Last year, I had the supreme honor of becoming acquainted with one of the loveliest ladies in the world (and I don’t say that glibly). Making authentic connections with women is a skill I have had to acquire over the course of my life, but women like Lindsay Maxwell make my task very easy. From the first moment Lindsay and I spoke, I knew there was something exceptional about this delightful artist, and when the opportunity to chat with her again manifested itself, I jumped at the chance.
RH: Lindsay, I’m so happy to chat with you again!
LM: Ruth, it’s always wonderful to chat with you. I’m glad we were able to make the time.
Since we last chatted, I know we saw you in Life Sentence on the CW, which sadly, wasn’t renewed.
I know what you mean. I loved being a part of that series. It was so well-written, and everyone was so lovely to work with on that show. In fact, before I auditioned for that show, I was reading the script, and I called my agent because I wanted to say how excited I was for this project. I was actually surprised that they didn’t get picked up for another season. I thought the ratings were great, but for whatever reason, it just wasn’t meant to be.
Life Sentence
I know that it did take a while to get into the show, but it was the first season. And that’s usually the way shows are at first as they establish the characters.
Originally, my character, Denise, was only written in for one episode, but they ended up giving me three episodes. But thankfully, the fans can watch season one on Netflix if they haven’t gotten to see it.
Of course, I always remember you from Woman On the Run. In fact, I chatted with Bailey Skodje recently about that movie. She definitely remembered you quite fondly.
Oh, I love Bailey! In fact, a little behind-the-scenes trivia. I have worked with all of Stephanie’s (Skodje) children. Her son and two daughters. I worked with her son for Coming Home For Christmas. Then Bailey on Woman On the Run. Then I worked with her other daughter in Baby Boot Camp.
with Jim Thorburn
Woman On the Run
I wasn’t aware of that. I guess I’ve seen all of those films now, and that’s a cool fact. In Woman On the Run, you definitely played your role extremely well in that film.
Thank you. And Jason Bourque was the director of that film, and he is definitely a favorite of mine.
I’ve interviewed Jim Thorburn as well.
Oh, that’s nice. You’ve probably interviewed almost everyone in the movie.
Pretty close. Now, last year, Hallmark viewers saw you in Coming Home For Christmas, which is still replaying this Christmas.
Yes, I played Danica McKellar‘s sister. I was a brunette in that one, but I’m back to blonde now. In fact, for most of last year, I was a brunette.
Coming Home For Christmas
Coming Home For Christmas was a family favorite here. I thought the entire movie worked so well together.
Thank you, I did as well. It was so fun to film, but it was hot, hot, hot when we filmed it! It was around July/August. But it was so much fun to film, and we were all full of Christmas spirit. It was like getting two Christmases last year.
Rebecca Staab played your mother, and I interviewed her too.
I know! Can you believe she was playing our mother? We were joking around and saying that she could be our sister!
I know what you mean! She is amazing! Now, one of the things I really admire about you, Lindsay, is your faith. There are a lot of people who work with Hallmark who are people of faith, which makes perfect sense, I think.
I think that the Hallmark Channel is great for that. Their movies have such beautiful messages about love, and I come from a Christian family. My family very much enjoys the Hallmark movies. And you can feel that kind of tone working on a Hallmark movie. The movies are love-centered, and the network itself has many people who are faith-based and working with them. While they don’t go out and preach about religion in their films, they are definitely love-based.
Right. When you watch something on Hallmark, you know that you’re not going to see something that is offensive or that you’re going to want to turn off. No bad language, no inappropriate scenes. Always family-friendly.
That’s what my family and I love about their movies too.
Now, you have also been on the show Supernatural. In fact, you were on it last season.
Yes, I’ll tell you how that came to be. As you probably know, the show has a great fan following, and I’m friends with that actor who plays Gabriel, Richard Speight Jr. He actually contacted my agent and asked if I would like to reprise a role that I did back in 2014. He said it was going to be a montage and he would like for me to be a part of it. My agent said that of course, I would love to be on that show. So Richard and I were in communication before that, and he was telling me the idea he had and that he was also directing that episode. He thanked me for coming back. My response was, “My pleasure. It’s nice to see some familiar faces and make some new friends.” We knew the fans would probably recognize me from when I was on there four years before. And of course, the wonderful fans did!
