Yet again, I have to applaud the Hallmark network for connecting me with such marvelously gifted actors, and Natalie Hall is no exception. I first learned her name last year due to her movie A Winter Princess, but I had been unable to connect with her. Thankfully, in spite of our current crisis, it has caused things to slow down a bit, and we had that opportunity at last. Earlier this week, I got to speak with Natalie about her upcoming Hallmark premiere, You’re Bacon Me Crazy, and I am honored to share our informative fun chat with all of my readers today.

Natalie Hall Credit: ©2020 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Hugh Tull

RH: Natalie, it is so great to get to chat with you today.

NH: Ruth, thank you for reaching out. I’m happy to talk with you too.

I think I tried to reach out for an interview before, but for some reason, you were too busy or it just didn’t work out.

UnREAL
Photo by Bettina Strauss

Yeah, I understand that. It’s such an unusual time. I think a lot of people are more connected to their phones during this time.

Interestingly enough, I hadn’t planned on being able to tell you this, but I am finally watching season four of UnREAL, which is the season you were on the show. I only initially watched the show because my friend Brennan Elliott was on it. And for such a long time now, he has continued to ask me if I’ve seen season four yet, and I’m like, “Not yet!” And finally, I found the time to begin watching it! I’ve only watched the first episode of the season so far, but I love it! And then I realized who your character was. Oh my goodness!

UnREAL

I hope you keep watching. The great thing about Candy Coco is this. I sat down with the writers and creators…you think she’s just this dumb girl, but she actually ends up being the smartest one in the room. Once you continue with the show, I think you’ll fall in love with her. She is really smart. I think that’s the message in it all. There’s more to everyone than what we see on the outside. We are so quick to judge each other. She really has a great heart. I hope you watch all of it.

Oh, I will be watching. I watched all three seasons when they were on Lifetime, and I didn’t have access to Hulu at first. Then when I did…well, I’m the only one in the house who will watch. And I finally found the time to watch it! I had forgotten how much I loved this show. 

I loved working with Brennan Elliott. We definitely had a bond–him and I. There’s a lot of stuff you don’t see behind the scenes…a lot of improv. Brennan and I got along very well on that show.

UnREAL
Photo by Bettina Strauss

And it was very cold when you were filming that show, right?

It was freezing!

I could tell! I was able to see your breath sometimes, so I knew it was cold.

Yeah, it was! We filmed in Vancouver, Canada. That’s also where we filmed You’re Bacon Me Crazy.

A Chorus Line
National Tour
Dress Rehearsal 5/2/08
Credit Photo: Paul Kolnik
©2008 Paul Kolnik
212.362.7778
studio@paulkolnik.com
www.paulkolnik.com

So, Natalie, how did you get started in acting?

My mom was actually a performer. She was a dancer. She put me into dancing when I was three years old. I started off doing dancing and ballet and started singing. I moved to New York when I was eighteen. I did A Chorus Line and Wicked. That’s how it all got started. I had seen some of these Broadway people do a Broadway show at night, and they were on a soap opera during the day. I thought that was a cool idea, and that’s how I transitioned to film and television.

I think I was noticing that you had a musical background. I was a music major and a music teacher. And now I’ve passed that love of musicals onto my daughter. 

That’s wonderful!

The fact that you started on soaps is very interesting because so many Hallmark actors did start out on soap operas. I think it makes perfect sense because when you’re shooting one of these movies for Hallmark, you only have like fifteen days to film them. 

All My Children

Yeah, soap operas really do prepare you for the world out there. As an actor on soaps, sometimes we only have a night to learn thirteen pages of material. I come from the musical theater world where if we were doing a production, we were rehearsing for five months. And then we would start previews. So it really prepared me when I had just a night with the script. I even remember once having thirty pages of dialogue to learn in a night. I feel like I don’t have that muscle anymore to memorize as quickly. {laughs} It’s such a luxury when you get to go do a film or a television show where you shoot one scene a day. But the Hallmark world definitely requires you to be on your toes. You have to go home and learn your dialogue every night. It’s a fast and furious situation.

I know you’ve been featured in a lot of shows I recognize but have not seen. True Blood was one of your big shows, I think. 

True Blood

Yeah, I did the final season of that show. I was Anna Camp…oh, I love her to death! I was her sister on that. I played a vampire with a disease. That was a great experience too. It was long hours on that show. In fact, that show filmed like a movie. We would film each episode for like twenty-three days. That’s a luxury. And then there are so many different scenes because of all the storylines and characters. I remember spending a whole night going until 5:00 in the morning with Alexander Skarsgård. That filming was intense. But I also remember getting fitted for the fangs, which was a lot of fun.

