Hearties might remember the “Hot Doc” from several seasons ago on When Calls the Heart, and that is where I first came in contact with the gifted, sweet, and dashing Jason Cermak. From that moment on, I have watched and supported his career with all its tremendous ups and occasional downs, but this Christmas, Jason is soaring high. Not only did we just see him as Candace Cameron Bure’s rejected love interest in Christmas Town on the Hallmark Channel, but this coming weekend, we will see him in the highly-anticipated Christmas At Dollywood! Of course, I also had the supreme honor of meeting him in person when I was in Vancouver this past October (that was an unexpected delight). In anticipation of his upcoming movie this weekend, it is my honor to share our most recent chat with all my readers today!
photo credit: Russell Baer
RH: So nice to chat with you again, Jason. And it was so great to meet you recently.
JC: Always great to catch up with you, Ruth. And I’m very glad we were able to meet this fall. Nice to see you in person as well.
A Midnight Kiss With Chad Riley
Last year was the last time we did an interview.
Oh, yeah, wasn’t that for the movie I did with Carlos {PenaVega}? A Midnight Kiss, I believe.
Yes, that’s correct. And that was a fun movie, by the way. But then again, last year, I basically loved all the Hallmark Christmas movies.
Yeah, Hallmark stepped it up. It feels like they’re making them year ’round now too.
Yes, they are.
When we shot Christmas Town with Candace, I think we did it around May. And then Christmas At Dollywood, we just finished up last month.
Jason & “Dolly”
Yes, I understand there’s a Christmas movie being filmed in Vienna for next year already, so that’s pretty cool. They are definitely filming Christmas movies year ’round now. But you popped up in some movies on another network this summer.
Oh, yeah, the V.C. Andrews Lifetime series. Did you think that was good?
Oh, yes, I enjoyed that set of movies. I had never read the book series. Cindy Busby first mentioned them to me, and I made a point to watch them because she was going to be in the final movie of the series.
Yes, I really enjoyed her performance in that last movie, Web of Dreams. She was a key character, and she did a great job. And Max {Lloyd-Jones} did a great job playing Tony Tatterton in that one as well. He was a good match for Jason Priestley actually. Very similar demeanors.
Dark Angel
I did think the movies turned out pretty good. I hadn’t read the books before, but then I really dug into them as soon as I realized I was playing the role of Troy. I became a fan through doing that, but it also made me pretty adamant about deviations from the books. I remember reading the script for Dark Angel, and I was like, “No! They can’t! No!!” Then I heard some of the fans echoing all sorts of sentiments when the series was out. They were saying, “I can’t wait till this part.” And I was thinking, “Oh, they’re gonna be disappointed.” There was supposed to be a scene where my character has a romantic picnic on horseback and Heaven’s character runs away from me with the horse and gets thrown into a bog and I save her. But none of that made the movie.
Jason & “Heaven”
I also realized when I was filming that there’s a huge fanbase since these books were released early on. There were a lot of fans that as soon as it was made public that I was playing the role, they went to social media and attacked me personally saying that I was a poor casting choice and that they were going to boycott the series if I played the part. They thought I clearly wasn’t good-looking enough to play this character. For some of these people as they were growing up and going through adolescence, this character had been their first crush. I understood. But I didn’t say too much about deviations because I realized that maybe I was a deviation as well. But I had to shut down social media while I was working on these films because it was affecting me. There were a few times I would come into work with no confidence and feeling like an imposter. It shook me up for a few days. But then I realized that I was at least doing something that people cared enough to have an opinion about. So that was refreshing. And I talked to the other cast who had experienced similar things as well. They were like, “You just have to let it roll off your shoulder and block people if they’re being too mean to you.”
Fallen Hearts
I have not read this particular series, but I have read other books and then gone to see the movies. You realize it’s always going to be somewhat of a letdown. It’s bound to be. When you read the book, you are the one creating those characters in your mind, and everyone’s understanding of that character is going to be different.
The only time I was really pleased with a movie version of a book was Lord Of the Rings. They did it just about the way I pictured it. The Hobbit, no. But Lord of the Rings, yes.
Yes, I would agree with you on that.
