Some time ago, I had the occasion to chat with Anna Van Hooft, an accomplished actress I had been following closely since her Cedar Cove days. Since she is quickly becoming a Hallmark favorite casting choice as the “other woman” in these sweet, romantic comedies. I am grateful I was able to request an updated interview to which she quickly agreed. Moreover, I am elated to be able to share this interview prior to today’s (March 10th) premiere of Love, Once and Always!

RH: I am so glad it worked out to talk with you today, Anna. When I saw that your movie was coming, I knew I wanted to chat with you before the premiere. 

AVH: The date kind of snuck up on me, so thank you for reaching out, Ruth. I had the date saved in my phone so that I could remember to watch it along with everyone else, but it seems like the time got away from me.

I know how that goes. February ended, and now here we are almost at the middle of March. So since we spoke last, a lot has happened for you. I know you’ve done several Hallmark things. I know last time, you had just finished Warcraft, and you had gone to LA for the premiere.

Wow, that was quite a while ago.

Yes, time does fly. We hadn’t seen you in any recent Hallmark films, and then all of a sudden…

Jana Kramer, Anna Van Hooft Credit: Copyright 2017 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Bettina Strauss

I think I did three in one year. There was Love At First Bark, The Perfect Bride, and Morning Show Mystery. And now Love, Once and Always, is coming up this weekend. There have been a lot of these Hallmark movies. It’s been picking up speed, which is nice. In fact, the other day this lady came up to me and said, “I know you from the Hallmark Channel.” I guess that’s become my thing now. I’ve gone from being the Sci-Fi girl to the Hallmark girl.

True, but you are in Altered Carbon.

Yes, and I’m also in Life Sentence which just premiered on the CW this past week. I’m not in it a ton, but if you watch, you will see me. And I also did a Disney film that I’ll mention a little bit later on in our interview. I will say that I was shooting this new Hallmark film at the same time I was shooting this Disney film. It was a bit disorienting because I was shooting in two different cities and I was traveling back and forth.

Oh my goodness! How did you accomplish that?

I honestly don’t know. I don’t remember a lot of it, to be honest. I was busy, didn’t feel the best, and I hadn’t been eating, and I was in Whistler and Vancouver shooting two different films. So I honestly don’t remember shooting a lot of this film. That’s why I’m anxious to see it!

Love At First Bark

I remember your role very well in Love At First Bark since that was the first Hallmark movie you did since you and I had chatted. It seems like they love to cast you in those roles where you’re the other woman, and your character is not very nice. 

That is exactly right. And that will be true of this upcoming one as well.

Some people have told me how they hated your character in The Perfect Bride. 

I remember that on Twitter. I was kind of surprised how much people were offended by her. I know she’s the villain, but I felt so much sympathy for her. I felt like this poor girl was very misguided, and she really doesn’t understand what she’s supposed to be looking for. I felt really bad for her, but of course, I was playing her. People were hating this character, and I thought, “She just wants to find love, and she hasn’t found it yet.”

Anna Van Hooft Credit: Copyright 2017 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ricardo Hubbs

It’s not that you have to necessarily like the character, but hopefully, you understand what she’s going through. In fact, I thought the shop assistant, played by Winnie Hung, was also at fault because she should have known better than to give your character that dress.

If you remember the scene where I bring the dress back, after that, Pascale {Hutton} and I have a heart-to-heart. We did a bunch of takes of that scene, and in most of those takes, I’m actually crying. Our director, Martin {Wood} said, “I get it, but then we feel really bad for you, and we don’t want the viewers to feel really bad for your character.” It was clear that we still needed her to be the villain. I understood his point, but at the same time, the poor girl is giving up at this point and losing everything willingly and knowingly. I tried to make my point that it would be okay if my performance broke the hearts of the viewers, but in the end, we chose to not have my character cry. We shot it sad, but we didn’t want to shoot it too sad. And I guess it makes sense because she’s talking with Pascale about losing her man, and Pascale is about to scoop him up. As great as the tears would have been for that scene, I understand why we ended up going the other way.

