It is no secret how much I adore Garage Sale Mysteries, and when Drew appeared in the finale of last year’s Garage Sale Mystery month’s limited series run, I honestly hoped that Dani (Sarah Strange) had at last found true love. Much to her own detriment, she has regularly seemed to gravitate towards the murderers and the bad boys, but Drew appeared to be the perfect fit. Evidently, Hallmark agreed and now the lovable character has returned and may be staying for good (fingers crossed!). Recently, the dynamically talented and superlatively humble Matthew Harrison–the one who continues to create this beloved role–and I had the opportunity to chat about his multi-faceted career, and I am delighted to share it with my readers today.

RH: Matthew, it is so nice to be able to chat with you at last. 

MH: Ruth, it is my pleasure. So you’re from Washington State?

Yes, that’s where I live. Not too far from Vancouver.

I am very familiar with that area. My sister, nephew, and niece are in Squamish, British Columbia. My wife is from Puyallup.

Oh my goodness! I’m not used to meeting someone who knows how to say Puyallup! 

at the Harrison’s recent marriage vow renewal ceremony

{laughs} Of all places, I met my wife in Olympia, Washington. I was on tour with a national theater group from New York City. I was going through Washington State, and I got hired to play Hamlet at the Washington Shakespeare Festival. I had never been to the Pacific Northwest. I was a New York City/Montreal boy and a New York City actor. I was playing Hamlet, and I noticed this girl at one of the rehearsals. I looked out, and I was struck by lightning. That was twenty-two years ago. We’ve been married twenty years now.

That’s great that you have stayed together all this time. Couples don’t always stay together all that long anymore. 

People are always asking us what the secret is of us staying together. And you know, one of the secrets is that my heart still flutters and my palms get sweaty when I see this woman. I still have a crush on my wife. But she’s also a very stubborn girl to put up with me. {laughs} And it also requires hard work. We don’t do enough movies and TV to show the investment it takes to remain married. When I meet young couples and they’re about to get married, I go, “Listen, your marriage is gonna get thinner than tooth floss, and when it does, then the question’s gonna be, ‘What were your expectations? Can you just accept them for who they are? Can you put up with their mistakes?'” It’s a lot of work.

Now, you mentioned being from Tacoma, Washington. I have a bit of trivia to share. My wife’s dad’s father owned a very well-known store out in that area of the world known as the B & I. Michelle’s dad {Larry Johnston} actually grew up with Ivan the Gorilla, who eventually made his home at the B & I. He remembered changing Ivan’s diapers during the time he lived with them.

Oh my goodness, Matthew! I am very aware of that story, and I had no idea there was that connection! Ivan was world famous!

And Michelle was well-known because she was a Washington State beauty pageant queen {Miss Renton and Miss Congeniality in 1996 as Michelle Johnston}.

What a small world! I would never have dreamed there would be that connection. 

{laughs} Yes, I can see that we have quite a connection.

Absolutely. So, Matthew, I initially reached out to you because I realized you are in all these Garage Sale Mysteries films this month. I interviewed Sarah Strange, Kevin O’Grady, and Jay Brazeau. When I was looking through the press for the movies, I realized that your character was coming back to the series and would be in three of the movies. 

with Sarah Strange
Garage Sale Mysteries

Yes, you’re right. Drew comes back into Dani’s life, and here’s hoping that Drew will play a big part in her life. I know there are the four movies this year, and my understanding is that they are working on the movies for next year already. And I am just hoping the writers bring Drew back. I guess we’ll see what happens.

Matthew, it would be great if Drew came back next year. I bet the fans would love it. I keep reading how the fans hope that Dani has finally found a nice guy. And I’m right there with them.

Interestingly enough, I was actually in another episode of Garage Sale Mystery way back.

Yes, I noticed that too. The Deadly Room. But I see they have done that with other actors too. I guess if it’s been long enough, they can get away with bringing an actor back to the series in another role.

