Occasionally, I happen to notice an actor who has appeared in several well-known projects, and I keep reminding myself to seek that person out for a potential interview. Unfortunately, the frenetic pace of life clutters my brain and I promptly forget until that person materializes on my TV screen yet again. Fortunately, Farryn VanHumbeck has popped up in an abundance of Hallmark and non-Hallmark projects (I’ve seen practically all of her works at this point), and it was a thrill to realize that she was making her grand return to the Hallmark Channel this weekend in Wedding of Dreams as Shelly, the role she initially created a couple of years ago in Summer of Dreams. Recently, Farryn was gracious enough to take a few moments from her high-octane world to share briefly about her career, including her diverse and monumental experiences in the film/TV community, as well as her life in general.

Photo by Rob Gilbert Photography

RH: How/Why did you decide to become an actress?

FV: My Mom has gotten professional mother-daughter photos annually since I was born. On one such occasion, when I was five years old, our photographer mentioned that I was very photogenic and outgoing, and he thought I would do really well auditioning for commercials. He gave my Mom the name of an agent, I went out on my first commercial audition, and I loved it. Soon after I booked a couple of super fun Barbie commercials, and then was hooked!

Also, back when I was that age, I loved to sing, and dance and put on skits whenever family and friends came over to our house. I had no fear of performing in front of anyone, so it was a natural progression to get into the acting business. My mom has always been so supportive of me. She always tries to make me happy and encourage my dreams for a bright future. I wouldn’t be where I am today without her; reading lines with me, driving me to auditions, and being on set with me, helping me with homework, and teaching me to be the best person I can be. I am so passionate and in love with this business. Acting has allowed me to be confident and proud of who I am. There is no better feeling than to positively affect others in my work, or leaving them with a smile on their faces. Everyone I have worked with has been so accepting and kind. I want to act for the rest of my life.

What was your first role in the TV/film and what are your memories of it?

On the set of Big Eyes

When I was ten, I met my current agent, Ally Copeland, at Premiere Talent Management. I decided that I wanted to try film and television acting. My first audition was for Tim Burton’s Big Eyes. I got a haircut beforehand and brought a duffle bag filled with the most props you could ever imagine. I was so nervous and so excited. Three weeks later, I assumed I was never going to hear back from Big Eyes; however, Ally told me I was still a contender.

Two months later during a trip to Seattle, I was given the news that I had booked the role of Jane, Walter Keene’s (Christoph Waltz) daughter. I worked one day and it was so exciting for me to meet Amy Adams, Christoph Waltz, and Tim Burton. I was totally starstruck to work with them, and I couldn’t stop talking to them when we were in the green room together. Everyone in the movie was so talented and I am honored to have been a part of such an amazing true story an extraordinary team of people.

I have seen you in a wide variety of your projects, but Just the Way You Are was my introduction to you, and it was your first Hallmark movie. What are your memories of being a part of that movie?

For those who haven’t seen Just the Way You Are, I played Kate Wreitz, the daughter of Jenny (Candace Cameron Bure) and Ian (Ty Olsson), and sister of Chloe (Natasha Calis), We spent the majority of time filming at the Wreitz family home, so the setting was very comfortable, and the crew were all relaxed and very kind. My character enjoys singing and writing music, so at the end of the movie, I sing Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are” for my parent’s anniversary party. I got to go to a beautiful recording studio to record the vocals with a very talented team of music producers.

You have also had roles in A Country Wedding, Summer of Dreams, Looks Like Christmas, and A Christmas Homecoming. Please list any special memories and/or behind-the-scenes moments from these movies that you would like to.

I can really go on forever about how special all of these projects were for me. I met so many amazing lifelong friends and learned so much from all the talented people I was surrounded by. Here are a few of my favourite memories.

My role in A Country Wedding was honestly adorable. My thirteen-year-old character (young Sarah) got married to young Bradley (played by Will Verchere-Gopaulsingh). We had our wedding up on a loft inside a barn.