I’m not big into vampires, but if a show is smartly written, I’m willing to give it a try. I actually enjoy stepping out of my comfort zone and watching things I wouldn’t normally watch. Now, what was your first Hallmark project?

My first Hallmark was Love’s Christmas Journey.

Oh, that’s right! 

Love’s Christmas Journey

It was the final few months of All My Children right before it got canceled. I thank the producers of that show so much because there were a few weeks where I was filming All My Children from 6 A.M. till about 9 A.M. And then I would drive about an hour to start filming Love’s Christmas Journey. I would film that till nighttime. I don’t know if I could do that now. When I was twenty/twenty-one years old, I could do that.

I fully understand that. But the Love Comes Softly series has such a massive following, even today. 

with Dylan Bruce in Love’s Christmas Journey

Yes, they’re beautiful, positive stories about women pioneers back in the day. I loved shooting that. And I think that was actually my first leading role. So I was very grateful. Hallmark, since the beginning, I feel like they themselves have been the pioneers for women. They have complexities and interesting backstories for these characters. That’s always been their brand, and I really admire them for that because I feel like a lot of networks are finally catching onto it. But Hallmark has been doing it since the beginning. And that’s a huge reason why definitely after six years, I wanted to come back and live in this world and do a positive film with them. They treat their cast and their leads and their women so well. It’s fun. They’re positive stories. It’s really about a woman who has her career, which is fun and interesting. But she just wants to find love. Who doesn’t love that?

The Seven Year Hitch

I also remember you from The Seven Year Hitch, a very different kind of Hallmark movie. I know it was an older Hallmark movie. That storyline is a little out

-of-the-box for the network. 

Yeah, it was. Again, I feel it was sort of before Hallmark really figured out their brand and solidified it. But it was still in the world of Hallmark. But it has some interesting points in it that I don’t think would be on the Hallmark Channel now. That film was a lot of fun. Darin Brooks was so much fun to work with. So funny and so talented, which just made this such a great experience.

A Winter Princess
behind-the-scenes

I only came to know who you were by name as a result of A Winter Princess. I had seen you here and there, but Chris McNally and I had just become friends, so this became a very special movie. And again, that movie was an out-of-the-box Hallmark movie. In these royal films, it’s usually a prince who falls in love with a commoner. But this time, it was the reverse. It was a princess, instead of a prince. 

A Winter Princess

That was a huge driving for me to do this movie. I’m always grateful when Hallmark asks me to do anything because I really do appreciate them. I always feel incredibly honored when they offer me something. That was one of the things I really loved about that movie. It was about a princess incognito. It’s usually the prince, and the woman is pining over the man. But I loved the fact that it was reversed this time and it was a woman! Again, I think that’s what’s really great about Hallmark. They honor the women’s storyline. And Chris is great, by the way. As I’m sure you know.

Chris McNally, Natalie Hall Credit: ©2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Deon Nel

Oh yeah! And he’s developed quite a following due to his work on When Calls the Heart. I think that helped A Winter Princess become an even more successful movie for the network. He was just getting started with that show, and the fans were starting to notice him. I thoroughly enjoyed that film, and it was so much fun to watch. But now, you’re going to be in a new Hallmark film with one of the most fun titles ever!

Natalie Hall Credit: ©2020 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Hugh Tull

Yes, it’s based off a book by Suzanne Nelson, who is just so great. She also has this positive energy. We follow each other on Twitter, and we’ve created quite a little relationship on there. When I got the script, I was in Ottawa filming something else. My manager texted me about the movie since I was on set. When I first read the title, I was like, “Wait, are you saying like ‘baking’? Like I’m baking something?” But he was like, “No, like ‘bacon.'” Bacon?? I wondered if I fell in love with bacon or something. But as it turns out, You’re Bacon Me Crazy was such a fun, cute script.

Michael Rady, Natalie Hall Credit: ©2020 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Hugh Tull

When Michael {Rady} signed on, I was so excited. He is just the most talented, fun, free actor! I was on board right away. Then I had worked with the director before. So it was a no-brainer for me to do this one. And again, I’m always so grateful when Hallmark calls. I do think it’s exactly what we need right now. Something that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Michael and I lean into the fun and the silliness of it. I think it’s gonna make you smile, and I think that’s what everyone needs right now. That’s what the Hallmark Channel is. Nobody does it better than them when bringing positivity to people at home. I think they’re really gonna love it.

When they had the Spring Fling preview show, we got to see a clip from it, and it looked like a ton of fun. So what can you tell us about your character and how she figures into the story?

