so glad she did because within five seconds, I knew I was going to work with this woman and that I wanted to be her friend. She is one of those people that really stands out. She is such a genuine person, and she’s really smart. But there is this inner light about her that some people have that is immediately recognizable and captivating. She is immensely talented, which I didn’t know at the time. I mean, I had assumed she was a talented actress; she had an impressive resume.

Photo: Nikki DeLoach, Dylan Neal, James Rha Credit: ©2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ryan Plummer

But once I got on set with her, it was easy to see that she is enormously talented. My job day-to-day was just to keep up with her because she will keep you on your toes, which is what I really like as an actor. I like to be challenged and motivated by my co-star, and Nikki does that on all levels. She’s extremely funny. Hallmark has specific parameters when it comes to comic stuff, and Nikki understands that really well. And then in the hands of someone like Ron, who also understands the network mandate so well…as he said, as a director, it was like playing a Stradivarius when he was working with Nikki.  I can’t wait to work with her again. We’re really good friends now. She’s part of my inner circle, and I’m just so happy that we met. I think she considers me a friend, but then also as someone who can be a bit of a mentor to her as well as she begins to sell and produce. She’s very ambitious and she wants to create her own stuff as well. In fact, she’s shooting a Hallmark movie right now that she is producing and starring in. I like to be in the role of helping people, sharing whatever bits of knowledge I have, and watching other people do well.

I know you also mentioned that she is a singer, which is something I had forgotten.

Photo: Nikki DeLoach Credit: ©2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ryan Plummer

Yes, she has a fascinating story. She was a part of that very famous Mickey Mouse Club with Arianna Grande, Ryan Gosling, Britney Spears, and Justin Timberlake. This was a phenomenal show that had these amazing future stars, and she was a part of that. Then Lou Pearlman, who created NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys, also created a girl’s band called Innosense. She was a part of that pop group, and they started to make some big waves in Europe, and then they started to make some headway here in the States as well. But then thanks to Lou Pearlman’s mismanagement of funds and a lawsuit, that opportunity blew up for her. She transitioned from being a singer back into being an actor. And then unlike some, she obviously proved herself to be very good. So she can do it all. In fact, I’ve got one project in development right now that requires a singer, and while I can’t guarantee that I can get her hired, I’m sure pushing.

That’s great to know, Dylan. I hope that works out. And actually, I’ve interviewed a couple other actors connected with the movie as well. Alison Wandzura, for one.

Oh, Alison is simply wonderful. I love Alison so much. Oh my gosh, she’s so funny! When she gets the right project to show what she can do, it shows just how funny and talented she is. And a lovely person too. The thing about Alison is that she is always aware of the role she is hired to do. She knows the flavor that is required to play any role, which is such an important thing for actors to understand. It’s really what separates working actors from non-working actors. I used to teach this in class and all acting classes will talk about this. Do you fully understand what your character’s role is and what role it plays in telling the overall story? We’re all being hired to tell the story, and each character is there for a very specific reason, and your job as an actor is to fulfill that mandate. And it’s not always clear but it should be clear to the actor. And Alison clearly understands that whatever the role is, she understands what the mandate is and then how to knock it out of the park. And that’s really important to any actor’s long-term success. I am truly a fan of her work, and I am definitely looking forward to the next time we are able to work together.

I also recently talked to Bailey Skodje who was also in this movie with you.

Photo: Dylan Neal, Bailey Skodje, Karen Holness, Nikki DeLoach Credit: ©2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ryan Plummer

Oh, Bailey is just adorable and lovely. When she is on the screen, she really stands out. I knew that from casting, and so I immediately knew I wanted to bring her on board. There were a few choices for the role, but I thought there was something particularly perfect about Bailey for Hallmark in this case.

I’ve been following her work for a while, and she’s done all sorts of roles. And her mom is great too.

Bailey is a very interesting person to watch because she’s a kid, and she brings a child’s playful energy to set, which is what you want usually. At the end of the day, you can only work with a child for so long because they’re children and on the one hand, we legally can only work with them for so long in a day but you also need to be aware of their individual attention span. It’s different for every child. It will be interesting to see how she develops. Her mother works with her very well and together they are delivering what needs to be delivered. I haven’t worked with kids a lot, so it’s interesting to see how in Bailey’s case, the switch flips on when it’s time to work. She is very professional, which is the main thing you worry about with kids. You want them to understand when playtime is over and it’s time to work. That’s when kids need to focus, and the concern is how much and how long can they focus. The “how long” is the most important. It’s interesting to see when her “time to work” switch flips on, and it’s interesting to see when we’re stretching those limits. Bailey was a total pro, she’s very good and she understands what she’s doing – I think she has a bright future ahead of her.