When I was growing up, my absolute favorite show was M*A*S*H*. I watched every episode like a hundred times. The actor who played Colonel Potter, Harry Morgan, he actually played a crazy, lost-his-mind general who was pretty racist in an earlier episode. They just loved the actor so much that they figured the audience would forget his first character. In my case, I’m hoping that’s also true. I hope no one really remembers me from the earlier role I did. But even if they don’t forget, I hope that they will accept me in this new role of Drew.

Sarah Strange; Matthew Harrison Credit: Copyright 2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ryan Plummer

Well, to be honest, I didn’t remember till I looked it up. And I think that everyone really likes your character and likes Drew and Dani together. It seemed like poor Dani was always falling in love with someone who ends up being the murderer. 

When I was hired, I was actually reading through the script, wondering, “Did I murder somebody? Am I the murderer?” Then when I got to the end, I was like, “I’m not the murderer!” {laughs}

I know what you mean! I had the same thought when I saw your character last year! I was so relieved it wasn’t you. And then I was very glad to see that they brought you back. 

Matthew Harrison Credit: Copyright 2017 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ryan Plummer

It was last year when Drew appeared in A Case of Murder. I had a great time. I was sure there were sparks that flew between Dani and Drew. But let me back up a little and tell you how I prepared myself for this part.

I have known Sarah Strange for a long time since we’re Vancouver actors. We had crossed paths, but we never worked together before. I believe my wife has worked with her. But I knew Sarah was a doll and that she was an amazing person and a really good actor.

When I booked the role of Drew, I watched three or four Garage Sale Mysteries movies. I think I watched like episodes five, six, seven and eight. I would skip to her scenes, and I practiced doing her. I would talk like her and try to follow the quirky mannerisms of her character. I think her version of Dani is hilarious and brilliant. I studied her and I practiced it; basically, I imitated her.

When I got to set, I didn’t tell anybody. I did my version of Sarah doing Dani. Sarah and I hit it off. She knows my wife, and we had some great laughs together. We both have children so we got along really well. Also, on screen, we played really well together. But in some ways, I suppose I manipulated the situation because I had studied her and was acting like her. Then I got the notes back that we were so good together and our chemistry was fantastic. They said we were perfect for each other. I really like Sarah because it’s fun to be goofy and just have fun. It’s great to be able to play and not take yourself too seriously. So we did this episode eleven and had a great time. When we were done, the producers came and said, “It was great. Thanks so much.” So Sarah asked, “Is Matt gonna come back? Is Drew her boyfriend now?” And they were like, “No, that was his only episode.” So I was like, “Oh, okay.” So I was in episode eleven, and I didn’t show up for episode twelve.

Then somewhere around that time, I got a phone call saying, “Yeah, we’re gonna bring him back.” So something happened. I don’t know if it was the audience, the actions of Dani and Drew, the people at Hallmark who wanted me back–I say, “God bless them!” Hallmark is like the greatest thing that ever happened to Vancouver. They have such wonderful programming. I love Hallmark stuff; I really do. I like rough, raw stuff, but sometimes you’re done with zombies and aliens, and you want to watch The Waltons. We love The Waltons in my house. Hallmark is great because you know you’re on a TV show that your child can watch. You know you’re grandma’s going to enjoy it too. It’s kind of seemingly mindless entertainment, but it’s really not. Especially all the murder mysteries are great and people love those. There’s a wholesomeness to the network and a pervasive joy to these shows. And we can use that in our world.

Dani and Drew throwback to the 1990’s

The Mask Murder episode was this past Sunday. Dani and Drew had an awesome little part in that one. It was really great. We go back to our old haunts and make it official, if you know what I mean. And in the other two this month, I’m just kind of hangin’ out and helping to solve murders.

The thing that throws me about your character is this. Your last name changed between your first and second appearance in the series. 

Oh yeah! I know!

{laughs} Does anybody know what happened? I do remember that his last name was Forster. And now all of a sudden it’s Grant. 