Olivia Steele Falconer, Natalie Hall, Ian Collins Credit: ©2020 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Hugh Tull

It’s about Tessa who runs a food truck with her Aunt Cleo. I play Cleo. It’s about Cleo and her journey with her food truck. She’s got a very successful food truck, and she’s always had a passion for food because of her family and her grandfather. They’ve inspired her. She runs this food truck in Portland, Oregon. She’s got her bestie, Andy, who works with her on the truck, along with her niece, Tessa. Then lo and behold, this truck comes along driven by Michael’s character, Gabe. He parks the truck across the street from hers. Obviously, that causes some problems for her and her business, but she can’t help but be enamored by him.

Michael Rady, Natalie Hall Credit: ©2020 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Hugh Tull

Michael and I have a great chemistry, and we have fun banter that goes back and forth between us. We are both people who have been on the show UnREAL, and even though we were on different seasons, I think it helps us be able to be playful and have fun with each other. There’s a competition and there’s a lot of food. It’s just a great, fun time. And maybe a little bit of love with happen. Who knows?

Well, I’m excited because I get to interview you, Michael and Suzanne. That hasn’t happened for a while with a Hallmark movie–getting to interview both leads. And the writer! So I’m definitely looking forward to the movie. I think everyone is. 

behind-the-scenes
A Winter Princess

I’m so glad!

It’s interesting. I remember when you were in A Winter Princess because some of the Hallmark fans were unfamiliar with you. A few looked up your past works and decided they weren’t sure they wanted to watch the movie. I think it was just they were unfamiliar with you. But now, they remember you and they are excited to see you back on Hallmark. 

I actually understand that. Coming from the soap opera world, I replaced a character on All My Children. You can imagine some of the fans weren’t too sure about me at first. It even took the cast a little while to get used to me. I really think it’s important as an actor to stretch ourselves. I think that’s what acting is. It’s understanding different television shows and worlds. Michael does a really great job of that too. He was prepping for several different roles while we were filming. He can really jump around and do lots of different worlds and mediums of television and film too. I think it’s great that actors can jump around and be in different kinds of things. Of course, it’s also great if you’re like my friends who only do the dark, edgy things. And then I have friends who love doing comedy. And there’s people who love doing Hallmark. I love that I can do it all, but I do love working for Hallmark. You get busy doing things, and whenever they call, I’m always incredibly grateful.

Natalie Hall, Michael Rady, Brenda Crichlow Credit: ©2020 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Hugh Tull

I think people are going to appreciate this movie more too. You’re Bacon Me Crazy is just fun, and people get to have fun with it. It’s a cute, little “candy” movie.

I’m just glad that the fans have embraced you as an integral part of the Hallmark community. I knew they would! So we have that movie this weekend. I know you’re not filming anything at the moment since it’s a strange time right now for everyone. But do you have anything else upcoming that you can mention?

Midnight At Magnolia

Yes, I have a film that I shot called Midnight At Magnolia. That should come out around New Year’s. Then I have another movie called Christmas In Solvang. That should be coming out at Christmastime. I really started getting into the holiday spirit over the past couple of months.

I noticed that the second film you mentioned in your credits and I recognized the executive producer, Autumn Federici, so I was pretty excited about that. I interviewed her a few months back. 

Christmas In Solvang

I love Autumn!

 I love Autumn too. And we never know where these two films might end up. Hallmark, Lifetime… we’ll see what happens. But we’ll keep our eyes open. And of course, during this time, people can always look up your past works. It’s a great time for discovering new shows. 

Yeah, a lot of people are sitting down and watching different television shows and movies. They’re spending time with their loved ones. I’ve spent a lot of time with my husband these past few weeks. I think that even though this is a difficult time, it is almost forcing people to take it easy and sit down and spend time with their families.

You were also a part of the movie Only the Brave, right?

With Miles Teller

Yes, I filmed that with Miles Teller and an all-star cast. That was the experience of a lifetime. Filming a movie like that and working with such a great cast. We spent time with the real people we were playing. It’s a heart-breaking story. It meant a lot to me in the sense that my husband was a marine officer, and he knows a lot of Hot Shots now. Back in the military, a lot of the guys want to continue to serve and protect. One of the guys in Prescott 19 that passed during the fire, he was also a marine. It’s just a brotherhood, so I really felt honored to be a part of that film. It was a special movie to so many people. To the producers and all the guys in it.

We spent time with the real-life families. It was an amazing experience and I will cherish it forever. I’ll probably never have an experience like that again. Josh Brolin and Miles Teller and Jeff Bridges and Jennifer Connelly–they were all very grateful to be a part of it too. That was an interesting thing about it. You’re working opposite these Oscar winners, and you see the love they have for their work and the craft. I felt very honored to be a part of that.

