Since we are right in the middle of Christmas In July on the Hallmark network, I figured it would be a great time to highlight an actress you may have inadvertently overlooked from one of my favorite 2018 Hallmark Christmas movie offerings. Christmas At Grand Valley starred two favorites of mine–Brennan Elliott and Danica McKellar, and it truly did not disappoint. In addition to those two powerhouse leads, there was another young lady who played the best friend of Danica’s character, and I was so ecstatic to recently catch up with Zarrin Darnell-Martin, otherwise known as “Lucy.”
RH: Why/How did you decide to pursue a career as an actress? What kind of training have you had to prepare you for this career?
ZDM: I’ve always wanted to be an actor. It’s as simple as that. When I was ten, my friends and I started a theatre company. We would “adapt” children’s stories, write the scripts and perform them for our parents in our living room!
I attended an arts high school. Half of the day was dedicated to academics, and the other half was for arts: singing, band (I play the clarinet), theatre and fine arts. This is where my love of acting was truly nurtured and blossomed.
After high school, I attended the National Theatre School of Canada. It is the best acting training that you can receive in Canada; they only take twelve students a year and I was truly blessed to be able to go. It was very hard, but it launched my professional career. I’m always thankful that I started my acting career in theatre. My favourite film and TV actors started out in theatre! Denzel Washington, Cate Blanchette…
What was your first professional job in the business and what are your memories of that job?
My first professional job! Oh boy. So, my first professional theatre job was a children’s show called Danny King of the Basement! It was my first paying theatre gig out of school. It was about a boy and his mother that struggled with poverty and how they overcame through love! We toured the show for three months for grade schools all over Ontario, Canada. Four actors in a bus driving for hours! Grueling work, but so rewarding.
My first film/TV credit–the one that got me into the union–was while I was still in theatre school. It was a pharmaceutical training video for doctors! Lol! It was about how to talk to patients with acne! And I was playing a seventeen-year-old with acne! They painted red dots all over my face to make my skin look terrible! I was mortified! But hey, it got my foot in the door!
I think your first Hallmark experience was on the show, Good Witch. What did you know about the network before working with them? What are your memories of working on Good Witch?
I grew up watching Hallmark movies. I think they were called Hallmark Specials back then. My family never had the Hallmark network, or maybe it wasn’t a network when I was growing up in Montreal in the late nineties. I’m not sure. But I remember my mom getting very excited when a Hallmark Special would be on. I remember them just being great family movies that we would all watch together!
And yes, my first Hallmark job was Good Witch! I was so excited to be in that show, and I was blown away at how friendly everyone on set was. I instantly got a sense of family when I was there. People seemed so happy to be there! James Denton, who I had my scenes with, was particularly nice and welcoming. We spoke about careers, our families and the Blue Jays!
A Song For Christmas was your first Hallmark Christmas movie. What was that experience like? Why do you think Hallmark movies continue to be so popular with the fans?
I was so excited to be in A Song For Christmas. But not as excited as my mother. Lol! But to be honest, it wasn’t until after I shot it that I realised how popular and big these movies were! I had shot the movie in February, and I spent the summer visiting friends and family in the USA. They would ask me what I had been filming and when I said a Hallmark Christmas movie, I was pleasantly shocked at how excited people were. Responses like: “We watch them every year!” “Those are our family’s favourites!”. That’s when the magnitude of these films and the impact that they had on fans really begun to sink in!
And since then, I have come to realise that they are so popular because they truly are like a comfort blanket. Hallmark movies have great messages, they are family friendly, they are familiar and make people feel good! They also really work hard at portraying a positive view of the world! Lovely!
Since then, Hallmark fans have seen you in other network movies, but we remember you from Christmas At Grand Valley this past season. Please tell us about what it was like working on that film.
behind-the-scenes
Snowbound For Christmas
It was a blast! It was my second Hallmark Christmas movie, and I was just so excited to get back into it. I was so excited to play Danica McKellar’s bestie! People couldn’t believe that I would get to work with Winnie from The Wonder Years! Lol! She was lovely!
It was also great working with Dan Lauria! He told the most amazing stories about the business and he is an avid lover of theatre, so we chatted a lot about that!
Overall it was a wonderful experience! And it really felt like I was part of the ongoing Hallmark family!
Some of your more recent works include Workin’ Moms, Star Trek: Discovery, and The Regina Louise Story. Any special memories or behind-the-scenes stories you would like to share about working on any of these?
Snowbound For Christmas
with Henderson Wade
I was shooting The Regina Louise Story in Winnipeg. My character had one really tough scene. I was playing a very selfish hardened mean mother who abandons her daughter! The brilliant director, Janice Cooke, was really working with me to get me to be grittier and meaner in the scene–something that was a little bit less natural for me! But by the end of the takes, I was really getting into it and the best reward was when Ginnifer Goodwin, the amazing actor that I was doing the scene with, looked at me right after a take and said: “Wow, that was really mean. Like so mean. And you are so nice in real life! Great job!”. That was a great moment for me. If I had impressed her I knew I had done a good job!
Any other upcoming works you can mention?
And yes, a couple of exciting things coming in the future, but nothing that I can talk about yet! {You might look at the pictures I’ve included which hint at her upcoming Christmas movie, Snowbound For Christmas, which may be airing on UP TV this holiday season!}
With Scott Thompson
Snowbound For Christmas
Your Random Favorites
Favorite movies:
Shawshank Redemption, Centre Stage and The Little Mermaid
Favorite series to binge watch:
Game of Thrones, obviously but I also like watching reruns of The West Wing and ER!
Favorite food:
Sushi!
Favorite book:
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
Favorite color:
Purple
Favorite season of the year:
Summer all the way!
Photo Credit: Kimberly Sue Murray
While the leads regularly receive the vast majority of the attention in any film or show, viewers are well aware of the fact that the supporting cast are just as important when it comes to recounting the overall story. It is true that a bland supporting character may not spell disaster perhaps for a movie whose leads do the “heavy lifting,” but we also know that a dynamic supporting cast member can elevate the entire soul and spirit of any given film or show and sometimes even lead to more significant roles for these up and coming artists. As far as I’m concerned, Zarrin is the ideal representation of what a phenomenal supporting cast member should be due to the fact that she injects all of her vivacity, energy, and engaging persona into every role she is given while never balking at the size and scope of her character. I am grateful that Hallmark has featured this young lady in several of their productions, and there is no doubt that the partnership they have garnered with this charismatic actress is a relationship that is mutually beneficial to all.
If you are watching Christmas In July this month, be sure to keep an eye out for Zarrin in A Song For Christmas (airing next on July 8th on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) and Christmas At Grand Valley (airing next on July 3rd on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries). Moreover, while we await her newest offerings–especially that new Christmas flick–be sure to check out her links below and consider giving her a follow on Instagram if all possible. I have no idea concerning the ultimate trajectory of Zarrin’s career in the weeks, months, and years ahead, but there is one thing of which I am undividedly certain. A talented, humble, sensitive human being like her who possesses such incredible gifts in abundance that she proceeds to share with the world is destined to maintain her quest to accomplish all of her hopes and dreams, and I am honored to be able to support her every step of the way.
FOLLOW ZARRIN
With Josephine Buettner
Snowbound For Christmas