Summer of Dreams starred singer Debbie Gibson, who was the teacher to my music class. That was a lot of fun because I got to work with a group of amazingly talented artists. We all had so much fun hanging out in the trailers, jamming on set, and getting to know one and other. Us music students, and our parents, still get together frequently and I have done some song collaborations with the incredibly talented Sean Thomas.

Looks like Christmas has to be one of my favourite projects. I played Amelia, daughter of Terry Evans (Dylan Neal, who I learned a lot from and he is super kind and easy to work with). I got to spend many fun days making friends with Amelia’s high school peers, one being Sean Kyer, who I have remained friends with. He’s such a fun guy and he had me laughing in tears the entire time. I also had the joy of working with Anne Heche; she has to be one of the most energetic and passionate people I have ever met. Finally, I became really good friends with the talented makeup artist Pamela Atheyde. It’s hard to pick my favourite memories from this, but they would have to be when I went through about three pizzas with Dylan (many of our scenes involved eating!), and when I got all dressed up in a vintage nightgown to read ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas for the high school’s Christmas talent show. Then obviously, I enjoyed all the other time spent with the cast and crew.

For A Christmas Homecoming, my favourite day was when we filmed the fundraiser. I got to wear a cute elf costume and spend the night surrounded by the wonderful company of Kristen Robek (who was also my mom in My Sweet Audrina), Toby Levins, Steve Makaj, Chilton Crane, Jay Brazeau, Mark Gibbon, Julie Benz, and Michael Shanks. We had a blast filming together and the homecoming was really lovely.

For the CW, you have made an appearance on Supernatural and Supergirl. What did you appreciate/enjoy most about your roles on those shows? Why do you think both of these shows have been so popular and have retained their popularity for quite some time?

On the set of Supernatural

On the set of Supergirl

I really enjoyed their use of special effects to demonstrate the superpowers and magic skills; it was interesting to see the difference of the on-set special effects and stunts, vs the on-screen/ edited/ finalized product. I think these sci-fi/ action dramas are so popular because the storylines are so different than other scripts. The writers have great imaginations and are always keeping their audiences shocked by the creative content, and they never run out of new juicy ideas.

You have also had the opportunity to be a part of bigger movies like Big Eyes and Everything, Everything. What did you enjoy about doing these studio films? What did you see as the difference between doing films like these and working on TV movies and shows?

Obviously, these feature films had very high budgets and plenty of time to take extra care of every moment captured. Big Eyes, being a true story, had to take extra attention to detail to make sure they did the story (and the people in it) justice.

on the set of Everything, Everything

Everything, Everything was already a bestseller written by Nicola Yoon. Production wanted to do the book justice, as all the fans of the book had very high expectations for what the movie should be like. It was a huge thrill meeting and working with well known and award-winning actors, writers, producers, and directors.

I also saw you in My Sweet Audrina and Paper Angels (two very different movies). Anything you would like to add about either of these? 

On the set of My Sweet Audrina

In many of the Hallmark movies, I often portray girls similar to myself. In My Sweet Audrina, my character had a very dark past and mysterious past. She was haunted by the expectations to be as perfect as her dead sister whom she had replaced. Her mind was always reeling with traumatic ‘memories’ that she couldn’t actually remember happening. It was so much fun to challenge myself to be Audrina.

On the set of Paper Angels

In Paper Angels, my character had to deal with a broken family, struggling financially along with an abusive father. Paper Angels had some beautiful messages about selflessly giving back to those in need and anti-bullying, and was loosely based on the childhood of country singer and author Jimmy Wayne. Jimmy spent some time on set and it was fascinating to hear his story.

Hallmark viewers are about to see you in the sequel, Wedding of Dreams. What can you tell us about your role and how it fits into this sequel? What did you enjoy about filming this movie? Do you have a favorite scene that you can tell us about without spoiling the film?

