I tell you, Hallmark is simply knocking it out of the park with their holiday movies this year, and in so doing, multiple roles have been available for supporting cast members (especially when you add in Lifetime and UP). I believe that this summer, during the Hailey Dean Mystery marathon, I noticed Jesse Arthur Carroll in one of the supporting roles. In fact, he was in two of those films as well as the very first of the Morning Show Mystery series. Evidently, he is starting to get a name for himself (rightfully so) because he is in three Christmas movies this year! Recently, he and I chatted about his career with a focus on his Hallmark and Christmas movie work.
RH: Why did you decide to become an actor? What kind of training have you had?
JAC: I decided I wanted to be an actor when I was very young, after seeing my uncle Michael Rogers, who is a brilliant actor, on a TV show called The Commish. Along with that, I really wanted to wield a light sabre, which I haven’t entirely given up on!! I studied acting at Vancouver Film School, and I’ve trained with some awesome coaches and mentors such as Matthew Lillard(Shaggy in Scooby Doo), who showed me just how hard you have to work in this business.
What was your first professional job in the business, and what are your memories of it?
It was Untold Stories of the ER I think. I played Nurse Greg, I was super nervous, but the crew and director were so chill and made me feel at ease.
Hallmark viewers saw you first either on Hailey Dean Mysteries or Morning Show Mysteries (not sure which actually came first, but I’m guessing Morning Show). What did you know about the network before working with them? Were you aware of their mystery series?
Morning Show Mystery: Mortal Mishaps
To be honest, I’d never seen any Hallmark films until I auditioned for Morning Show. Ironically I watched a bunch of Hailey Dean Mysteries (which I was later cast in) before my audition to get the tone of Hallmark Mysteries, as the Morning Show I was in was the first one of that series.
What was your experience like filming these mystery films? Any behind-the-scenes moments?
Hailey Dean Mystery: A Will to Kill
Haha yes! Working with Kellie {Martin} and Giacomo {Baesaetto} on Hailey Dean 5 and 6 was a blast! So much fun! During a scene where I was being interrogated in 6: A Will To Kill, I was a bit stiff and taking myself WAAAY too seriously and Kellie and Giacomo kept throwing jokes back and forth, and were trying to crack me up between takes, which loosened me up pretty good hahaha… they were so much fun to work with! Also working with Rick Fox on Morning Show with pretty cool… and he’s huge! I’m 6’2 and I had to look almost straight up to talk to him! Giant!
In addition to this, you have three Christmas movies coming up–one Hallmark, one Lifetime, and one UP. What can you tell us about the three Christmas movies that will be airing this year and your character’s involvement with the storyline? Any special moments?
Brant Daugherty, Ava Grace Cooper, April Telek, Jesse Carroll Credit: ©2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Bettina Strauss
All three are fun Christmas love stories. In Mingle All The Way, I play Frank Fielding, the fun-loving husband of Erica {April Telek} who is Brant Daugherty’s character’s sister. It was a joy to work on; everyone was super nice. Brant was such a great actor to work with, and really open, great conversationalist, made it a joy to come to set.
With Ava
And little Ava Grace Cooper might be the cutest kid on the planet!!!
In Christmas Pen Pals I play Mike Jones, who is a friend of one of the lead characters, Mike Jones (played by Niall Matter). And that was really cool because Niall and I go way back. I met him when he first started acting and I was just getting into Film School; he’s had such a great career that I’ve always admired and it was fun to finally work together. I’ve got a really fun scene with him and Sarah Drew.
And Christmas on Holly Lane, it’s about three childhood friends–Sarah, Riley and Cat–with fond memories of Christmas at Sarah’s house, who come together as adults to save Sarah’s home in the hopes of having many more beautiful Christmases together. I can’t really say what my involvement is, as it would kinda ruin the surprise.
Do you have plans to do any writing/directing/producing in the future? Feel free to elaborate if you like.
Oh, I sure do! It’ll be a few years down the pipe, but I definitely have a massive interest in being creative behind the camera as well.
Hailey Dean Mystery: A Marriage Made for Murder
What is the best part of being a working actor in Vancouver, and what are the challenges?
You get a lot of opportunities because there’s a ton of shows and films being made here. And Whistler is only an hour and a half drive, so you can snowboard pretty easily all winter! The biggest challenge is often the lead roles for shows here are cast out of LA, so you kind of have to be living there to get the big opportunities
Do you have any special Christmas traditions that you would like to share?
I have a couple. One is Baily’s and Coffee with an outdoor fire at Mom’s on Vancouver Island. The other is every year my Dad’s side of the family has a very serious dart tournament on Boxing Day… and I mean serious! They got a trophy half the size of the Stanley Cup!!! And everyone who has won has their name on it. I’m not on there yet, but this year or next I’m gunning for it!
As an actor who is gradually beginning to infiltrate our screens (especially on the Hallmark network), Jesse’s current success could not please me more. He has labored intensively to be able to enjoy his current place in the Vancouver film/TV community, and it would appear that his star is launching its steady rise. Thankfully, Jesse has maintained his collaborative, teachable, humble attitude, and I believe that as long as he does not misplace that sense of profound gratitude, he will continue to book amazing roles and work with incredible people on dream gigs.
I hope that everyone in the U.S. will make every effort to watch the premiere of Mingle All the Way this Saturday, December 1st on the Hallmark Channel (Canadian viewers can watch it on the W Network on December 8th). And don’t forget to watch for his two other Christmas films: Christmas On Holly Lane December 16th on UP and Christmas Pen Pals December 15th on Lifetime. (Check the schedule for Canadian showings.) In addition to that, please consider checking out Jesse’s links below and maybe give him a follow on Instagram. I am extremely thrilled to see Mingle All the Way because there are so many astounding artists in the cast, and I am happy to state that Jesse is definitely one of them!
FOLLOW JESSE
Canadian Premiere: W Network December 8th
U.S. Premiere: December 16th on UP
Already Premiered in Canada, but check Super Channel Heart & Home for additional airings.
CHRISTMAS PEN PALS
U.S. Premiere: December 15th on Lifetime
Canadian Premiere: December 22nd on Super Channel Heart & Home
