In the Hallmark universe, actors come and go at various times for numerous reasons, but there are those with genuine staying power who consistently partner with the network to entertain the viewers with whatever is necessary at the time. Actors who invariably provide the most extraordinary of dramatic heights or witty, whimsical comedic scenes are the ones with whom Hallmark is known to foster long-term relationships, for they can portray any role needed while remaining humble, kind human beings in everyday life. Paul Campbell is one of those actors who simply cannot get it wrong where Hallmark is concerned, and I couldn’t be more pleased to not only see him on my screen again tonight (June 22nd) for his latest film entitled The Last Bridesmaid, but to also have the honor of sharing our most recent chat that explored such a diversity of sequences and paths that it can easily be considered the wackiest, most engaging and informative of the interviews he and I have done to date.
Paul Campbell Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ryan Plummer
PC: Ruth, I’m so sorry I’m a minute late.
RH: Paul, no trouble! A minute late is not horrible.
You’re not gonna hold it against me?
No, not at all.
You’re not gonna start the interview off with, “So I’m here waiting…”
{laughs} No, because I know I have kept people waiting before as well.
Fair enough.
I was just thinking about how I still haven’t seen The Girl In the Bathtub. It is still on my DVR.
Well, that’s frustrating to hear. I thought you would have come prepared.
{laughs} I know, I was thinking about that! It’s been sitting on my DVR since it premiered.
That’s like thirteen years ago! I was still in grade school. Now, I’ll be honest. The movie was good, but my part was a kind of a vanilla character. I would never say to watch the movie just to see what I was up to. It is a good movie though. But Hallmark keeps upping its game on you. You have too much stuff to watch now.
That is so true. I always keep up with the Hallmark stuff. But the other movies can be hard to watch, especially when I’m the only one in the house who wants to watch these other movies. And then when you have a teenager and two retired parents in the household, it can make it even harder.
That’s a full house. How are you watching everything?
Well, thankfully my mom and I always watch Hallmark together. And there’s a lot of network series that we both like as well. And while it’s true I could watch the other stuff by just going into another room, I admit that I like spending time with my family. I realize there’s gonna come a time when my parents won’t be around anymore. And my daughter and I have shows we watch together too. She tends to avoid Hallmark now; she’s a teenager.
Well, you tell her that I say, “Hello.” {laughs} I’m personally affronted.
{laughs} I certainly will. We shared a birthday just last week. I turned forty-five, and she turned sixteen.
Oh, wow, my son just turned three. And I am officially forty today. So you and I are in the same boat here.
I know you thoroughly enjoy your son.
So much.
I think that’s great. It’s nice to see you having all that time with your family, and it’s good to see that your priorities are straight.
I do try to do that. When you’re an actor and you have downtime…I think before I had a child, I saw the downtime as kind of a bummer. And now I realize how precious that time is. So I appreciate it all the more.
Oh, and my mom said to tell you “hi.”
Well, you know what? You tell your mom “hi” back from me.
Paul Campbell, Kimberley Sustad Credit: ©2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Bettina Strauss
I will! She actually knows who you are by name, which is pretty cool. You have definitely made an impression on her. And with A Godwink Christmas, that cemented in her brain who you are.
That put me on the map for your mom?
Absolutely.
That’s nice to hear. Tell her “thank you” from me.
I certainly will. And seriously, as far as Christmas movies go, that was one of the best ones ever. And I’m not just saying that because I’m talking with you. The story was great, and everyone played their parts so well.
It was nice. It was well shot. It looked good. It had a nice message. And you know what was nice about that one? A lot of the Christmas movies get into the bake-off competitions or snowman competitions which definitely have their place. But A Godwink Christmas was so sincere, I think, because it was based on a true story. There was such a sincere element to it. And it was more about two people discovering each other as opposed to being focused around a thing.
With SQuire & Louise
I am in full agreement with you, Paul. And I am very much looking forward to watching more from this series. And it would be great if they brought you back.
