This past summer, I was introduced to a new Hallmark star, Kelly Kruger, because of the wonderful film, From Friend to Fiance, starring Ryan Paevey and Jocelyn Hudon. I am not a soap opera fan, so this movie was my introduction to Kelly’s talent. And then I discovered she was in an upcoming Christmas movie, A Very Corgi Christmas, with my friend Kevin McGarry, and I greatly anticipated the time when I would get to watch this one too. Since this summer, Kelly has given birth to her first child, but somewhere in the mix, she found the time to do a quick interview with me. It is my honor to share our virtual chat with my readers today.
Kelly Kruger Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Courtesy of David Leyes
RH: Please tell us a little about your background and how you decided to pursue a career in film and TV.
KK: I’ve known I’ve wanted to act since I can remember. I had a really rough childhood, and watching movies and then reenacting them in my room with my stuffed animals was a way for me to escape. I remember watching certain movies and gaining hope, inspiration or strength from the characters that were in them and feeling so much better after. I always said I wanted to do that for other little girls when I grew up. I always try and play roles that are strong women and usually have a good arc and a good heartfelt message. I’ve always been a performer though. Growing up, I was little I was a dancer, figure skater, gymnast, I played the piano, I sang – entertaining and creative arts was always something that has been deep in my soul.
What was your first on-screen role and what are your memories of that job?
My first real acting job was on a TV show called Titans, which was an Aaron Spelling show. I’ll never forget Joanna Kearns, the mom from Growing Pains, was directing the episode. I didn’t know what I was doing. My role was “screaming girl” and all I had to do was see a body in a pool and scream. Well, I didn’t understand all the lingo of being on set. Because it was a party scene outside in the backyard, there were about two hundred people on set, including the crew and the extras. Joanna, on a megaphone, yelled “Background” which was for all the party-goers to start doing their thing, and I was supposed to scream on “Action!” But I just started screaming on the top of my lungs! Everyone freaked out and over the loud megaphone the director yelled out “Uh, Kelly, please wait till I say ‘action’ to start.” Everyone started laughing! I was humiliated!
Before coming to the soap opera world, you guest-starred on a handful of well-known shows. Were there any that stood out for you significantly? Elaborate if you would like.
Criminal Minds
I would say my episode of Criminal Minds stands out the most. The experience of filming it was amazing. I worked with some of the best girls and our director was incredible – Matt Earl Beesley. But it was very heavy material and based on a true story, so whenever I do things that are based on real events, it’s really important to me to do the story justice. It was really dark, but I feel like it was one of their most popular episodes. At that time, I know they got seventeen million viewers for that one episode and they re-run it all the time. I literally get stopped in airports for that role.
The Young & the Restless
You have been on a couple of soap operas over the course of your career. What do you appreciate about those shows? What are the challenges?
Being on a soap opera is really amazing. People don’t really understand the kind of work that goes into them. We film sometimes eighty pages a day, which can be up to two episodes of television of day. In primetime, you’re shooting one episode over the course of an entire week.
With her husband, Darin
The Bold & the Beautiful
The challenging part can be learning all that dialogue, but once you’re in a rhythm, it’s a muscle that builds and you just do it. The beauty of working on soap operas is that they’ve been running for so long that everybody there is truly your family. Everyone works great together. And it’s just a family environment. Every time I go back to The Young & the Restless or The Bold & the Beautiful, it’s like coming home.
Hallmark viewers were introduced to you this summer in the movie From Friend to Fiance. What did you know about Hallmark before making this film? What was your experience like on this film?
Jocelyn Hudon, Ryan Paevey, Kelly Kruger Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Courtesy of David Leyes
Oh, it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had! I love Hallmark movies! Actually, during my pregnancy, I had a health issue and was in bed for two weeks in a lot of pain. I just turned on the Hallmark channel and watched movies all day long (most of which had all my friends in them, which I loved), but they just make you feel so good and help take your mind off of whatever it is that might be going on. I recently did a fan event for The Young & the Restless, and a fan came up to me and said she watched From Friend to Fiancé, and it just gave her hope that she would find love because she wasn’t in a great place in her life, but that the movie made her feel good.
Ryan Paevey, Kelly Kruger Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Courtesy of Good Soldier Films
It goes back to the first question you asked and it’s why I love what I do. I love to be able to give hope and make people feel good and inspire people. I tell my husband, especially now that I have a baby, all I wanna do are Hallmark movies! Some of the other work that I do requires me to go to a darker place, but with these movies, everyone just has so much fun and you’re in such a happy feel-good place. You’re putting out so much needed positivity out into the world, and it’s just amazing! Plus, everybody’s always so happy to be there. Really, from my experience, there’s never been any drama.
