This season, Hallmark Channel’s Countdown To Christmas commenced with a veritable bang due to the blockbuster film entitled Christmas At Pemberley Manor. While I knew the movie would be excellent, I didn’t expect to fall in love with every aspect of this film in the comprehensive way I did. While I understand and accept that most of the viewers had their eyes focused on Jessica Lowndes and Michael Rady, I couldn’t help but examine the supporting cast as well (most of whom were unfamiliar to me). The actor who portrayed the “other guy” named George was remarkable as far as I’m concerned and injected substantial charm and kindness to a role that could have been viewed as self-centered and priggish. I reached out to the talented Cole Gleason, and he agreed almost immediately to an interview with me. It is my honor to share Cole with all of my readers today!
RH: Why did you decide to become an actor? What kind of training have you had?
CG: 2009 was the year that I officially decided it was time to begin my career and move to Los Angeles. I started in my twenties… much later age than a lot of people start in this industry. I was living in Texas, playing college baseball, and I had to make a decision on one or the other because they are both full-time vocations. So I decided that acting was my number one passion in life, and I knew it was the best time for me to begin.
Over the years I have worked with only a couple of acting coaches. My longest stint with a coach was with David Gray at Gray Studios. He taught me many things on how to catch the eye of people where they take an interest. He’s a reason I booked this role.
What was your first professional job in the industry and what are your memories of it?
My very first job was for an ESPN/Capital One commercial that, funny enough, was baseball-related. I got cast as a pitcher for the commercial, so it was a perfect tie-in and made a more natural transition into the business.
Please tell us about some of your past notable/memorable works and why those stand out to you.
The first one that will easily pop up in my head is the feature film Book Club. In the movie, I was married to Alicia Silverstone and got to play opposite Diane Keaton as her son-in-law. I will always remember how sweet she was to every single person on set…and thinking, if Diane Keaton at her status can be that kind to people, no one has any right to have any sort of entitlement. It is always refreshing to see that because sometimes you run into egos in this business.
from Mercy Christmas
Another one that comes to mind is another Christmas feature film I did called Mercy Christmas. To describe my character simply, it is the exact opposite of my character from Christmas At Pemberley Manor. I played an extremely intense killer in that movie. A bit wild, but I have to admit it’s just so much fun playing the bad guy!
Hallmark viewers recently saw you in the film that kicked off Countdown to Christmas on Hallmark Channel, Christmas At Pemberley Manor. How did you get involved in this film, and what did you enjoy about your first Hallmark movie experience?
Christmas At Pemberley Manor behind-the-scenes
My agent had sent me the audition request to put a couple of scenes on tape for the producers. I remember looking up Michael Rady, who was already cast and thinking, “There is no way I am going to get this…we are too similar in character types.” So I talked with my manager and we came up with a way to change my look…in came the glasses and sweaters. I guess the producers responded to it because I got the call saying I was cast and to also bring the glasses with me because I would be wearing them the whole film.
Photo: Cole Gleason, Maddie McCormick Credit: ©2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Robert Clark
Hallmark is such a fantastic company to work for. It is such a happy and positive environment to be in. I felt so free of judgment with whatever choices I made for my character and knew that I had the trust from everyone on set. I am very much hoping that I will be able to work for them again. I have been getting a whole lot of positive responses on my character, George; people have been demanding that George appear in another film so he can find love. I wouldn’t be opposed to that! I definitely think George needs his happy ending.
Christmas At Pemberley Manor behind-the-scenes
What did you appreciate about working with the cast and crew of that film? What did you particularly enjoy about your character?
This was such a special experience for me in regards to this cast and crew. I have never clicked so easily and quickly with so many people than I did on this project. Every single person on set was so kind and all just genuinely enjoyed making this movie. Jessica Lowndes, Maddie McCormick and I even took road trips on weekends to Boston and New York. We are all still so close and see each other in Los Angeles all the time.
Christmas At Pemberley Manor behind-the-scenes with Jessica Lowndes
I love my character George so much. There is truly not a bad bone in his body. He has such a soft heart for the people around him. He loves his town and the people in it and just wants everyone to be happy! You can’t really go wrong with a guy like that. I would love to see George find love though; he has so much to give. He let Elizabeth go because he most importantly wanted to see her happy. But next time around, I think George should get his “kiss in the snowfall” moment.