Now, let me take a moment and tell you something I consistently hear from those who have worked with you, especially on the Gourmet Detective series. People will tell me how you leave a handwritten note for them in their dressing rooms. I can’t tell you how much they said that has meant to them.

Photo: Nikki DeLoach, Dylan Neal Credit: ©2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ryan Plummer

Yes, that did happen on all of the Gourmet Detective movies. I did a little of that on Truly, Madly, Sweetly. When I am clearly the guy who is driving the boat behind the scenes, I want everyone to feel very welcome and to know that I appreciate the hard work and often sacrifices that people have made for the production. We all have our own lives, and we all have balls in the air that we’re juggling, whether it’s kids or other work commitments. So there’s often sacrifices that are involved, and I want them to know that because I’m an actor, I really appreciate all that they’re bringing to the project.

Maybe it’s because of an example that was given to me on my very first movie back in 1987. I did a day player role in a CBS TV movie called Echoes In the Darkness. I was almost an extra. I probably had a couple of lines. A couple of weeks after the thing was finished, I received in the mail a handwritten thank-you note from the director. He was obviously sending notes to every single person on that film because I was the smallest of the small people in that movie. It really touched me, and it stuck in my brain like, “Oh, that’s a class act.” It made me feel appreciated, and I know he didn’t have to do that.

What a handwritten note does in life, not just on set, is it demonstrates a courtesy that is rapidly disappearing in our culture. Nothing quite tells a person that you appreciate them when you take the time to handwrite a note that is a thank-you but is also personalized. It does take a little bit of effort, frankly. I would sometimes be writing those notes at midnight because I’ve had a full day on set. I might be doing things after we’ve wrapped that were pertaining to production or the script. I also have my own life with catching up with family while on location, sometimes in different time zones. At the end of a long day, I’m often pretty wiped, but I really believe in that principle of making people feel appreciated. I also think the effort involved is what touches people. An email is too easy; it’s somewhat impersonal. A hand-written note tells people you really value them. And so I do it. I’m sad that kind of courtesy and appreciation doesn’t go on more than it does. Becky and I teach our kids that when they have a birthday party or any kind of particular event where they’ve invited friends over and they receive a gift, that they write a thank-you note. They’ve always had to do it even when they were younger and we had to coach them with what to say and how to do it. We’ve instilled in them a value that is important to my wife and I. So I hope and trust that will carry on in life with them. And I also hope that it filters out into other aspects of their life where you appreciate the people who are contributing in a positive way to their journey.

Well, it is something I heard a lot about during the Gourmet Detective films, and Bailey told me that you gave her a note like that. And I think it’s something that stands out because it doesn’t, unfortunately, happen that much anymore. But I see it as a kind of legacy that you’re leaving and people are remembering you for it.

That’s kind of you to say. And you know who else does this is Nathan Fillion. I understand that on every episode of Castle, every single guest star that came on that show would receive a handwritten thank-you note from Nathan. I don’t know if you want to read anything into that. Two Canadian guys there. HA!😁 Anyway, I know I’m not alone in doing these kinds of things.

In addition to Truly, Madly, Sweetly, do you have anything else coming up that you can mention?

Photo: Dylan Neal Credit: ©2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ryan Plummer

I have another couple projects in development. I have working titles for both. One is called Love At the Lake, which is a summer movie. And another is called Love At the Fair, which takes place at a traveling fair. That one could be really fun because I don’t believe there’s one that’s been set entirely within a fair. There have been a few movies with scenes at a fair. I think there was a recent one called Season For Love. In those, people go visit a fair, but I thought it might be fun to have a movie that is set entirely in a fair. I think it would be a beautiful movie and the perfect setting with all the rides, sounds and romantic lighting at night. I have high hopes for that one.

It’s good to see you still developing movies with Hallmark

Yes, I’m always happy to be working with Hallmark; they’ve been so good to me over the years and I’m proud to call many executives there my friend. At the same time,  Becky and I are also hard at work selling projects to other networks as well. We are trying to keep a diversified portfolio of projects both in TV and film. Ideally, we’d like to work in a variety of genres; there are just so many stories we’d like to tell.

Something I’m personally looking forward to finally seeing you in is the Murdoch Mysteries Christmas special, “Home For the Holidays,” that you were in last year. It’s finally been released on DVD, and my copy arrived this week.