When Calls the Heart

Well, my name was Drew Forster. Then on the episode, I came back on, at one point, Lori Loughlin, who I love…my wife does When Calls the Heart, and I did a part on When Calls the Heart too. Michelle has a recurring role on When Calls the Heart. And Michelle just did a Garage Sale Mystery. In fact, it’s Picture A Murder episode that premieres this weekend.

Anyway, Lori is just so awesome. You must be sick of people talking about how amazing Lori is…no, she’s an amazing actress, wonderful lady. She’s really prepared and very easy to act off. She’s always helping out without any pretension or stepping on anyone’s toes. She’s helping the DP’s, directors, and writers. She’s an amazing resource. She turned to me at one point and said, “I think my character should be saying Drew’s last name. Like I should be introducing him.” I went, “Uh, what’s my last name? I can’t remember what my last name was.” At one point, someone said, “Forster.” And I was like, “Oh yeah, I think it’s Drew Forster.” And then we got a phone call from Hallmark, and they were like, “No, his name is Drew Grant.” Then I was like, “Oh, Drew Grant. Okay, I’m Drew Grant.” So I became Drew Grant.

I know little inconsistencies happen like that sometimes in series, and not just with Hallmark. 

Photo: Lori Loughlin, Steve Bacic, Sarah Strange, Matthew Harrison Credit: Copyright 2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Sven Boecker

I think they have a special kind of leeway too because it’s a movie of the week. If you’re doing a weekly serial show, they have to make sure they adhere to every little detail correctly because people are watching them like movies. But ours are just serial movies of the week, and they can play around a bit.

I did spend some time looking up the rest of your career, Matthew, and your experience is pretty amazing in my book.

Night At the Museum

I think I’ve done somewhere around seventy-five or a hundred film/TV projects, but I also come from theater in New York. I’ve been an actor a long time. I’ve been blessed to have some incredible experiences. I got to play the Neanderthal Man in the Night At the Museum movies. I got to know Robin Williams and Ben Stiller as a result. I’ve gotten to work with such great people in my career. I love the way we are able to carve our careers out and we’re able to do this thing that we love and we get to be in service to these bigger projects.

But because I’m often a guest star, I get to play roles that are character roles. Guys in suits that are firing people on Christmas Eve. But what I love about Drew is that he talks like me and acts like me. I’m a big goof in real life. I really got to play me. It’s always fun to create this kind of character. And the writer, Kraig Wenman, is just so amazing! I have known Kraig for a while. He’s written for other things, and I’ve been in some of his other movies. But it’s kind of like he wrote it for me. I don’t think he did, but it felt like it. I can just play with Sarah and we can laugh and have fun and goof off and make jokes. I’ve spent so much of my career playing jerks in suits who are either ending the world or firing people. And now I can tell my wife, “Oh my gosh! Honey, I’m a boyfriend!” And I don’t murder anybody!

Photo: Steve Bacic; Connor Stanhope; Kevin O’Grady; Matthew Harrison; Johannah Newmarch; Sarah Strange; Eva Bourne; Lori Loughlin Credit: Copyright 2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ryan Plummer

I’m so glad for you!

I do love doing these mystery films for Hallmark. In fact, I’m in another one this September. The third Darrow & Darrow movie will be coming out. No spoilers, but you will get to see me in that movie. I think the fans will find my character very interesting, and that’s all I will say at this time.

Darrow & Darrow

My hope is that you’re not the murderer as I tend to interview the murderers pretty regularly; that is a standing joke amongst my readers. But at least we know you’re not the murderer in Garage Sale Mysteries, so we’ll just focus on that one and cross our fingers that you’re a nice guy in the next Darrow & Darrow this fall.