Dark Angel
I did take it upon myself to do a massive amount of research on my character, Troy. I read about what was in the text about his mannerisms. In fact, before fans knew I was doing this part, I looked at a lot of fan art and interpretation. There was this common thread I heard about. Everyone just pictured my character wearing a poet’s smock, kind of like a pirate’s shirt or a woman’s blouse. I heard it over and over. We had nothing like that for my wardrobe. So I talked to one of the executive producers and said that with the amount of work I had put into this, I wanted to bring to their attention that there’s this overwhelming kind of response that the people view him like this. I said that I thought it was important to introduce the character in this way. And they took my advice and talked to wardrobe. They found a variety of them and fitted me with one. I had just felt it was important. I was totally validated when it aired. There were a number of fans on Twitter who were like, “Oh my gosh, he’s wearing the poet smock!” So I wrote the fans and said, “Thank you for noticing that. I fought for that.” It matters when you care. I cared about the fans. I was upset that they were disappointed. But there were some things I had could not change. At the end of the day, I was on their team, right?
Now, I didn’t read the book on this one, but Hallmark went through a similar kind of issue where they made a movie of a beloved book. So many fans were mad because of how much they deviated from the book. I had read the book, and I saw no reason to get so upset. Sure, they changed it up, but that was okay.
They don’t have the budgets for a lot of this stuff either. We didn’t have budgets for horses or anything like that.
You probably had the budget that most Hallmark movies do. I would assume that Lifetime movie budgets are similar to Hallmark. It’s considered low-budget, and you don’t have the money to do everything you may want to.
Yeah, that’s about right. There was an iconic scene where I take this horse out of a stable and ride it into the ocean, and it’s a key part of the story. And they just glossed over it. But they had to. We didn’t have the money for it. But I know fans are upset about that.
Hopefully, there were fans that thought it wasn’t that bad.
There were a lot of fans that weren’t familiar with the books that loved the movies. It’s a different type of fan for Lifetime as opposed to Hallmark, but it’s still fun to interact with them. It’s fun when people really get into the movies.
I actually watched the extended versions of these movies. I waited till the week after the premiere and watched the interviews that they would show during the commercial breaks with all the various characters.
I had wondered what had happened to those. I never saw those.
Here in the U.S., they showed them the following week instead of at the premiere. And because I wasn’t live-tweeting, I just waited till the following week. I enjoyed watching those.
It was weird. I had never met any of the other cast. We had only shot one film. It was the first time I had met the girl playing Heaven, my love interest. And they asked us for interesting anecdotes about the series. I was like, “We haven’t shot the series yet.” And they were like, “Just come up with something.” So I was a little nervous about how all that was going to work out. Actually, there is a cool story UI can share. When I was down in LA leaving an evening out with some friends, and I was at the Sunset Strip where they have all the billboards. They had Once Upon A Time In Hollywood with DiCaprio. And they had The Fast & the Furious movie. And they had me on a billboard with Jason Priestley for the Lifetime movie. And I was like, “Are you freaking kidding me? I’m on a billboard on Sunset Strip! I’ve made it!” So I took a photo.
I think I remember you posting that. So in addition to this movie series, did you have anything else that came out recently?
Jason Cermak Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: David Dolsen
I did another Lifetime movie. My Wife’s Secret Life. I haven’t seen that one yet.
I don’t think I’ve seen that one either.
But I have these two Hallmark Christmas movies we’ve mentioned.
How cool is that? You have two Hallmark Christmas movies this year! And one of them is with the Queen of Hallmark Christmas.
I really enjoyed working with Candace. We really connected well. You know how you have a natural chemistry with some people? I was really zoned in with her. So my character has the typical story. I play the boyfriend from the big city who comes and tries to win her back. Usually, he’s a skeezball, and the audience is like, “No! He’s not gonna ruin this thing!” My mission on this one was to try to win the audience over so that they feel bad that she doesn’t choose me. So we’ll see how it got edited. The audience can be the judge. But I did try to make their job as difficult as possible. Not to ruin it, but there is this one scene we had…but you know what’s gonna happen anyway. She’s telling me how she can’t be with me, and I felt so connected to her. It was really emotional. It broke my heart a little bit. The producers loved it though. They were like, “It’s great. We’re gonna use it.”
With Danica
With Christmas In Dollywood, did you guys film both in Vancouver and in Dollywood?