This Christmas, viewers will be able to watch A Very Corgi Christmas with the same director as From Friend to Fiance and also starring my pal, Kevin McGarry. What can you tell us about your character and how she figures into the entire story? Any special memories from filming?
Well, the special memory was that I was pregnant with Everleigh and couldn’t tell anybody! Brigitte {Kingsley}, Andrew {Cymek} and Patrick {McBrearty} knew (our producers and director), and it was really the most incredible experience I’ve ever had!
A Very Corgi Christmas
Kevin made me laugh every single day; we became such good friends and he’s truly someone who will always be very special to me! Working with puppies and the kids was definitely preparing for what was to come! I’ve always had dogs, but we had recently lost our seventeen-year-old pug Maddy, and our fifteen-year-old boxer was so sad all the time. Not to mention, I was a wreck, so we adopted our new puppy Chance and have a newborn right now! Working with Andrew, Brigitte and Patrick is my favorite thing ever; it’s just such a good system and vibe. The set is always happy and Andrew always knows how to get exactly what he needs from me, so we shoot very quickly. This is where my “soap” training comes in handy because we film a lot in a very short period of time.
My character, Lauren, is a single mother who’s trying to get promoted at work to be able to afford a better life for her and her son. She is very focused on work and doesn’t like the holiday season. Then she meets Kevin’s character, Ben, and he asks her to hide a puppy he’s getting his daughter for Christmas. They spend a lot of time together as a result and they may or may not fall in love 🙂 Ben reminds Lauren of the magic of Christmas. It’s the sweetest movie I’ve ever done.
Any other upcoming roles you can mention?
I have a cameo in a comedy film called Reboot Camp that my husband Darin {Brooks} and I did together, and I’m supposed to be shooting my next Christmas movie in April! Very excited about that!
You just had a baby (congrats!). How do you see this addition to your family as changing you both personally and professionally?
family photo
Thank you! I think personally I’ll never be the same again. It’s a love I never knew possible. It makes things that you thought were important before or that you worried about or got upset about so meaningless. Personally, it made me really look at the people in my life and who I wanted surrounding me and this new baby in our family. It’s made me fall in love with Darin all over again. Just watching him with her…he’s such an amazing dad. I literally could cry talking about it (and yes, I’m still very hormonal!). Professionally, it’s just making me be much more selective over the type of work that I’m going to do. If I’m going to be away from her or uproot her, then it has to be something really worth it and that I’m really passionate about. Before I would just do anything really – a job is a job! But now I think I’m just going to be more selective. I have my blog and line of essential oil that’s been doing really well. So where before I would have to take jobs, now luckily, I don’t always have to.
What is your favorite season of the year? Why?
Well, being Canadian, I have to say I love summertime because I love the heat! But really Christmas is the best time of year; it’s my favorite! It’s so cozy! Everyone’s happy, and growing up in the snow made it so much more festive! I’m so excited for Everleigh’s first Christmas. We are definitely the family that has stockings for our dogs that we stuff, so this year it’s just gonna be a whole other level!
Kelly Kruger Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Courtesy of Good Soldier Films
As far as I’m concerned, Hallmark has discovered an actress who is perfectly compatible with Hallmark and will hopefully be working her way towards leading lady status in the new year and beyond. I am quite impressed with her as an actress and a person, and as she has embarked upon this new chapter in her life known as motherhood with a grounded, pragmatic view as well as alongside a loving, committed life partner with whom she has undeniably fallen in love even more than she could have imagined. I greatly respect the woman, wife, mother, and artist that Kelly is, and I am infinitely grateful to have had the time granted to me to connect with her. While From Friend to Fiance is not currently airing on the Hallmark Channel, I have no doubt it will return in the new year as it was a very popular movie for the network. If you have not had the opportunity to watch A Very Corgi Christmas as of yet (honestly, Kevin and Kelly are the stand-outs in this adorable film), be sure to head over to BYU TV to find out when and where you can watch it (next showing December 22nd @ 9:30 ET | 6:30 PT) or visit Super Channel Heart & Home. And while you’re checking out all this, be sure to pay a visit to her links below and consider following her on your preferred social media platform. Since we already know she is filming a Christmas movie next year, we can be assured of the fact that we will continue to see her on our screens, and I am quite ecstatic to promote someone of her demeanor and giftedness for the duration of what we all hope will be a long, prosperous career!
FOLLOW KELLY
Ryan Paevey, Kelly Kruger, Jocelyn Hudon Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Courtesy of Good Soldier Films
Ryan Paevey, Kelly Kruger Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Courtesy of Good Soldier Films