I would love that. I know what their next story is that they’re telling, and it is sort of male-centric. It’s got a very nice male lead part, and if any network would do it, I know Hallmark would. But that depends on what SQuire{Rushnell} and Louise {DuArt} and their producing team think. But I would love to do it. They have such great stories in this series. And the next one they are doing is so perfect for Hallmark. People are just gonna flip over it. I think the Godwink series has a pretty long life ahead of them at Hallmark.
I know you have another Hallmark movie coming up on the 22nd–that’s today!
You’re not wrong about that. I had the opportunity to see the preview and it looks really good. And today is also my fortieth birthday. I’m excited to see it. I saw a little piece of it when I was doing my ADR, and I was very pleased.
I know that Nina {Weinman Swift} wrote it, and I’ll be posting an interview with her soon as well.
Paul Campbell Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ryan Plummer
She did. She wrote the heck out of it. You know, it always helps with these types of movies when the writing is really good at the get-go, and usually, it’s in pretty good shape. But there are certain writers whose scripts are already significantly better from the start. And one of the things Hallmark is dealing with is they’re always moving so quickly on stuff, and things change so quickly. Sometimes it’s a real struggle to make the changes in time and give everything enough time to breathe so that by the time you’re shooting it, you’ve had the proper process. But Nina’s script is so great just from the get-go. Her dialogue is so fun and “quippy” and “bantery.” Her rhythms are so good, and it’s really fun. There’s a real good clip to it. You sometimes end up having to over-write a movie of hers because by the time you say the dialogue at the speed it’s intended, a one-hundred-ten-page movie can end up five minutes short. Other one-hundred-ten-page movies can end up fifteen minutes too long. But those are all first-world problems, you know?
I understand what you’re talking about because Nina and I have chatted about how her scripts tend to have a lot of dialogue, and sometimes they come up short and she has to write additional scenes.
Paul Campbell, Rachel Boston Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ryan Plummer
Yes, that happened this time. She had to write two additional scenes while we were in the middle of filming. We were moving right along and powering through the dialogue, and the movie was coming up a little short.
She’s had to do that before. She told me how they want the movies ideally to be too long rather than too short. It’s easier to cut it down if needed in the editing room rather than trying to bring everyone back together for reshoots, which doesn’t usually happen.
And you can’t really slow stuff down very easily. You can, but it changes the pace of the movie. I think Godwinks ended up twenty minutes too long. Which is also kind of a bummer because you’re trimming lots of chunks out that ultimately felt like they should have been there. I think if you’re five minutes over, that’s probably a pretty good place to be. But who knows? I’m just an actor. They don’t let the actors like me make decisions like that. The things we can do as actors is pick up the pace, and you can feel it as an actor if it’s lagging. It’s really easy, especially in the sentimental moments in these movies, to sink into the dialogue and really take your time. And it’s incredible how much it slows things down on camera when you do that. I have a feeling that one of the biggest directorial notes for everybody directing Hallmark is, “Fifty percent faster, guys.” It can get really boring and “laggy” if you don’t pick it up.
Paul Campbell, Rachel Boston Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ryan Plummer
You know, Paul, you’re right. These Hallmark movies often do go along at a nice, fast clip. In fact, sometimes when I’m live tweeting, I will actually miss some of the dialogue in a scene and I have to rewind it back to see what I missed. I look away for a moment and I miss some great dialogue or something vital to the overall story. I’m so grateful for DVRs. I don’t know what I did without them!
Oh, my, we just wouldn’t…I don’t know how we survived without them.
{laughs} I know, when I realize there’s five things recording at once.
They just keep adding more and more. They seem to be packing on fifteen percent more films every year. It’s good for me.
Paul Campbell Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ryan Plummer
It’s really good for film and TV and those who make their living with that medium. But it can also be difficult as well because there’s so much content out there. You have to make sure your content stands out and people want to watch it.