I’m just loving Drew Grant on that series. I’m not kidding when I say I cried to my wife when I got the part. And they’re so nice. Jonathan Axelrod, the producer, and Neill Fearnley, the director, and Jackie Lind, the casting director. They are all like the nicest people. I was so glad I get to be a nice guy, and if they choose to bring me back next year, I’ll gladly play Drew Grant again. I’m really hoping they will. I think they will.

I’ve interviewed both Kraig and Neill. Both are just awesome. Neill was my tour guide for the When Calls the Heart set last year. He’s just amazing. And Kraig is a fantastic writer, such a nice guy. Now, I’ve heard about your school, The Actor’s Foundry. But I haven’t always heard your name in association with it.

The Actor’s Foundry Retreat

I’ve worked very, very hard, Ruth, for that to happen. With so many acting teachers, they become gurus and their names can become a buzzword. Or the teacher is put up on a pedestal. But the teachers at my school serve the students. I think it’s the grounding of the technique that’s important. It was about fifteen years ago when I created the term “Actor’s Foundry.” The Foundry has grown so much, which is just amazing. Putting this concept into the non-brick and mortar world, young actors especially have an understanding of this virtual concept which old fuddy-duddies like me don’t understand. So I have actors in Cape Town, South Africa; London, England; New York City; LA; Toronto; Calgary–and they all call themselves Foundry actors. So they’ll call themselves a Foundry actor, but some of them I’ve never met because I’ve got the online campus. They’re studying my videos and they’re discussing stuff all online. I’m critiquing their work, and they’re doing assignments and using resources. So these Foundry actors don’t even know it’s me or what Matthew Harrison is. There’s no actual school or place you can go to. I think that’s unbelievably cool. I think it’s very twenty-first century, and I’m quite proud of it.

I think it’s fantastic, Matthew, and I think it’s good too that they’re not necessarily saying your name in conjunction with the school. But I know of many actors who talk about the school, and I often hear them say that the teachers are fantastic. It’s not all about you, and that is a great way to be. I was reading something about you here and there, and I think it’s great that there are so many actors in Vancouver that don’t have these big egos. They’re just normal, everyday people who act for a living. I have nothing against LA, but it seems like up in Vancouver, ego is much less an issue than in LA. 

Interesting. I have really good friends and know amazing people in LA. But to generalize, the actor that does really well in Vancouver is one who has a sort of New York/LA confidence in the audition room, but they have a genuine humility on the set. I know that might sound funny, but it’s true. I teach actors audition etiquette, and I’m really proud that I have so many actors who are working. I teach them that they are there to serve the wardrobe department, not the other way around. You’re there to serve the script supervisor, not the other way around. You’re there to serve the story, the director, and the other actors. You get there early and you leave after they’re done needing you. You’re there putting the extra work in, and it pays off. Not only do you have a good time and you enjoy it, but you have a better time and produce a better product.

And remember, these are people working together. You know, they talk. “He’s a really great guy to have on set.” “She’s a really great girl to have on set. Let’s have her.” As opposed to, “Oh no, not the diva again.” The twenty-some years I’ve been working out of Vancouver…my wife and I have lived in LA a bunch of times in and out. But Vancouver has boomed, and it hasn’t gone to our heads yet. And that’s really nice. I love my community. When I go to auditions and see the ten to twelve guys that are going out for the same role, it’s like a party. I know their names, I know who they are. We help each other with our lines, and we’re going for the same part. I always say that we don’t go up against each other, but we all go in together, with each other. And one of us is the best one for the role, and the next time, it will be someone else’s turn.

For example, I can think of a particularly fabulous actor that I know, and we were the last two up for a big part recently. I found out the other day that he got it, and quite literally, I told him how happy I was for him. I told him he was gonna kill that part. I had a student with me when I told the other actor all this, and my students said, “I can’t believe the lack of competition!” And I went, “We’re all working. We’re all gonna be okay.” We help each other out. We should be lifting each other up, not putting each other down.

So to kind of wrap things up, Matthew, could you tell us briefly how you got started in acting?