Yes, that is correct. We spent two days in Dollywood. It’s so we can actually go to where Dolly is. I know they got some coverage of the place as well. They really only had Dolly Parton for a day. But she’s got a pretty significant role in this film. It’s not just a throwaway guest appearance. We spent the first week in November down in Dollywood, so that means it’s a very quick turnaround on this film.
Hallmark does that regularly, so it will be fine. Now you’re playing the best friend in this movie, right?
Danica McKellar Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: David Dolsen
Yes, I play one of the Dollywood employees, Niall’s {Matter} best friend and sounding board. Crystal Lowe plays my female counterpart to Danica {McKellar}.
When I heard about this movie, I was excited, but then when I heard that Danica and Niall were cast in it, I got really excited.
Oh, and Chris Shields is in this one too. Everybody’s really good in it. Ava Grace Cooper is playing the little girl.
And I know Pauline Egan is in it too. I saw her in LA the night before she flew out to Vancouver.
Niall Matter, Jason Cermak Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: David Dolsen
That’s right. And to be honest, I was one of the few who got to go to Dollywood for a day. I was so lucky! Not everyone in the cast got to go to Dollywood unfortunately. And Pauline is funny. I found out she was in it, and I sent her a message saying, “Hey, we get to do another Christmas movie together.” That’s the only time I really get to see her. But she was in the Lifetime series with me this summer as well.
This might be a big Christmas for you then. You’re working with Hallmark royalty and an absolute legend.
Niall Matter, Jason Cermak Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: David Dolsen
It’s pretty exciting.
Now, you are in an episode of season two of Altered Carbon, right?
Yes, that is correct. It should be coming out sometime next year. Anthony Mackie was in it with me, and it was super fun and cool to be on that set with such a big budget and all that sci-fi stuff. As an actor, it’s just amazing. And I don’t want to give anything away, but my character has a pretty cool scene that was such a blast filming.
Well, that will be something for sci-fi fans to look forward to when the new season of Altered Carbon drops on Netflix in 2020. But till then, we will be sure to watch your Hallmark Christmas movies.
I really hope everyone enjoys them, Ruth, and I thank you for all your support and for the support of the fans over the years. Enjoy both of my movies this season!
Photo Credit: Russell Baer
For those of us who relished Christmas Town this past weekend on the Hallmark Channel (and the W Network), it was a treat to see Jason, even though he didn’t get the girl (his character faces that fate all too often in these movies). Moreover, for those of us who savored his roles this summer in the V.C. Andrews movies, it was obvious beyond the shadow of a doubt that Jason invested the requisite time and energy in those to ensure that his role was convincing and relatable. To be honest, had someone else less circumspect and vigilant portrayed the role of Troy, I think the movies may have felt less inspired. He was a definite highlight for me (even though I know these stories were a bit on the twisted side). Moreover, I believe his most exemplary role this year is still to come in the movie that may just shatter Hallmark records–Christmas At Dollywood. I hope that everyone who is able to will tune in this Sunday, December 8th to the Hallmark Channel or the W Network for this highly-anticipated premiere. Here’s hoping his character gets a girl (Crystal maybe??) this time. In addition to all this, be sure that you visit his links below and consider following him on social media. He does try to live-tweet as he is able to, and his sense of humor often avails itself to ensure a rollicking good time during these premieres!
I cannot tell you just how impressed I am with Jason and the entire trajectory of his career as well as his mode of life. He has labored intensively to earn the best parts available, and he is always a team player on every set where he is able to be a part. While he may not be a household name–even in Hallmark circles–there is no denying the fact that he is a vibrant member of the Vancouver film community and he regularly supports the efforts of his friends whenever he is able. I’ve only ever heard how kind, supportive, friendly, and humble he is, but he also has an excellent sense of humor (I still have a memory of an autocorrect epic fail on my part that opened the door to absolute hilarity as we attempted to connect when I was in Vancouver). The fact that he went out of his way to meet me and has continued to heap immense praise on my work over the years is something that has only caused me to want to support him even more, and I can hardly wait to see what the future holds for this dynamically talented, generously benevolent industry professional! And Hallmarkies, I invite you to join me in these endeavors!
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CHECK OUT MY OTHER INTERVIEWS WITH JASON
Jason Cermak, Niall Matter Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: David Dolsen
Interview With Jason Cermak, “Framed For Murder: A Fixer Upper Mystery”
https://starrymag.com/jason-cermak-when-calls-the-heart/