Hallmark is not suffering from that. They’ve got their finger on the pulse right now and they’re just running with it. It’s phenomenal what they’re doing. And they’re not slowing down. Their audiences are growing. Their production slate is growing. It’s incredible what they’re doing.
Yes, it’s like everybody is looking at Hallmark and noticing how successful they are, and they want to try to emulate them. That’s why Lifetime and UP and Netflix are jumping in and doing rom-coms because they realize how well Hallmark is doing, and they want to be like them. However, I still maintain they are not usually as good as what Hallmark is doing. They’re improving, but Hallmark is the leader.
That is so true. And I know Netflix is spending twice as much with those films than Hallmark is. There is just something about what Bill {Abbott} and Michelle {Vicary} are doing at Hallmark. They seem to have almost an insider knowledge of what the fans want and what will be successful. And who knows what kinds of numbers Netflix is getting? I’m sure they’re doing well. Regardless, it’s pretty incredible. Hallmark is still the place, and I don’t think that’s going away any time soon.
I understand you had never worked with Rachel Boston before this movie.
That is correct. I had never worked with her.
with Rachel
Had you met her before this movie?
Yes, we met about ten years ago at an audition. We were testing for someone in LA, and we happened to be testing together. But this was our first time working together.
Well, I can imagine that you got on together well. I have no doubt from what I know of you and of her.
Completely. The script is so fun, and they’re such great characters. They’re really easy, fun roles to slip into. I would say that I probably slip into my roles maybe too easily. {laughs} When I’m working with Hallmark, I feel like I’ve been on a TV series for five or six years, and generally, I’m coming back and playing similar characters for the most part. Rachel did a fair amount of work for this one, like the emotional prep. She worked really hard on this one–the script and the characters. I worked a little less hard than she, but it all reads fine on camera.
What I notice is that with Hallmark, the network is often very focused on the female lead in these movies. While the male role is important, the female is usually the featured character.
The female lead typically goes on a deeper emotional journey, that’s true. But I will say that Hallmark has really started to focus on the male journey as well. I’ve been pitching stuff to produce or write, and one of the questions they always ask is, “What’s the male journey?” They don’t want him to be sort of the fluffy pillar. And they definitely want to know what the protagonist’s journey is and they also want to know what the love journey is. They won’t make a movie without those two pieces in place. But I do you think you’re right that the focus is often more on the female.
Paul Campbell, Rachel Boston Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ryan Plummer
Yes, but like you said, I have noticed that the male characters–both the leads and the supporting cast–are certainly more fleshed out than they used to be. It used to be that with the boyfriend or the other guy, you could almost count on him being a jerk. But now, lots of times, he’s a nice guy that just isn’t the right guy for the leading lady. And I do like seeing those kinds of changes on the network.
I think they are refining their brand and how they want the characters to be in their movies. And probably the issue is that when you have the current love interest of the female being too much of a jerk, it reflects poorly on the female. It discredits them in a sense. Like, “Why are you with this guy? He’s a jerk.” What does that say about the female? I’ve definitely done a couple of movies where the guy was a bit of a jerk. But in The Last Bridesmaid, Jeremy Guilbaut plays the other potential love interest. His role was more effective in this film because they wanted him to be a real threat. In the movie, he’s a really nice guy. He’s a good catch; he’s got a good job. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with him. He just wasn’t “the guy.” He is clearly the wrong guy for her. I like that storyline better for the other guy.
I do too. I know Jeremy, and I can see him playing that role very easily. So, Paul, tell us about your character in The Last Bridesmaid and how he relates to the story of the movie.
Brandi Alexander, Rachel Boston, Stephanie Bennett, Clayton Chitty, Jeremy Guilbaut, Chris Wood Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ryan Plummer
I play a young gentleman named Kyle Taylor, and he is a videographer that has made the rounds in the friend group at all their weddings. He’s the go-to guy for capturing these weddings on film, and he’s an aspiring documentarian who hasn’t had a big hit yet. He hasn’t had any real success yet, but he’s got something currently in the works that he hopes will be his ticket to fame and fortune. But he’s hesitant to finish it and release it. His hiccup, his hurdle is that he’s a perfectionist, and he’s worried that if it’s not perfect, it won’t be effective. It will be a waste of time and ultimately, he’s letting his fear dictate his future and his career.
