Anyone who follows my interviews regularly knows how passionate I am about highlighting the youngest stars in film and TV. And it just so happens that Lina Renna is one of those extraordinary youngsters that we Hallmark fans know and love (even if her name is not familiar to us). Lina is a seasoned professional at her tender age, and it is my honor to present our recent interview in anticipation of tomorrow’s (November 7th) premiere, A Blue Ridge Mountain Christmas.
Lina Renna Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Farah Nosh
RH: Please tell us about how you got started in acting.
LR: When I was very young – about two or so–I started mimicking the actors on commercials and shows. I also liked to sing! I told mom and dad that was what I wanted to do. I talked about it all the time, but my parents were a little hesitant about it because I was so young. I kept bugging them for almost a year, and they finally gave in and took me to an open casting call with an agency. I did very well at the call and was signed right away. I’ve been hooked ever since!
What was your first professional job and what are your memories of working on it?
My first acting job was on the TV show Rogue. I don’t remember everything, but I do remember having a blast with the director and the other actors. We were ad-libbing in the scene and I kept cracking the director and crew up. They said some of my lines were comedy gold, but the ad-lib didn’t make the final cut because it was a drama, not a comedy. LOL. I remember feeling very comfortable on camera, and on the set. As it is with me on every production, I never want to leave and am usually pretty sad when I’ve wrapped. I could keep going and going forever!
I think your first Hallmark movie was Murder, She Baked, A Deadly Recipe. What did you know about Hallmark before working on that movie? What was that experience like?
I knew that Hallmark made greeting cards, so when I booked the role, I first thought I was going to be on a commercial for holiday cards. But then I thought about all those lines and scenes that I had and it didn’t make sense that the commercial would be so long and detailed! When I talked to my mom and dad about it, they explained that Hallmark made movies too. I had a really good time on that movie with my on-set mom and dad. They were so nice and I was recently able to work with my dad, Jesse Moss, again in A Blue Ridge Mountain Christmas. It was so great to have a filming reunion with him! He doesn’t look much different, but I’ve grown up quite a bit since then. 😉
We also saw you in The Christmas List. What was it like being in your first Hallmark Christmas movie?Any special memories?
The Christmas List was fun because I got to dress up like a proper ballerina! It was hard work though, because I do have dance training, but it’s more at a community/fun level. The other ballerinas in the scene were all from a very serious ballet school and we all had to train for the dance sequence there. It was a bit intimidating, but I held my own and it was fun to see the other girls dance and how good they were! I got to keep my pretty pink tutu and I still have it!
Your first big feature was The Edge of Seventeen. How did that experience compare with the TV work you had done?
The Edge of Seventeen was an amazing experience. It was quite a bit of filming – the most days I’d ever done and it was really exciting to be in such a big production! I learned a lot from my mom and dad in the movie (Kyra Sedgwick and Eric Keenleyside). Eric was so patient with me and gave me some great tips in our scenes.
The best part about it though, was that I was playing the role of Young Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld is teenage Nadine) and one of my best acting friends, Ava Grace Cooper was playing the role of Young Krista (Haley Lu Richardson is teenage Krista). So, we were besties in the movie AND real life! I’m so happy that I was able to have that experience with her and we are still really good friends to this day. 🙂
You were on Somewhere Between, Life Sentence, and The 100. What was it like being a part of these shows–comment on any you’d like to.
They were all super fun!
Somewhere Between was neat – it was such a big production with a lot of moving parts and a lot of different actors on set at once. I learn a lot by just sitting back and watching how things are done by everyone, but especially by watching the other actors.
Life Sentence was fun – was just one day of filming, but Lucy Hale was so nice and welcoming. Filming the scene with them was a piece of cake!
The 100 was an amazing experience… I was playing a young Madi (Lola Flanery plays teen Madi) and since I was the last person on earth in the story, I had to look like a feral child. The hair, makeup and wardrobe teams had to do a lot with me to look the part, but it was really fun! I wore contacts to match Lola’s eye colour and they dyed my hair. I was really proud of the outcome on that one. It was a lot of filming and prep work, but the result was very satisfying. I even did my own stunts and practiced with the stunt actors to make it look realistic. I also loved meeting Lola and working with Eliza Taylor. The 100 was also really special to me because I gained so many supportive social media fans from that show. I want to thank everyone that continues to be so supportive of me and my acting!
You were in A Twist of Christmas last year. This movie featured many of my friends and was directed by one of my favorite directors. Any special Behind-The-Scenes moments from filming this movie?