What was it like working with Kavan {Smith} and Pascale?

The Perfect Bride

They are both awesome. We had such a blast filming. The two of them are such a special little unit, and you can tell that they’ve worked together a lot. Also, Pascale is so sweet and Kavan is kind of spicy, so there’s this dynamic flow between the two of them. It was such a treat to watch them work together as well as to work with them. Plus they know each other so well. They are so easy on camera together, and it really helped speed things along, especially on days when you’re shooting crunches outside in the rain. Normally in film, you want to work a twelve-hour day. That’s the goal, at least, and sometimes, it goes a little bit longer. But there were a couple of days that we didn’t even shoot twelve hours; we got it all in under time, which was awesome.

The Perfect Bride

I talked to one of the actresses who played one of the other brides, Debs Howard, and she had so many wonderful things to say about Pascale. She loved working with her, and I remembered her character because she was the one who said she liked stomach crunches. And that’s why I sought her out for an interview because she was memorable and funny.

Debs is so funny. I see her all the time now. She’s just hilarious.

They’re actually doing a sequel to The Perfect Bride.

Really? I knew they were talking about more material for Kavan and Pascale, but I wasn’t aware of a sequel being planned.

The Perfect Bride

Of course, your character probably couldn’t come back.

She’s gone now, isn’t she?

Unfortunately.

With Morning Show Mystery, I originally went out for the murderer, which is always a fun role to play, but they never come back.

I interviewed Jordana {Largy} before that movie premiered, and I told her how I didn’t want her to be the murderer. But it seems like I often end up interviewing the actor who plays the murderer. It’s not the first time.

You didn’t interview me before Aurora Teagarden, did you?

No, I didn’t.  However, I do remember wondering if your character in Morning Show Mystery was the murderer. But that one definitely kept me guessing. 

I know they have at least a couple more planned in the series, or that’s what I’ve been told. So there will be more opportunities. I think it would be hilarious if my character, Tiffany, turned into a murderer.

Well, you never know. That can happen.

She probably has some great notes on how to do it. And nobody ever suspects Tiffany; she’s not that bright.

Some of us thought it was David Lewis‘ character because he had played the murderer before in another series. 

Or what if Al Roker turned out to be the murderer?  He is a part of our show now.

{laughs} Well, that could be interesting. And you never know. 

We could find out that it was Al Roker all along.

What I’ve noticed is that with all these great Hallmark projects you’ve done, while people don’t always know your name, they know your roles. 

Well, at least they recognize my characters. That’s all an actor could want and more. The one coming out next is now called Love, Once and Always. They changed the name several times. That will be a good one too. We have some fairly new faces. Our lead, Amanda {Schull} this is her first Hallmark movie. It’s always nice to get some new faces in these films because sometimes it seems like the “Vancouver Actor’s Club.”

I know what you mean. And Peter Porte is in that one too. This is his third Hallmark film. He only started making them last summer.

Oh, he’s so lovely. He is such a charming dude.

What can you tell us about your character in relation to the story?

I play the lawyer. It’s a small town, so we all kind of grew up together. I am the lawyer who’s in charge of carrying out the will. The lady who passed has bequeathed her estate to two people who knew each other once but haven’t known each other in a long time. So I become a sort of business partner in the business venture between these two. But of course, I have ulterior motives. I’m definitely not looking to make just a business deal.

Well, hopefully, one of these days, maybe Hallmark will put you in as a lead or at least a character who gets a guy if not the guy.  It seems like you’re typically playing the jerk.

What I will say is that it’s fun to play the jerk…it really is. If we look at most of my career, I don’t play a happy, bubbly girl often, or in my opinion, very well. Even with Morning Show Mystery, when I went out for Kiki first, I thought that made sense. Then when they had me go out for Tiffany, I was like, “You want me to play the sweet, bubbly girl? Are you sure? Okay.” Then I was totally shocked when I booked it because I don’t usually see myself that way.