Paul Campbell Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ryan Plummer
So he meets Becca at a wedding that he’s been hired to film. There’s a bit of friction between them at first. He catches her at a bit of an awkward moment, and they have some pretty obvious differences in terms of their views on love and relationships. But because he’s the go-to guy for their friend group, he ends up being hired for her cousin’s wedding. And she’s there for the whole process. Her cousin’s father is a film producer, and he’s got a lot of money. He’s doing a big, lavish event, so he wants the entire thing documented. So with Becca being the maid of honor and Kyle being the videographer, they are anticipating a lot of time together with the lead up to the wedding. It’s interesting to see how these two get to know each other better.
Brandi Alexander, Chris Wood, Clayton Chitty, Paul Campbell Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ryan Plummer
That story sounds very intriguing. I love the fact that Hallmark movies are not the same story over and over again. I know that’s how people tend to classify Hallmark movies, but I would say that the people who are thinking that need to watch the current Hallmark movies and find out that they are unique and very different stories. Sure, you know what the end will be, but the journey to get there is so different.
I agree. And this one feels different. I don’t know if I could put my finger on what feels different about this one. I mean we know they’re all gonna end happily. We’d be disappointed if they didn’t end happily. That’s one of the reasons we watch these movies. But you’re right. The journeys are often different. And there’s a real sincerity to this movie, and I think it’s incredibly relatable. I know there’s a lot of people that have felt like the last bridesmaid or they’re the last one in their friend group that hasn’t found love.
Paul Campbell Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ryan Plummer
When you get into your late thirties, it can get really tough. It gets increasingly more tough as the people around you are getting married and having kids. You go to these weddings, which are incredible, joyous events, except you’re never on the receiving end with the true joy. It’s a really relatable story, which is maybe why it feels a bit different. Some of the stories in these movies are not as relatable. Some are more like fantasy escapism. This one is more like, “Oh, yeah, I know people like that. I am that people.”
When you were talking about your character and the fact that he is a perfectionist…I always call myself a recovering perfectionist. It is a constant struggle. It used to be that everything had to be perfect or I would beat myself up. It was the end of the world if I made a mistake. So while not everybody is going to be a videographer, I think there are a lot of us out there who understand this whole perfectionism issue. I think all of us wrestle with putting things out there that are potentially imperfect and worrying that we will be a complete failure as a result.
I understand too. Unfortunately, a lot of people suffer from that. I still have elements of that. I think I’ve let go of a lot of that. I think I’m in a similar boat with you, however. There are still a lot of risks I won’t take and things I won’t do for fear of making a fool of myself. But I think I’ve let go of a lot of those real perfectionist impulses.
Paul Campbell Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ryan Plummer
I think that can stop people from going ahead and really going for what they want in life because they’re so afraid of making a mistake and of everybody seeing them as a failure. While I’m not going to say that this always happens, I think I have learned so much more from making a mistake or failing at something than if everything always works out perfectly. I discover from experience what not to do next time.
Yes, I agree with that.
In fact, I tell people all the time that my forties have been the best times of my life. There are some times in my thirties that I’m sure glad I don’t have to go back and relive.
I’m looking forward to seeing what my forties have for me. My thirties have been great. But I’ve always thought that my forties were going to be my decade. Even two weeks ago, I was anticipating turning forty and seeing that things were looking up.
Well, that’s great, Paul. And it sounds like The Last Bridesmaid will be another of these movies to look forward to. Great cast, great writer. And who is the director?
It was directed by Mark Jean. He’s done a bunch of stuff.
With Rachel
Oh yeah, lots of Hallmark stuff as well as other stuff.