Another thing I really appreciate about you, Lindsay, it the diversity of roles you tackle. You don’t just do one kind of role, but you can do it all. Everything from the best friend to the psychopath and everything in between.
Danica McKellar, Lindsay Maxwell, Rebecca Staab Credit: Copyright 2017 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ryan Plummer
Thank you for acknowledging that, Ruth. I feel that as an actor, we have a myriad of emotions and feelings. When doing a darker role like Woman On the Run, as Lindsay Maxwell, I’d never had anything like that happen to me. But I had to find a truth in that character and feel it for real so I could portray it in an authentic way.
Then when I do a role for Hallmark, it’s lovely ’cause it’s always coming from a really supportive place. In Coming Home For Christmas, I was the supportive sister. I was able to draw upon my own relationship with my sister.
Then, with something like Life Sentence, she’s a soccer mom who’s really down on her luck in her marriage, and she just keeps making all these bad decisions. I observe people in life and I try to figure out how people get to that point where they are having affairs and cheating on their husband. And they feel like they need to keep up with the Joneses, so they ask someone for Adderall. I’ve never personally struggled with that, but I still have to find some kind of truth when playing that role. I feel like I can be malleable when playing all these different kinds of roles.
And speaking of doing different roles, changing my hair color last year did change the kinds of roles I was going out for. When people are used to seeing you as a blonde and you show up as a brunette, it does change things. And it was very interesting to see the different kinds of roles I was offered when I had dark hair as opposed to blonde. Not only that, but it changes the way you feel when you wake up and see yourself as a brunette. I think it worked in my favor somewhat, but for now, I’m glad to be blonde again. But I’m certainly opening to changing my hair color again if necessary.
So let’s talk about your new Christmas movie this year, Time For Me To Come Home For Christmas. It just premiered here on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries this past weekend, and I really enjoyed it.
I’m so glad you got to see it, Ruth!
David Winning, one of my favorites, directed it.
Yes, have you met him yet?
I have not officially met him, but I got to interview him, and we have had lots of interactions online. But I know he’s a wonderful director.
He has sparkle; he really does. I’ve worked with him twice, and I can see why you two would get along so well because you both have sparkle. He’s great, such a joy to work with. He’s so natural at what he does. He has great insight, but he also lets us as actors have input as well.
I understand he’s also very calm.
Yes, he is so calm, and he knows what he’s doing so well, and he makes us feel at ease. When we’re on set together, the entire cast and crew and everything around us just flows perfectly. I feel grateful that I got to work with him again.
It’s an incredible cast. And Blake Shelton as executive producer, which is just so cool. Now, the hashtag for this movie is pretty long. I think it’s one of the longest Hallmark movie titles, as a matter of fact.
Yes, I will agree. I thought the title was just going to be Time For Me To Come Home, but then I realized they named it after Blake Shelton’s song.
What can you tell us about your character in this movie?
My character’s name is Sophie, and she is Megan Park’s character’s best friend. In the movie, there’s a lot of history between them. Portraying Sophie was a lot of fun because she’s vivacious and chatty. She’s just had her first New York show in The Nutcracker, and she’s all excited. She brings that energy and she’s really good at supporting Megan’s character. She has a big heart for her friend. It was fun to play the best friend of another character because in my nature, I have a lot of friends that I love to support emotionally, so I feel like that type of character comes naturally to me. So it felt very authentic hitting those notes in the movie.
It was an ideal role for you, Lindsay.
From the Whistler Film Festival
Thank you. It’s great because that’s how I am with my friends, and that’s how my friends are with me. And while it is true that you add a little bit of your character to each character you play, but in a sense, I was playing a part that was very much like me.
When I get a character to study, as soon as I read it and I get a sense of it, I use my body to channel that character. So when it’s similar to me, it’s easy, but it’s also fun because this character has even more energy than I do. {laughs} And we had a lot of fun on set too. Lots of smiles and high energy.
That sounds just great. So Megan Park has been in other Hallmark movies, but this was Josh Henderson’s first Hallmark movie.
That’s my understanding. Josh and I never met. All of my scenes were with Megan.
Oh, wow, it always seems strange when that happens. So how was it working with Megan?