Even in Altered Carbon, I don’t play a lovely person. I definitely play a very evil human being. And to be completely honest, I love it. It’s just so much more fascinating. Evil characters are just so much more complex. They usually require a little bit more work, but that makes them more interesting. Nobody ever thinks they’re bad. They’re either misguided or playing out some sort of trauma they had. Or in Altered Carbon’s situation, just somebody who ‘s actually really evil. After a while, being happy all the time can get a little boring for me.

Altered Carbon premiere

I can see that. Sometimes, nothing against any of the Hallmark leading ladies as there are so many lovely ones, but sometimes their roles aren’t that deep or interesting. They’re sweet, funny, and cute. And sometimes they have some depth to them. But I tend to remember the supporting characters a lot more because they are fun and have some really great, memorable scenes. If I had been an actress, those are the roles I would have gone for. Something that is opposite of who I am.

In Altered Carbon, I have a snake. I have this big python that has the transferred conscience of a murderer and a rapist, and that’s a way of making him insane. I do remember when I was auditioning for that role, I was like, “This is so dark I actually can’t find a way in.” I wasn’t sure how to get to that place and just let it roll off my tongue with any amount of casualness. So you do have those moments when you’re not sure how to get there. Sometimes I can’t even channel part of myself and I’m just at a loss. But it is kind of fun to try in this weird way. I am a little obsessed with these shows that are like Mindhunter, just like most of society is. These kinds of shows seem to be investigating more, so it’s fun to find a more practical way of doing that.

You mentioned you’re also going to be seen in Life Sentence. Can you tell us more about your involvement in that series?

Well, the characters aren’t fully fleshed-out as of yet. I played the wife of a couple, and I’m living in one of the main characters’ houses. We end up buying it from them, and they become a little obsessed with us. It’s a fun show, and I like the premise of it. It’s interesting. There’s not a lot of cancer comedies. But it’s handled so well. I remember trying to explain it on the red carpet a while ago and explaining it terribly and making it sound so awful. {laughs} It is a very cool idea, and we do that with various people in our lives. We put them in a protective bubble for their sake. And if that bubble burst, what would that be like? How would you cope knowing that all the decisions we made were based on a non-existent truth? You also walk a fine line when you do a comedy like this that touches on real stuff. What are you going to laugh at and what are you not going to laugh at? It important to make it complex and real because that’s important for comedy.

I have had the opportunity to watch the pilot, and by the end of the episode, I was hooked. It is a little slow at times as characters and plots were being set up, but that’s true of any pilot. And now that I know you’re in it, I’ll be watching for your character to pop up.

My husband is played by Andrew Dunbar. And that’s like super full circle.

That is so cool! I’ll be watching for both of you then. 

I know Sarah {Smyth} from Cedar Cove, and we were at an event once, and she was with her husband, who is now playing my husband on Life Sentence. Vancouver is one of the largest film centers in the world. It’s so different than being in LA. LA seems so big, but Vancouver seems so small. Even though we have a lot of production, you end up working with the same people again and again. It makes everybody feel very friendly, I think. There’s no ego like you might see in LA because there’s no room for those here.

I agree with you. And even those from Vancouver who move down to LA keep that Vancouver mindset. They don’t get into all the ego stuff. 

I haven’t been in LA for years, but when I was down there, so many of my friends ended up being Canadian. Not because I knew them up here first, but just because it’s natural gravitation. It’s a subtle cultural difference, but I guess they’re strong enough that it seems like they end up attracting each other.

Altered Carbon premiere

So while it’s probably too early to ask, have you heard anything about a potential season two for Altered Carbon?

Well, the short answer is that we don’t know. There’s a lot of logistical issues to solve in order for a season two to happen. Sometimes having those issues to solve can be great, especially in a show like Altered Carbon where any character can come back in any form. So that does give them the room to play around a lot with the idea of a second season. As far as I know, the show has been really successful for them, but the downside is that the show was very expensive to make.