This movie was really fun to do. It was one of the few times that I’ve worked with another actor of my age, and it was fun to have someone my size to do scenes with. 🙂 Christian Convery played opposite me in this movie as Elliot.
I also loved working with Vanessa Lachey and Brendon Zub. Vanessa is truly just the nicest and most generous person ever. She was so sweet and supportive! Brendon is a great on-screen dad… I see him once in a while at auditions and events and he is GREAT. I would love to work with them both again. I also worked with Hiro Kanagawa and Susan Hogan and they were both so nice. Hiro is one of the wisest people I’ve met and I really loved spending time with him. He sure is a multi-talented guy! Susan is truly one of the prettiest people I’ve ever seen up close.
This was also the first time I worked with director David Winning and he’s very special. I always felt like he took the time to work with me and explain what he needed. Besides that – he’s pretty fun! He seems to know how to entertain us kids.
I can’t forget working with Nancy Bennett… she was the producer on this film and also on another one I recently did. Every time I see her, she gives me special attention and hugs – just like David! A little fun-fact… I had to work on my ice skating a bit for this movie. I had done some skating work in Noelle, but I really had to brush up for this movie and I feel much more comfortable on skates now. Christian Convery and I made a special play date in the middle of filming to practice our skating together.
I’m not familiar with Another Life. What can you tell us about this show and your role on it?
Another Life is a Netflix series that is Sci-Fi in nature. It’s set in the future when an artifact from space appears on earth. Teams attempt to communicate and determine the objects’ intentions on earth, while a team is also sent up into space to the source of the object to gain more information. The parallel storylines intersect on the character I play, Jana, as her mother is leading the team up in space and her father is working with the team on the ground. It seems her mother could be away for a very long time, as well as being involved in a very risky mission that makes her future uncertain. Things get even more scary for Jana in the later episodes of the series and it ends on a cliffhanger!
I was in eight of ten episodes, so it was the largest project I’ve ever been involved in! There were quite a group of series regulars, and it was fun to work with them all. My on-screen dad, Justin Chatwin, is a super cool guy – we had a lot of fun on set. Katee Sackhoff plays my mom and we had a lot of heart-wrenching scenes together… with Justin too, and it really had me growing as an actor. It was very challenging for me! It was interesting to see how really experienced actors did things and the choices they made for their characters.
It was also fun to have a few different directors to work with on the series. I worked with four in total, and they were all so very different. I learned different things from each one! I also gained a very important friend on this production – Samuel Anderson played the role of William (AI on the ship). He was fun, funny, and super sweet and supportive of me from the very beginning. We made fast friends and had a blast together all through filming.
You were in a short film I supported–Mi Madre, My Father. What was special about making that short film?
Thank you for supporting Michelle Morgan’s directorial debut! This movie is special in so many ways – but most of all it has such an important message. I felt proud and lucky to be a part of such a meaningful production. It was fun working with Michelle – she had her hands full with directing and acting in the film, but she did a great job. The film is getting some good attention, but I wish it was getting more.
It was also very interesting having a scene with Stephen Amell. He has such an intense presence about him – I’m sure some people would find him intimidating, but I thought he was very professional and gracious. It was very nice of him to be involved with the film and more great learning for me!
My favourite scene in the movie is with Robert Moloney, who plays my neighbour that takes care of me when my mother can’t. I feel the scenes with him are very heartfelt and powerful and it reminds us all that there are good people out there that can/will help you – even if you feel you are in a hopeless situation.
You were in Good Boys as well. How did that experience with this feature film compare to other features you’ve been a part of?
This one was quite different because they cast me in the film during the reshoots, so I wasn’t part of the main production. It was fun to meet the boys though – Brady Noon, who played my older brother Thor is just so hilarious and Keith and Jacob were really nice. You could tell they were really having fun together filming the movie and that’s part of why the movie is so good. My mom was played by Enid-Raye Adams, who I’ve worked with quite a few times before and I just love her. She is really naturally funny and I wish we could see more of her out there.
Please tell us about all your Christmas films that have come out this year or will be out soon.
I filmed Sweet Mountain Christmas in the summer. It just debuted recently on Lifetime starring Megan Hilty and Marcus Rosner. It was one of the rare times that I had an on-screen sibling – and this time it was a little brother, played by Sebastian Billingsley-Rodriguez. Sebastian was just so cute – he’s so little and sweet, but has such a big personality. He was a riot on set!