On the set of Wedding of Dreams

In this sequel to Summer of Dreams, I once again play Shelly, one of Debbie Taylor’s (AKA the wonderful Debbie Gibson) music students. I loved getting to act and spend six days on set with my great friends from the original movie (Sean Thomas, Zenia Marshall, and Mitchell Kumman), plus new students Mamie Laverock and Graham Verchere (who I also knew prior to shooting this). My favorite scenes were those filmed at the wedding because the setting (a beautiful mansion with fabulous gardens and grounds) and decorations were absolutely stunning! I would love to be able to have my own dream wedding there someday!

Any other upcoming roles you can mention?

I will be in two episodes of the eight-part TV mini-series Unspeakable, which chronicles the Canadian tainted blood scandal in the 1980’s and 90’s. This show will air on CBC in Canada and Sundance TV in the USA in early 2019. This is such a special show, and everyone who was a part of it has so much love for the project. It is a very close-to-home story for many people. Being part of this series and honoring those who lost their lives or were affected was a meaningful experience. There are a lot of talented people in this and I hope a lot of people watch it.

As a young person in the business, how have you kept yourself away from negative influences? Also, how does schooling work for you when on set?

Photo with mom

I credit my mom with keeping me on the straight and narrow. She is my best friend and has been a great influence and inspiration to me. We lost my dad in a helicopter crash just before my second birthday, so my mom has raised me on her own. I am so proud of all she has done in life and she inspires every day. I have a lot of great friends, family, and positive influences in my life. I also like to believe I am self-aware and have a good head on my shoulders 🙂

When I’m on set during the school year, if I work more than three days in a week, then production is required by the union to provide an on-set tutor for three hours each day. I coordinate through my eight school teachers what I will be missing in school if I’m gone for auditions or for filming and make sure to stay on top of all assignments during this tutoring time.

What do you like to do in your free time?

My high school (where I moved to for the start of Grade ten) is a university prep school and is very demanding; therefore, school and acting keep me very busy during the school year. Last year, I got to be in our school play, Twelve Angry Men, and it was a total blast to be a part of and make friends.

with friends

When I have free time, I like to hike, cycle, cook/bake, horseback ride, go on adventures with friends, and watch LOTS of movies. My school requires us to put in a minimum of thirty service hours per year and I was also a girl guide for eight years when I was younger, so I’ve done a bunch of volunteering over the years (with the Food Bank, Ronald McDonald House, kids camp, and Evergreen environmental clean up). Finally, my mom and I travel as much as possible during school breaks. We just returned from a couple of weeks in Portugal! In past years we’ve been lucky enough to explore Thailand, Ireland, France, Italy, Greece, Croatia, Costa Rica, and in the USA… California, New York, Hawaii, and Florida

In Portugal

Before Farryn shared her story in such an authentic, sensitive, and unpretentious fashion, I was already a fan of her indomitable style, her fundamental professionalism, and her humble temperament. After ruminating on her resilience in the face of trials and her fervency to reach beyond herself to portray characters that resonate with vast and diverse people groups–both old and young alike–I cannot help but admire this young woman with her God-given talents and innate spirit of positivity. Pursuing a career in the performing arts is daunting at any age, but Farryn has consistently beaten the odds as she tackles stimulating, meaty roles that more seasoned professionals may only envision for themselves. Even though Farryn may not be a household name, she is an established working actor with a roseate future of limitless possibilities who will retain this distinction as long as she perseveres with grace and humility.

It is my sincerest desire that everyone will tune in to the Hallmark Channel tonight (September 8th) and watch the premiere of Wedding of Dreams, in which a whole host of gifted performers–Farryn included–will celebrate the auspicious month of September with a movie that is bound to usher in the feelings of autumn as well as heartfelt sentiments, scintillating music, and effervescent romance. Additionally, I hope that everyone visits all of Farryn’s links below and considers following her where applicable. As a young lady who continues to make the right decisions and retains her focus in spite of teenage distractions and potential negativity, Farryn’s star cannot help but continue its steady ascent as she begins to realize every dream within her heart, soul, and mind.

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