From what I’ve seen of the show, I can definitely see that. It was beautifully shot and on a very grand scale. It’s not a low-budget show.

I love my wardrobe for the show. The clothes I got to wear were just so beautiful. I did three different episodes. I did one episode and then I shot a Hallmark movie. Then I did another episode, and I shot another Hallmark movie. And then I did another episode. It was just like night and day because the shows could not be more different. From Hallmark to like an R-rated network show! I would go to my wardrobe fittings and see these beautiful gowns and outfits. There was this pair of pants I tried on once, and I was just like, “Oh, I love these!” The lady at wardrobe said, “Oh, I got them on sale.” And I was like, “Oh really? Oh, maybe I’ll buy a pair.” And she said, “Yeah, they were twelve hundred dollars.” {laughs} I kind of forgot for a minute there where I was. Sometimes I’ll buy my wardrobe from a Hallmark movie, but I’m not quite ready to start buying my wardrobe from Altered Carbon.

So let’s talk a bit about your Disney movie if you can.

The Disney movie I made is called Noelle. I’m so glad I can finally tell you the name. It’s with Anna Kendrick, and I play Elf Mary. I’m hoping it will be out for Christmas, but we’ll see.

I also want to be sure to tell you about this movie I made called Two/One. I made this movie with Boyd Holbrook from Narcos and Logan. Beau Bridges was also in it. I played Boyd’s and Beau’s daughter. It was a lot artsier than most of the films I get to do. I never heard the director call “action,” so we had this very fluid way of shooting. And Beau was super cool. He told us stories of working with Elizabeth Taylor and all sorts of stuff like that. Beau is such a lovely dude. Working with him was really cool. This is one of those movies that they sent me an offer and asked if I’d be willing to do it.  And of course, I was like, “Boyd Holbrook and Beau Bridges? Yeah! I’d be super willing to do that.”

The best thing is watching them work. There’s certain movies, like Crash Pad, which I did with Domhnall Gleeson. Just watching him work was…I would have paid to be there. It was incredible. Just seeing how they process information and all that stuff. Everybody gets to see their end product, but seeing their process, for me, is incredible.

Anna, it looks like we have so much to look forward to, and I can’t thank you enough for your time. 

It was my pleasure as always, Ruth. I hope everyone tunes in Saturday (March 10th) for the premiere of Love, Once and Always. Looking forward to seeing everyone on Twitter!

The thing I appreciate most about Anna is her candor in relation to her work. While she is customarily positive and supportive, she still has her signature way of “telling it like it is” in her indomitable and often humorous approach.  While she has been blessed with amazing opportunities, she never suffers from an inflated ego or arrogance of any sort. She recognizes her strengths, and she even indicates her weaknesses (though it would appear casting directors do not always agree with her approximation). I honestly believe that Anna is more versatile than even she may perceive, and I am persuaded that it is we fans who are the beneficiaries of her profound talent and exceptional professionalism. She is perfectly content with playing the “other woman,” and if that character happens to have a somewhat villainous outlook or complicated past, she is consistently ready to sympathize with that character. It is her sincerest desire that the fans will also appreciate the perspective of these “not so nice characters” in these movies, and I would venture to assert that Anna is one of the few in the business who is able to “bring it” every time.

So please tune in to the Hallmark Channel on March 10th for the premiere of Anna’s latest Hallmark movie, Love, Once and Always. I would likewise invite everyone to check out her links below and consider following her if inclined to do so. Although Anna has hinted that viewers will probably not like her character in this upcoming film, I have no doubt that if we endeavor to look beyond the surface of any of her troubled characters, we will find a degree of compassion and understanding that Anna is able to infuse and intimate in her expert fashion. While I would still adore seeing her in a lead role (maybe one where her character is rather confused or distressed), I believe that no matter what role is sent her way in the days, weeks, months, and years to come, Anna will rise to the occasion and continue to provide us with the kind of entertainment and giftedness that only someone of her caliber and humility can provide.

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