I also filmed A Blue Ridge Mountain Christmas earlier this year with director David Winning. I worked with David before on A Twist of Christmas and it was really great to work together again. The movie stars Rachael Leigh Cook and Benjamin Ayres, who were both really supportive and great with me. In fact, the whole cast was awesome and because I had quite a few days on set, it was nice to be able to get to know everyone better as well as the crew. I especially had fun with Ben, who is a very natural parent… one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. The movie debuts on the Hallmark channel, November 7th. I hope you like it!
Noelle is coming out later this year as well on Disney +. I’m excited to see how that turns out! That film was probably the most spectacular in terms of locations, sets, and wardrobe. There are also a lot of well-known actors on the production, and the director Marc Lawrence was amazing. As busy as he was, he really took time with me as well. I’ve been lucky to work with some really, really great directors! There may have been a few stages of Young Noelle in this movie, so I’m not sure as yet if I’m in the final cut, but that’s something we deal with as actors pretty often. If not – it’s still okay as the on-set experience is often the most important for me.
Any other upcoming works you can mention?
The news just came out that Another Life has been renewed for a second season. They won’t start filming that until next year, but I’m VERY excited about it and looking forward to filming season two!
How has school worked for you with your busy filming schedule?
People are always curious about that, and it makes sense given how much school I do miss with filming, auditions and other related work. The answer is that it’s actually gone quite well for me. Of course, it means that when I miss school, I need to work a little extra harder to catch up. But, it makes a big difference that I’m only in Grade five and our learning schedules are not nearly as challenging as they would be in high school. When us kids have a certain number of days on set during the school season, we have a tutor for three hours per filming day and I’ve been very lucky to work with some amazing tutors and they’ve helped me not only stay on track, but often get ahead with my schooling. In all my tutoring, I’ve also had the luxury of being the only kid, so it’s even more specific and we can work on the things I need to. My teachers at school also work with the tutors to make sure that I keep up with my assignments while I’m away and that I stay on track with the class. Besides missing my school mates, it’s been a very easy transition from project to project.
What are your favorite things about Christmas?
Well, I wouldn’t be truthful if I didn’t say that I like getting presents! But, it’s nice to spend time with family around the holidays. My nanny on my dad’s side is close by, but my Oma and Grandpa on my mom’s side don’t live close and I don’t see them as often. We always have a really fun and relaxing time when we go to visit them because they live in a small and quiet town. It’s a treat to get away!
I love making gingerbread houses and baking cookies with mom.
I try to do a lot of charity work too, and Christmas always brings that into focus. We all need to do whatever we can for people that aren’t as fortunate and we can’t forget about the animals too! The SPCA is one of my main charities and I’ve been trying to think up something we can do for them over the holidays as well. Stay tuned on my social media for upcoming charity drives and please donate if you can!
I really wish that I could list so many more of the cast and crew that I work with on everything I do. The crew, especially, is so very important to us as actors. They are tireless and get very little praise for all that they do for us and for the productions – I just want to give a special shout-out to them in this interview.
I stay in contact with a lot of the crew that I work with and I also work with them on multiple projects – it’s great to have such an important network around me.
Thank you so much for your interest and for interviewing me!
I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to present such an accomplished, gregarious, skilled young lady such as Lina to my readers today. I was impressed with the profundity of her responses, and the fact that she has literally worked with so many of my dear friends is something that astounds and thrills me. Sometimes actors have a penchant for “name-dropping” in order to bolster their own ego, but in the case of Lina, it is fully evident that her head and her heart are in the right place. No matter the experience, the role, the network, the show, the co-worker…Lina is immensely appreciative to have such an especially supportive ensemble of people surrounding her on every side, and I believe this practically ensures that her career will continue to flourish as long as she remains on her current path of humility and gratitude.
So please tune into Hallmark Movies & Mysteries to watch the premiere of A Blue Ridge Mountain Christmas on November 7th. Also, if you missed the premiere of Sweet Mountain Christmas, be sure to check out future showings on Lifetime (or watch it online if your TV service allows that). In addition to all that, if you happen to be a Disney+ subscriber (or you plan to be), don’t miss Lina in Noelle (hoping she will make the final cut!) starting November 12th. Moreover, while you are checking out all of Lina’s content (present, past, and future), be sure that you pay a visit to each of her links below and consider following her where applicable. Lina is one to definitely watch in the forthcoming years because in my humble opinion, we have only witnessed a minute portion of her potential, and her skillset will only grow as she matures both physically and artistically. In short, I cannot conceive of a better young artist to support with every ounce of my being…can you??
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