Before working on this Hallmark film, how aware were you of the Hallmark network? Why do you think this network continues to grow as it has?
Christmas At Pemberley Manor behind-the-scenes
I have auditioned a couple of times for Hallmark but never was cast in anything before this. Now I can’t thank the network enough for casting me in this as my first Hallmark experience. But growing up I heard all about Hallmark movies, of course. I am from a small town in Texas and people are just absolutely in love with their movies. And who wouldn’t be?
There’s no doubt it continues to grow because of the positive message it brings. You can’t help but just smile and feel so much when you watch these films. When you are evoking emotions like love, peace, happiness, and friendship you can’t help but want more and more of that.
Any other upcoming works you can mention?
I have been auditioning for a number of things recently; I am excited to see when the next one will hit. I am ready to take the dive into the next character I play. But George will always be with me. And again, I’m hoping he’ll be back on TV soon!
What holiday traditions do you enjoy with your family/friends?
Christmas At Pemberley Manor behind-the-scenes
My favorite thing to do for the holidays is really just spend time with my family. It sounds simple and uneventful, but since I live far away, it’s always so nice to just visit and relax with one another. Christmas is my favorite time of the year so the mix of that with family, along with one of my films playing throughout the season, it’s a pretty great mix!
As a young person in the industry, what is your advice to other actors who might be considering becoming actors themselves?
There is an infinite amount of advice I could give, but my number one piece of advice is–don’t ever, ever give up. I have been in LA for almost ten years now and I am just now starting to see my career take off. Don’t expect to show up in this town and begin working in a couple of months. Be patient. If this is your passion, it will all be worth it when you work. Have peace when you have gone over a year without a job, when you are driving two hours across town for a one-line audition, when you feel that constant feeling of wanting to throw in the towel, when you get rejected every single day and you hear you are “too small, too big, too tall, too short, not pretty enough, too pretty, too green”, know that it is for a purpose; and if you love it in spite of it all, it will all be worth it. Don’t ever, ever, ever give up.
If you could shadow one person in the industry for a day, whom would you choose and why?
Joaquin Phoenix is one of my favorite actors. He is one of those actors that makes you question if you are watching his actual life. He makes you believe that what you are watching in his films is real. I would love to watch his process on how he prepares for a role; what steps he takes to completely become the person he is playing.
First of all, in case anyone wonders, Cole IS a young man who after ten years of solid work in the business is finally witnessing the fruits of his labor reaping dividends and benefits. It is actors like Cole whom I am honored to exhibit in the best way possible because they understand that this is not an “overnight success”, “fame-and-fortune”, “rags-to-riches” profession. Cole is aware of the immeasurable persistence, exhaustive training, and unlimited energy one must manifest every day as a working actor, and whenever I interact with an artist like Cole, my respect for his occupation multiplies in spades! I am genuinely pleased to see that Hallmark has taken a vested interest in this gifted man, and I hope this is the beginning of a mutual partnership with the network that will continue for years to come. Moreover, while it is only my opinion (combined with throngs of viewers), Cole is perfect Hallmark leading man material, and I just have this feeling that the network may be realizing that as well. Only time will tell.
If you did not see Christmas At Pemberley Manor, be sure that you check your local listings in the U.S. on the Hallmark Channel, and in Canada, check the W Network. Additionally, if you are so inclined, please consider checking out all of Cole’s links below and follow him where applicable. We know that the Hallmark network does listen to its fans, so I have a sense that if we make our voices known, the powers that be may decide to give Cole that much-deserved opportunity to demonstrate his prowess in more Hallmark films down the road, and maybe even a much-coveted leading man role. I agree that George deserves his own love story, and Cole is the ideal person to come back and make us fall in love with George even more than we do now! Regardless, be sure that you keep an eye on Mr. Cole Gleason because something tells me that the best is yet to come!
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Christmas At Pemberley Manor behind-the-scenes
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1 Comment
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He did a great job in the role he played in the movie.