I have that movie, and I intend to watch it. I just haven’t as of yet. I’m trying slowly to catch up, and I’m glad I can watch you in so many things. 

That means a lot. Thank you for your support truly. It’s people like you that keep us all going. I definitely recognize that. People who watch these shows and movies and take the time to interview people are what keeps us going. As actors, it makes it possible for us to keep telling stories. I appreciate your time today.

Chris McNally, Natalie Hall Credit: ©2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Sven Boecker

Natalie, it’s my pleasure. I’m glad it worked out today. So what have you been doing to keep busy during this time of self-isolation?

Well, there’s only so much you can do. A fun story about Chris is this. My dear friend’s best friend is a doctor. She’s in Boston, and she’s on the front lines of it all. To decompress, she likes to watch the Hallmark Channel, and her favorite actor is Chris. I actually got Chris to send her a message, and it was the sweetest thing. He was great to do that for her. She said after a long, hard day, it was the sweetest message ever for her to receive.

I try to help as I can, but you can only do so much from your home. So I’ve just been staying inside and keeping as healthy as possible. I’m spending time with my husband. I just hope that we can get through this and get back to our lives. Just seeing these families…I have a huge passion for KidWorks. It’s a non-profit. Just watching these families struggle is so hard.  I know that people who are struggling the most right now are those with health issues, but also people who have nothing. It just makes me want to cry. It’s so hard to see these families struggling.

So this non-profit you mentioned. Can you tell me more about it?

Well, I don’t really advertise a lot about working with them. It’s just something that I’m doing. It’s something I’ve always done. I worked with a non-profit when I was in New York, and then when I moved out here to California, now I work with one here in Orange County. It’s called KidWorks, and it’s an after-school program for kids. It’s religious-based. It’s teaching kids to love and honor each other. Otherwise, maybe they’d be getting into trouble. It’s all ages, and these kids are absolutely amazing. We help them with their homework. The people who work around there are incredible people. I’ve met the most amazing people just volunteering there. I just hope that we curb this virus and get back to life soon.

Only the Brave

I’m totally with you there, Natalie. So your husband is home during this time as well. 

Yes, he is. And he is pretty independent. Being a marine officer and since he was in Afghanistan and Iraq…you know, we’re both very independent. He does his work at home. He’s retired from the marines now. He’s doing his work, and I’m doing my work. We’re in different rooms. {laughs}

Do you guys have any pets?

We do. We have a Yorkie. He’s very sweet, but he’s blind.

I love Yorkies! And at least during this time, those animals can sometimes help keep us going. We have to get out of bed and they are depending on us. 

That is so true.

Well, Natalie, I think we’ve covered everything. I am so excited about the movie, and I thank you for your time.

Thank you, Ruth, it was great getting to chat with you. And I hope everyone loved You’re Bacon Me Crazy!

Natalie Hall Credit: ©2020 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Geoff Neufeldt

Conversing with Natalie was just like chatting with an old girlfriend. I don’t always have an instant rapport with people, but with Natalie, I definitely did. I appreciate that she shared so much of her own life with us, and I do believe many can relate to the sentiments she expressed. It’s easy to feel despondent during this time of crisis, but just like Natalie, we merely must become more creative and attempt to meet the needs we can, no matter how minuscule they may appear. Of course, her industry associations may enable her to more easily accomplish tasks on a bit grander scale, but it was indisputable that even Natalie is as anxious as most of us for pandemic quandary to be a thing of the past so we can move on. Her benevolent nature, her effervescent persona, and her joie de vivre blended together for an uplifting, winsome discussion, and I am grateful to Natalie for her multitude of insights as well as her pragmatic, positive spirit.

I hope that everyone tunes in tonight (April 4th) for the premiere of You’re Bacon Me Crazy on the Hallmark Channel and the W Network. While you’re rejoicing in this Hallmark rom-com, I would invite you to also visit Natalie’s links below and consider following her where applicable. She’s a rather awesome live-tweeter, and she also regularly shares updates on her social media channels which include behind-the-scenes footage. Natalie is one of the most unpretentiously glamorous, decidedly humble, and robustly spunky of the Hallmark female leads, and I am grateful that the network has chosen to be faithful to her by proceeding to offer her such incredible roles that inspire delightfully unique and enjoyable antics from her and her counterparts on and off the screen. There is no way one can remain morose in the presence of Natalie for long, and I have no doubt that KidWorks appreciates her genuinely sweet spirit and eagerness to aid all those she can. I invite Hallmarkies who are not aware of her prowess and versatility to experience the joy that is Natalie Hall all weekend long and beyond!

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