His last Hallmark was Flip The Romance. That movie with Tyler Hynes and Julie Gonzalo. That’s just his most recent movie that aired. But he’s done a ton, like five a year, I think.
Yes, I am definitely familiar with Mark Jean, and he is a Hallmark favorite for sure.
He’s great. I think people are really going to like this movie. Great script, great cast. Our locations were extraordinary. We shot on Vancouver Island, around Victoria. Some of our locations were just so stunning. We really lucked out. And the weather was perfect from start to finish.
Well, I think you guys had lots of fun on set. I know you were posting a lot from set.
Oh yeah, oh yeah. It’s always a laugh, right? It’s impossible to not have fun on these sets. Everybody really loves what they’re doing and is enjoying their work. Everyone is just happy to be there. There is something special about these Hallmark movies.
With Rachel
I agree with you on that point. I know I am looking forward to it as are all the fans, I’m sure.
The movie won’t be airing in Canada at the same time, so I probably won’t be live tweeting. But I hope all the U.S. fans enjoy live tweeting. And we’ll hope that it comes to Canada soon as well.
I know we’ll be live tweeting. And it will be great to see you with Rachel. I have come to love that woman so much. She is always very responsive with her fans. I think she’s a great actress, but she’s also a great person. I think you and she will have a really fun dynamic on screen together. That’s what I’m looking forward to seeing.
Yeah, it’s really fun. And Nina’s dialogue was so good. To me, this movie seems like a true romantic comedy. Some of Hallmark’s movies are billed as romantic comedies and don’t always come off that way depending on the story and the dialogue. But I think The Last Bridesmaid is a real romantic comedy. It was so much fun. I’m excited for people to see it and to see it myself.
With Tricia and Paul
Now, earlier this year, you had a little podcast going, I do believe.
I did. With Mr. {Paul} Greene. Two Pauls and a Podcast.
So now how did that podcast come about? Was it a spur-of-the-moment thing or had you been thinking about doing a podcast for a while?
No, I hadn’t thought about it a day in my life. {laughs} It was just a joke on Twitter. The joke was about starting a podcast–two P’s in a podcast. I needed another person whose name started with P to co-host with me. It was just a dumb dad joke. Then afterwards, I was like, “You know, that’s kind of a funny idea. I could start a podcast called ‘Two P’s In a Podcast.'” I spoke to Paul {Greene} to be my first guest. And we had so much fun that we decided to call is Two Pauls In a Podcast. We did the initial episode with he and I. Then we invited Tricia Helfer to do the second episode. And that was a lot of fun. But then Paul went traveling all around the world, and I had to come back to Vancouver. I’m assuming there will be more. Paul films When Calls the Heart in Langley, BC, so when he’s back in town, I’ll plan on us putting a few more down. And maybe we can get some When Calls the Heart actors to sit down and do it in their downtime.
Well, that’s great, Paul. I actually talked to Paul Greene about it, and he said he had a great time doing those podcasts with you and would definitely be willing to do some more.
Yeah, we had so much fun. He’s such a goof. We worked well together. We have totally different personalities, but it was a lot more fun than I even anticipated. I literally thought we were doing it as a goof, but it turned out pretty well. I’m definitely going to hit him up when he’s back up here. I’d love to do a couple more. I mean, you gotta give the people what they want.
Paul Campbell Credit: Copyright 2017 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Juan Euan
I listened to both podcasts, and I thoroughly enjoyed them. I thought you had a natural knack for hosting the podcast.
Well, thank you.
I honestly felt that way. When I was listening, you just seemed to effortlessly fit into the role of host. I personally could see you doing more of these podcasts on a regular basis.
I think I should. Honestly, the question is–do I invest a bunch of money in the right equipment? It’s funny. We sort of cobbled together the equipment for the first one. And it sounded okay, but you want to make it sound really good. I knew you had to buy the good equipment, but since I knew we were coming back to Vancouver, I wasn’t going to haul the equipment around with me. But I did really love it, and I could definitely see doing some more in the future. I like doing it. I like the sound of my own voice. {laughs}
While I’m no expert, I’ve tried some podcasting, and it’s just not for me. I don’t mind coming on a show, but hosting a podcast is not where my strengths lie. But you seemed to fit right in. If it seemed like if things were about to start lagging in the podcast, you picked the tempo right back up.