She is so lovely! It was so great to play her best friend. There is a lot of heart in the script, and I am excited to see it when it comes to Canada. We didn’t film this too long ago. Around the end of September, beginning of October, if I remember right.
That’s what I was thinking.
And we shot it in Vancouver.
I think it’s cool that it was based on a song. There’s something special about that.
I definitely agree, Ruth.
I have also been seeing some buzz about this upcoming Lifetime film, The Wrong Patient.
on set The Wrong Patient
Yes, I have a very different part in that movie. It was directed by David Strasser. He’s another director who is so lovely. I would say you should definitely keep him on your radar.
I know a lot of people wonder how I get into character when I’m playing a psychotic killer. I always say, “I don’t play it from the angle of ‘I’m going to be a pycho-killer.'” That won’t work. You know, every single person who does something wrong in life or something deviant, they can justify it. They don’t think they’re doing anything wrong. It’s up to me to understand the “why” behind their actions and get to the root of my character’s motivation. I had to get at the root of what caused my character, Liz, to act in such a way. The way she acts is definitely not a “Lindsay” thing. But I had to see what drove her to that, and you find yourself almost empathizing with the character and you start understanding them. And that’s how your performance becomes more authentic.
Well, I think that’s the only way you can play a role like that, Lindsay. I’ve talked to many actors who have played the “bad guys” and they always tell you that they cannot play the roles as if that person is a bad guy. Everybody will see right through that. When someone plays these roles in the right way, while I can’t excuse the behavior, I can at least understand why the person did what they did. So this movie is supposed to premiere on Lifetime this month?
Yes, I’m not sure when, but I have been told it is premiering in December. So keep your eyes open.
All that sounds good, Lindsay. I am so excited for your Christmas movie and this thriller. Thanks for taking the time to chat with me, and we are excited to see what’s next for you.
Ruth, you are an incredible support to us up here in Vancouver, and I just love the Hallmark fans. I hope everyone enjoys Time For Me To Come Home For Christmas. Thank you for chatting with me and letting me tell my story.
I cannot detail exactly how much I adore Lindsay. While she has yet to play a lead on the Hallmark Channel, her roles with the network are consistently solid, sincere, and memorable. Watching her more significant, darker roles on Lifetime and elsewhere is always an experience that astounds me because as I stated to her in the body of the interview, she can play absolutely any role with exceptional skill and veracity. In Time For Me To Come Home For Christmas, although she only graces our screen for a brief time, there is no doubt that we will remember her beauty, her wit, and her sincerity.
However, Lindsay is oh so much more than just a pretty, talented face. She is one who consistently inspires and motivates her fans to be the best versions of themselves that they can be. It is not enough for her to merely act and spotlight her films and shows. Because of her altruistic spirit and her steadfast faith that is the bedrock of her existence, she longs to reach out to those who are hurting in order to truly touch the hearts, minds, and souls of those who are in desperate need of positivity and encouragement. No matter what is going on in her personal or professional life, Lindsay is never too busy to post a kind word or an uplifting insight that she hopes and prays will touch hearts and minds for eternity. She recognizes the fact that she has been given a divinely-appointed platform, and she believes in giving back to her fans and community as much as she possibly can.
If you missed Time For Me To Come Home For Christmas on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries this past weekend, there will be many more showings between now and the end of the season, so be sure to look it up. And the good news is that Canadians will be able to see this movie on City TV on December 25th, so be sure to check your local listings for that one as well. {Moreover, if I haven’t given you enough evidence to persuade you to watch… statistically-speaking, this movie became the third-highest premiere in Hallmark Movies & Mysteries history (BRAVO!).} Additionally, if you are interested, please check out Lindsay’s links below (especially her Instagram account) and consider following her where applicable. While the entertainment universe is brimming with skilled young women who continue to vie for the attention of the public, Lindsay is one whose heart undoubtedly outshines her rising star, and that fact makes her an even more endearing person, in my humble opinion. I can hardly wait to see all of her upcoming works (even the ones she hasn’t booked yet), and it is my earnest hope that one day soon, she and I will meet in person. But until that time, I know that God will continue to unite us together in true sisterhood, and I hope that all of the Hallmark fans will rally behind her because of her character, her heart, and her talent.
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