I came to acting later in life. My wife is the kind that was spat out of the womb already acting. When she was three years old, she was in her church pageant. You know those people who say, “I always knew I wanted to be an actor.” Well, that’s not me. I was actually in politics, and I have a degree in political philosophy and a degree in musical composition. I’m a classical piano player. My wife and I are actually in a rock ‘n roll band called Ginger 66, which is really fun.

I worked for a branch of the Canadian government when I was in politics. I was in my mid-twenties, and I was miserable. I quit and I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I was singing in the choir with a professional classical orchestra in Montreal.  The guy next to me was the artistic director of a theater company. He said, “Why don’t you come on down and hang out? You can paint backdrops.” And I was like, “Hey, this would be a great way to meet people and pass the time and maybe get another job.”

So I went down to the theater company and their lead for Company by Stephen Sondheim booked a TV show two weeks before they opened. It was Harry, one of the supporting leads, not the primary lead. They were like, “Matthew can sing.” So I walked down on stage opening night, completely unprepared for what was gonna happen. I didn’t really know what I was doing. For the first time, I was shocked into a moment of existence that I’ve never felt before. It was like an out-of-body experience and I felt connected to something that was more important than me. It was a spiritual experience. When I was done, I was like, “I gotta do this.”

There was a pretty well-known American playwright in the audience, and I worked for him, and that got me to New York City. And then the rest is history. I was very blessed. I went to the Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theater in New York City. I was in my mid-twenties, and I was poor. So I wasn’t going to sit around and twiddle my thumbs like a lot of young actors.

Halfway through the second year, I already had the next two years of acting work booked. I was hustling. I booked regional theater. I booked some theater all the way down in Georgia. It was really cool. I went down to Jekyll Island in Florida. Then I was at the National Theater; I did two tours with them. And then I ended up in the Washington Shakespeare Festival. And then I met my wife, as I mentioned earlier. I never went back to New York. We did theater.

I fell in love with this woman, and I made all sorts of excuses why I couldn’t go back to New York. One day, a friend of mine was on the X-Files. He said I should come on up to see Vancouver. We went up to Vancouver, and it was a sunny, beautiful July day. There was acting work there, and I thought, “This is good.” So we moved here.

Then we danced between here and LA. My wife was very successful early on. She did a Ben Affleck movie, and she did some amazing guest spots. We were in LA, and then when she got pregnant, we decided we wanted to raise our kid free-range and not in a big city.

So we moved to Bowen Island. We live on this happy, little island. I have a boat, and I commute by boat to work. I’m right now sitting, staring at the ocean, and my family’s on the deck. It’s a beautiful life. My wife and I worked really hard to land. Somehow these two strapping actors have managed to make it day by day. No, we’re not famous, but we do well for ourselves. And Garage Sale Mysteries films are definitely a treat.

When I was in theater school, I could never have guessed. I didn’t know; I had no idea. On one hand, you could be Edward Norton. But then you also could be playing empty houses on 8th Street your whole life making a hundred bucks a month in the theater. Every time I stand on set, when the director gives me a cue and direction and I’m playing dialogue and working off Sarah Strange and Lori Loughlin, I’m like, “This is hilarious! It’s just wonderful!” I’m walking in truth.

What a great story, Matthew. I was a music major myself, so I always appreciate the music tie-in. 

Ginger 66

I don’t really play classical piano anymore. I dabble, but I’m not really doing it. But we’re a rock country dance party kind of band. I play keyboards. She’s the lead singer. We have a great time. The musicians we play with are hot! They’re real musicians. We’re the actors who get

Valley of the Boom

the crowd going.

I know you mentioned Darrow & Darrow this fall, so we’ll watch for that. But anything else coming up you can mention?