With Yannick Bisson

You know that Murdoch Mysteries is on Acorn here in the U.S. It is a subscription service, and I would recommend that anyone interested in murder mysteries keeps their eye on Acorn. It’s a great company, and I think it’s going to continue to grow. They’re doing an exceptional job of growing their subscription base.  Acorn is a cozy mystery network that is traditionally rebroadcasting British cozy mysteries and making them available to the American audience. Acorn is now stepping their toe into original programming as well. I believe they have two new series that they are funding. Just like Hallmark Movie & Mysteries Channel has really grown and become a pretty strong brand, so has Acorn. The mysteries on Acorn are a little different from Hallmark, some of them maybe a little edgier, but they still qualify as cozy mysteries.  I could see myself pitching to them down the road, as I really love murder mysteries.

My family and I have seen all the Murdoch Mysteries from this past season except the Christmas one because the network Ovation carries and rebroadcasts the current season several months after it airs in Canada. So I always end up buying the Christmas special once they release it the following year. I was so glad to see you return to the series because I know there had been talks for a while of you going back.

Yannick {Bisson} and I also go back thirty years. We both started in Toronto, and at a young age, he really started to do very well for himself in Toronto. Much better than myself. But we worked together once or twice back then in the eighties. He’s had his ups and downs over the years like all of us in the industry and I’m just so happy for his success.  I really like Yannick and wish him all the best. We got to spend some time together on that last movie.

And Murdoch is such a great success story for Canada. I couldn’t be happier for Yannick and his family because he’s making money now. And traditionally on Canadian shows, you don’t make near the amount of money you might on the U.S. shows. But I’m thrilled for everyone connected with that show because it’s one Canadian show that fulfills its mandate really well. They were always a little show, if you know what I mean. They never had much money in the budget, especially at the beginning. And yet the production design was terrific, and the cast is perfect. That show always has had the right dose of heart and design behind it. It was always the little engine that could. It stuck around and then it started to snowball. And now it’s getting ready to air its twelfth season this coming week. It’s the number one show in Canada. No show in the States does that well after ten years. A show in the States might still be very popular after all that time, but it’s not usually the number one show. And Murdoch has also done incredibly well all over the world. I have talked to Hallmark and recommended that they consider doing something similar. I really think at some point they’re going to develop a mystery series as a weekly series. You watch – it’s gonna happen.

I agree with you on that. And to be honest, it was when Yannick came to Aurora Teagarden that I discovered Murdoch Mysteries. I didn’t even know about it until then.

Joel Rice, the president of Muse USA, asked me what I thought of Yannick years ago when they were looking around for a male recurring character to add to Aurora Teagarden. My recommendation was, “Stop talking. Hire Yannick.” And that’s what they did. And I’ve done that for a couple of people. I’ve been around for so long that you eventually end up knowing so many people and try to help them out whenever you can.

L-R Christine Willes, Dylan Neal, Brooke Burns, Ali Skovbye Photo Credit: Copyright 2014 Crown Media United States, LLC/Photographer: Katie Yu

Speaking of weekly murder mysteries, I actually created Gourmet Detective to be a potential weekly mystery series. That’s why we had more supporting characters and spent time and money creating a precinct in a way that’s different than some of the other franchises at the network. I envisioned that these characters would be integral to solving any mystery week after week. We were ultimately steered in a different direction with how to use our characters and world and it turned out great, but they were put there initially for a reason with a long-term plan in mind. We were trying to create a real cop show, something like Castle but that would be appropriate for Hallmark. Not all of Hallmark’s murder mystery franchises have the engine that will support a weekly series. They’re perfectly fine for stand-alone movies and audiences clearly love them, but it’s a little different when you need to live with these characters week-to-week and require an engine that organically supports a case-of-the-week format.

Hallmark always had said that if any of these take off, they would consider doing that. At some point, I think they might. The fans are always clamoring for turning this or that into a weekly series. At the end of the day, writing is what fuels a series. A soap opera or an episodic relationship-based series has the main challenge of not boring the audience over time. It can be wonderful and get a huge audience–look at the success of This Is Us! The challenge is not running out of ideas and repeating your themes and stories. Whereas a case of the week, whether it’s trauma at a hospital, a law firm with new clients, or cops with never-ending crime, you never run out of original stories and that just helps the writing room and keeps the audience engaged. But let’s face it, both are extremely challenging and I’m a fan of both genres. I will be very excited for Hallmark when they get to that point of creating a weekly mystery series. And I’m sure they will.