Paul and son
You know, I’ve always been fascinated with radio. I always thought for some reason that if this acting thing didn’t work out, I’d love to do radio. But that’s not really a reality for me. It didn’t occur to me till after I did the first podcast that doing this show was essentially the same thing I had wanted to do in radio–talk and talk with people about stuff. But with podcasting, it is completely within my control. Whether people are interested and listening or not is irrelevant. Just the act of doing it is so enjoyable. Even if only one person looked into it, it will still have been worth it. I think I just have to get my act together. I have so many irons in the fire. From filming things to building things to raising things…I have a lot of stuff going on.
Indeed you do, Paul. Now, do you have anything else coming up that you can mention?
carpenter Paul
Besides The Last Bridesmaid, no I do not. I wish there was. I’m writing another Hallmark script on spec {with the expectation of pitching the script to Hallmark}. I also have a project that I pitched to Hallmark with a friend of mine last year, and it is in development. It is theoretically planned for next summer. There’s always stuff to keep me busy. But my next job is getting our condo remodel jobs finished so we can live in a place that is not a construction zone. So that is my next focus and what is coming up for me.
I love the fact that you keep yourself busy with so many projects like this, Paul.
I have to. I’d go insane if I didn’t have a ton of other stuff going on. Especially this time of year. The industry gets so slow, and all the episodic stuff is wrapped up. There’s a few MOW’s {Movie of the Week} shooting, but I just finished a Hallmark movie, so jumping back into another movie is not something you want to do right away. So I have to have five other things on the go, or I would lose my mind.
That’s awesome, Paul. I thank you so much for sharing with us today, and I know we’re all looking forward to the movie tonight. And Happy Birthday to you as well!
Thank you, Ruth. I’m looking forward to the birthday celebrations, and thank you for all your support. I really hope everyone loves The Last Bridesmaid tonight. I really think it’s going to be great.
Paul Campbell Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ryan Plummer
One of the things I most adore about Paul is that when it comes to these interviews, I honestly never know what direction they will take. We can go from the absolute height of hilarity to the genuine soul-searching questions and back again to his signature frivolity. His life speed is at least a hundred miles per hour until he takes some time to spend with the people in his life who mean the most to him–his wife and his son. No one can ever accuse him of having skewed priorities because all one has to do is study his Instagram feed in order to watch those priceless moments he and his son enjoy (not to mention the obvious pride over that boy that beams from his chest). Paul is an extraordinary person who is delightfully unique while being totally pragmatic and authentic. I am constantly amazed at the depth of his benevolence while being entertained by his tomfoolery. He is a rare gem in a world where everyone is attempting to force individuals into certain preconceived patterns, and there is no doubt in my mind that after the Good Lord formed Paul Campbell, He broke the mold with a radiant smile and an animated pronouncement of, “Yes, the world needs only ONE Paul Campbell!”
I do hope that everyone in the U.S. tunes into the Hallmark Channel tonight (June 22nd) for the premiere of what is purported to be one of the most entertaining rom-coms this year for the network, The Last Bridesmaid. Additionally, I would highly recommend that you visit his links below and be sure to listen to that podcast on his official website! I can hardly wait to see what adventures this young man (yes, he’s still younger than me!) gets up to in the next decade, and I have a sneaking suspicion that no matter what he does, he will be that one actor who always shares himself completely with the audience through comedy, drama, or a mixture of the two, and I greatly anticipate every movie, interview, and conversation with him! He’s definitely on my bucket list to meet one day soon, and I hope that everyone will jump on the “Paul Campbell bandwagon” as we undividedly support all of his past, present, and future endeavors while having a rollicking good time along the way!
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