I just finished a role on Valley of the Boom. It is a TV series starring Bradley Whitford. So there’s another example. I had the unbelievable fortune to do West Wing-like scenes with Bradley Whitford from The West Wing. I was able to look straight into his eyes and have these amazing scenes. And that just makes me laugh for a month that I got to do that. I watch West Wing religiously and love Josh Lyman, my favorite character. And now I get to act off of him. He was the mensch; he was an amazing guy. Again, I was a guy in a suit. I was the CEO of AOL. I believe it comes out in November on the National Geographic Channel.

I just interviewed Jacob Richter, who is also in that show.

Jacob’s my student!

I actually interviewed both Jacob and Courtney Richter together.

That’s cute. Jacob and Courtney are like Michelle and Matthew Harrison but fifteen years younger. They were my students, and they were in Toronto. I told them they had to get out of Toronto and come to Vancouver. I said, “You are Hallmark!” And they have both been doing great.

Matthew, thank you so much for your time. I am thrilled to see that Dani has a love interest that is a good guy who appears to have some staying power.

Ruth, thank you for reaching out, and I am so happy to be playing Drew and getting to work with one of the best networks in the business. I hope everyone continues to enjoy Garage Sale Mysteries this month.

on the set of Garage Sale Mysteries Michelle, Matthew & son

Before chatting with Matthew, I had a vague idea of who he was and was somewhat familiar with a few of his works, but I had no idea about his connection to The Actor’s Foundry nor that he was married to Michelle Harrison (You should have seen me inwardly kicking myself for NOT making that connection sooner!). Matthew is undoubtedly one of the most unpretentious actors with whom I’ve ever had the opportunity to connect. He is immensely gifted, and he is immersed in so many different aspects of the acting world. It is an indisputable fact that some actors in his position could conclusively become arrogant, rude, and fiercely aggressive. Because he remains remarkably grounded and even maintains his relevance (kudos to him for his online acting school) when he could readily demand a certain degree of deference, I find myself genuinely impressed and perhaps even more in awe of his professional prowess and personal charm. Matthew’s expertise and sense of humor could easily be an oxymoron if housed within someone less affable and savvy, but Matthew seems to have discovered the correct balance within his life that makes him the distinctive person and artist that he is. It was an absolute delight to converse with him, and I so appreciated that he went out of his way to seek to know me and even make a valid connection with me (the B & I story mesmerized my parents). While Vancouver appears to be a place where the members of the film community are supportive and humble, I tend to attribute at least a portion of that welcoming atmosphere to Matthew’s quintessential example. After all, he is the founder of one of the most prestigious acting schools in the world, and numerous actors cite his school as a reason for their ultimate success.

I sincerely hope that everyone has been reveling in Garage Sale Mystery month on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries the past couple weeks, and I urge everyone to make sure that they not only catch the next two (August 19th and August 26th) in this year’s series, but I recommend catching up on any that may have been missed (please check local listings for dates and times). Additionally, I invite my readers to visit all of the links I have posted below and consider following Matthew at any of the applicable links. Although Matthew’s work for Hallmark has been somewhat minor until the past year or two, there is no denying his place within Garage Sale Mysteries, and it is the faithful hope of all the fans that Dani and Drew will continue their winsome courtship now and in future episodes of the most popular of the Hallmark mystery movie franchises. But more significantly, I relish the fact that Matthew is a gentleman with the heart and soul of a thespian who has labored tirelessly to instill his talent, his point of view, and his intense passion for film into a world that otherwise may be tossed about like a rudderless ship. In so many ways, Matthew’s widespread reputation has carved out a niche in Vancouver that continues to affect innumerable actors, both young and old, and lead them in the path that will ensure superior excellence in acting for decades to come. Long after Matthew leaves this world (which we hope won’t be for a very long time yet), I am convinced that his legacy will provide a stable and enduring mark in a world to which he consistently and selflessly devotes his time and talents. Indeed, Vancouver and the world are better because he chose to follow “the road less traveled” so many years ago. And it is those of us who have come in contact with this extraordinary man who have gleaned more than he could ever know and continue to benefit from his unobtrusive commitment to his true calling.

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