One last thing. I remember something about you playing a detective in a short film at some point.

Boulevard

Yes, I did a short film a couple of months ago for a friend. It’s based on a novel called BOULEVARD by Stephen Jay Schwartz. It’s very gritty and certainly not Hallmark-friendly. It’s about an LAPD detective with an addiction on the trail of a serial killer and the serial killer is using his own addiction against him, and this detective’s life is really unraveling. It’s a short film directed by David Bercovici-Artida, a camera operator from Cedar Cove who works non-stop. He got the showrunner of Lucifer, Ildy Modrovich, to adapt fourteen pages from this novel with the permission of the author, and then he asked if I would play this role. We had a great, fun time doing that over four days. It’s really just a calling card for him as a director as he makes the transition from being a camera operator. I don’t imagine it will be seen widely; I think the plan is for it to be entered into film festivals and to have on his reel. But I also know the producers behind that want to shop it maybe as a pilot, but that would be something down the road.

Are you still busy with all of your carpentry stuff?

I don’t do as much of that since I converted my garage into a TV room. So now that I don’t have a dedicated garage, I can’t do big projects. Anything that I build would have to be projects out on my driveway. I’m kind of relegated right now to renovations on the house. And you know, that never ends. Fixing things like any homeowner knows. I’m not doing furniture right now. It’s home renovation and maintenance at this stage.

Well, thank you, Dylan, for all your time and sharing so much with the fans and with me. I really appreciate it.

Ruth, it is always a pleasure. And thank you for your loyal support over the years and to all the fans. I really hope everyone loves our movie Truly, Madly, Sweetly this weekend.

Photo: Dylan Neal, Nikki DeLoach Credit: ©2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ryan Plummer

Whenever I have the opportunity to chat with Dylan, I always come away from our conversations having acquired a wealth of knowledge. I recognize and appreciate that distinctive spark within Dylan–the insatiable desire to be a lifelong learner–because that same spark fuels my passion as well. Furthermore, his eagerness to learn and to be a team player are two fundamental reasons why I believe Dylan strives to remain humble and pragmatic, no matter the situation at hand. The leadership and energy he provides in every project, whether as an actor, a writer, or an executive producer, guide the production to its ultimate fruition, no matter the obligatory detours encountered along the way. His attention to detail and his eagerness to assist anyone that he can are both attributes that are often too rare in today’s society of quick fixes and ego trips.

However, there is another characteristic about Dylan that I value possibly even higher than his unpretentiousness and appetite for learning. He is one hundred percent authentic in every area of his life. If Dylan makes a promise or a claim, you can depend upon him to do all within his power to keep his word. Moreover, what you observe on-screen is who he is off-screen. There is no pretense nor agenda with him. I have often described him to others as a “straight-shooter,” and to be honest, that would appear to be a vanishing breed in this modern world. Therefore, when he treats me as a fellow professional in the business, even though I am relatively new, I know that he is being genuine and sincere and not just attempting to influence me to give him a positive review or write glowing words about his character. Hypocrisy is one of my pet peeves, so Dylan’s integrity is something I appreciate more than he might realize.

As this is the fifth interview I have posted this week in anticipation of the Hallmark Fall Harvest film Truly, Madly, Sweetly, it should be a foregone conclusion that I am expecting everyone who possibly can to tune in tonight (September 22nd) to the Hallmark Channel and support this movie that features two of the most remarkable leads on the planet–Dylan Neal and Nikki DeLoach (whose interview will be posted before tonight’s premiere). Additionally, I do invite everyone to visit Dylan’s links below and consider following him where applicable. While Dylan does not post as endlessly as some actors might, when he does post on social media, you can trust that it is important and chock full of pertinent information. Even though Dylan may not be the most prolific actor in Hollywood today, the fact that he is committed to sharing quality content through a variety of mediums and in an assortment of genres are statements that cannot be made about a substantial portion of actors in today’s film community. Thankfully, Dylan is a reasonably steady “working actor” (as well as a writer and executive producer) who invests his entire self within every project, no matter what. Plus, the relationships he has fostered within the film and television community allude to the tremendous heart, voracious work ethic, and phenomenal skill he possesses, and I can hardly wait to see what is in store for this brilliant, thoughtful, and dynamically gifted individual in the near and distant future. After all, I told him I was sticking around, and no, Dylan, you haven’t scared me off yet! 

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