Last Christmas, a Hallmark actor with whom I was unfamiliar captured my eye in The Road To Christmas, and I immediately contacted him for an interview. Well, since that time, Cardi Wong‘s career has continued its upward swing, and even though he is not in a new Hallmark Christmas movie this season, it was a joy to catch up with this delightful artist yet again!

with Taylor Cole

RH: Hallmark viewers got to see you in One Winter Proposal earlier this year. What was your level of familiarity with this series before you worked on it? How was your experience on that film? Any chance you might come back for the next sequel?

CW: To be completely honest, I didn’t know much about it at all. But after I got the offer, I looked it up right away and saw how widely popular it was. I knew I was in for a treat.

Behind-the-scenes One Winter Proposal

My experience was AMAZING. The whole cast was so warm and welcoming. Gary Yates is a director that I’d love to work with again. When we shot the mountain scenes, we would all hang out in the lounge afterwards and just chat. Took some pictures with fans. But the best part for me was looking out into the night sky and seeing all the stars. It was extremely calming, and it really made me appreciate how far I’ve come in my career.

One Winter Proposal

In terms of me coming back, I’m not too sure! I mean a wedding needs a photographer, right? I’d love to see all my old friends again!

We also saw you in Flip That Romance. What did you enjoy about your role and working on that film?

Flip That Romance was another project where I got to leave town for a bit. We shot in Victoria, which is beautiful in the summer and just a ferry away. I learned a lot from Julie Gonzalo. I had this one scene where I needed literally 8+ takes to get through, and I felt pretty bad about myself because I just wanted to get everyone home, and it was the last shot of the day.

Flip That Romance

But on the shuttle back to our trailers, she just said all the right things about me, the work I’ve already put into it, and trusting that. Also in case you were wondering, yes, Tyler Hynes is just as stoic and handsome in real life as he is in his movies. Dude was a real-life cowboy.

Recently, you were seen in the series Are You Afraid of the Dark? For those like me who have seen the series, how would you describe the premise and how your character fits in?

Are You Afraid Of the Dark?

Are You Afraid of the Dark? was a popular kids show back in the early 90s. It’s about this group of kids called the Midnight Society, and they loved to tell scary stories around a campfire. When you talk to people who watched it growing up, they gush about it. They instantly talk about their favourite episodes, and how it made them…well, afraid of the dark! We did the reboot of that.

with Fiona Vroom

But where it differs is now the main protagonists of the show ARE the midnight society. It revolves around their life, and them dealing with a creepy carnival coming into town. My character’s name is Hideo Yamato, and he’s a cop. He’s also the older brother of Akiko, who is in the Midnight Society. When the action picks up, he’s dealing with a missing kids’ case, which leads him directly to the Carnival of Doom. I don’t want to say too much more, but things get CREEPY. Lots of clowns, lots of epic shots. I love the idea that it will inspire and scare a whole new generation of kids.

Always and Forever Christmas

Please tell us about this Christmas movie that just premiered recently. What’s the overall story and how does your character fit in with that storyline?

My newest movie is called Always and Forever Christmas! It premiered on Lifetime November 3rd 8/7c. I play a character named Randall. He’s a good boy who works at the Christmas gift store when Lucy comes back to take over for her grandpa. For those of you asking for me to have a love interest, it may or may not happen in this one. Guess you’ll have to tune in to find out!

Any other upcoming works you can mention?

Yes! I have a smaller role coming up in a project with Marcus Rosner and Morgan Kohan. I play a cheeky millennial who helps Marcus with printing ads for his animal adoption work. Lucie Guest is directing, and I only knew of her but I can’t wait to actually work with her. This is a very small industry, so it’s good to meet as many people as you can.

Remakes and reboots are extremely popular in today’s society. What is one (or two) shows or films you’d like to see remade? If you could choose, how would you want to be involved in this remake?

It’s super interesting about all these reboots and remakes. I think people are very scared of CHANGE because, I mean, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But what Are You Afraid of the Dark? did well, was that it focused on a completely different narrative, and with modern film equipment coming so far, we were able to make it spectacular. The carnival looked huge, but on set, it was actually a smaller space. A great storyline with relatable characters is the backbone of all of that. That’s props to BenDavid Grabinski, who was the showrunner.

One show that I’d love to see remade would be something crazy like Donnie Darko, starring Jake Gyllenhaal. Thus far in my career, I haven’t had the chance to truly play a twisted character, and it would be a tremendous challenge.

In a world where political issues seem to permeate all kinds of media, how do you remain positive and upbeat and avoid all these divisive situations?

If there’s one thing I truly pride myself on is my ability to be kind. To everyone, no matter who they are, be kind. We all carry the weight of the world in our hearts, so the least we can do is help each other. I try my best to empathize and educate rather than insult. You won’t be able to reach everyone, but you have to try.

What is a hidden talent you have that few know about?

I am an absolute sniper when it comes to cup pong trick shots. I have a whole saved video on my Instagram account and whenever I have a long day on set, I just set up cups around my trailer and try to sink ’em. I rarely get it on the first go around, but when it finally works it is SO rewarding.

How will you be celebrating the holiday season this year?

I have so much family in town, it’d be nice to spend time with them here. I’m going to Cancun at the end of November too for a good friend’s wedding, so, it’s not so bad. This whole year has been a dream.

How can you not just adore the natural way in which Cardi acts and interacts on- and off-screen with his fellow co-stars? Of course, he treats his fans pretty favorably on social media as well, and he never has a negative word to way about anyone. His positivity and sense of humor are two features I genuinely appreciate about this delightful artist, and I am so glad I had the opportunity to feature him yet again. As his career unfolds and new opportunities come his way, I hope that everyone will support this fun-loving guy by checking out his links below and following him where applicable. If you happened to catch the premiere of Always and Forever Christmas on Lifetime last night (November 3rd), then you know exactly how entertaining his character is. If you have not seen this movie as of yet, be sure to head to Lifetime’s website to watch it online (if that network is a part of your TV service plan). The movie also looks like it will repeat later tonight (November 4th), so be sure to check with your provider for local times. Unfortunately, I’m not seeing any showings in Canada as of yet, but keep checking back in case they add it later. I am very excited to follow Cardi’s career in the near and distant future, and I truly hope that all of us Hallmarkies will furnish him with all the support he has definitely earned through his kindness, his humility, and obviously, his undeniable talent!

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