Some time ago, I had the remarkable opportunity of interviewing the magnificently skilled Antonio Cayonne. The moment I first spied him in Appetite For Love, I just KNEW he was going to become a cherished member of the Hallmark family for years to come. While my predictions are not always fully accurate in this area, I’m thankful to say that this is exactly what has happened, and I can hardly wait for the day when Hallmark grants him a leading role in one of their movies. During this time of the pandemic crisis, I had the awesome privilege of chatting virtually yet again with this disciplined, gifted industry professional who can easily take on any role in this business, and it is my delight to share this interview with my readers today.
RH: Since we last chatted, you’ve landed a recurring role in the Hallmark series Darrow & Darrow. There have been a total of four films in this mystery series. How did you happen to join this cast? What do you enjoy about your character?
with Wendie
AC: The experience being a part of Darrow & Darrow has been great. I booked the job through Jackie Lind Casting who does a lot of Hallmark casting out here. At the time the two people behind the casting were Harvey Kahn and Jonathan Axelrod, who have both been doing this a long time and are great at it.
Joining the cast was amazing and I’ve made some pretty great friends through filming these. Vince Dangerfield and I actually ended up having our first kids a month apart and now our boys go on playdates and stuff! The cast is amazing and getting to work with some of the best and kindest in this business is really affirming. Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Wendie Malick are two of the nicest people you could ask to shoot with, and both are so good at what they do.
Vincent Dangerfield, Antonio Cayonne Credit: Copyright 2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Kailey Schwerman
The character has taken a few turns as the show settles into its’ genre, but my favourite thing about Chester is that he’s a bit “weird.” That is just to say, often in legal, everyone is highly capable and ready to climb the ladder. Chester is smart, and skilled, and doesn’t always know how to fit in. That’s a really fun thing to play with in scenes and with Wendie and Barclay Hope as his higher-ups; it affords a lot of room for comedy.
The cast seems to be absolutely brilliant in this series, and all of you appear to have become a real family. Any special memories from filming?
The cast is brilliant! Tom keeps us laughing during and often between takes, but it’s the moments where we actually get to talk about real things that teach us who each other are. We’ve had some great green room talks about politics, and wellness, and family, and food, and many of those are the moments I’ll remember.
Copyright 2017 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ryan Plummer
However for me, it was all about the basketball playoffs last year. I’m a HUGE Raptors fan – win, lose, whatever, I bleed for that team and have since they showed up. Hometown sports supporter for life. Well, I had to be on set during two CRUCIAL games, and though I was happy to be working I was GUTTED. Thirteen-year-old me was not impressed. Kim and Wendie knew I was a super fan and made sure that the game was on wherever we were shooting. I even flew home to Toronto between shoot days to watch game five live!
For Game six, the day we became champions, we actually stopped shooting for like twenty minutes and all crowded into a tiny room and watched the entire end of the game! I can’t tell you what that meant to me! I’M AN NBA CHAMPION!
While we have no idea if more movies will happen in this series, what are your dreams for the future of the series?
Brandi Alexander, Antonio Cayonne Credit: Copyright 2017 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ryan Plummer
Who really knows what comes of this series, but if it was up to be, I would love to see Chester and Scott (played by Vince Dangerfield) start to specialize. Right now we spend most of our time in the bullpen, just working on computers, solving things. But it would be awesome to get them out of the law office and into the real world – helping with investigating, interviewing witnesses and getting statements, working in the courtroom alongside Kim. It would be great to be more involved in the cases.
In this last Darrow, Chester was part of solving the crime and that felt like great progress! As for a guest star, I’d love to see Marcus Rosner and/or Brendan Penny show up. Mostly just because I love those guys! And maybe Kandyse McClure as a love interest for Chester? One can dream!
You’ve also been in some lovely Hallmark Christmas movies. Please comment on any special moments from those.
Antonio Cayonne, Rukiya Bernard Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: David Strongman
I’ve had great luck being part of Hallmark movies in supporting roles. The Christmas movie that was actual magic for me was the latest Christmas in Evergreen. Getting to work with Rukiya Bernard was amazing and our chemistry is so fun to explore on camera. We didn’t know each other prior to filming, but it turned out we have a ton in common – the least of which is having graduated from the same theatre school three years apart. That means she and I were wandering the halls at the same time and somehow never crossed paths until Christmas in Evergreen!
with Rukiya
It was also really nice for our love story to have its own arc – it was the first time that that has happened for me. So many Christmas movies have been fantastic. Working with Brooke Nevin also stands out for me. She’s so good at what she does and her heart is so generous that she can will things to happen. It’s pretty impressive.
Outside of Hallmark, you’ve been on Colony & The Magicians. What was special about those shows for you?
Colony was a cool show to get to walk through (only there a couple of episodes) for two reasons: the actors were people whose work I loved and I got to watch them work up close, and the sets were brilliant. They built full post-apocalyptic villages that were realistic and functional and expansive. It made getting into the world very easy.
The Magicians stands out because of the vibe on set. You will not find a set where top to bottom, everyone is kind, caring, and selfless. But on their set, they went out of their way to make sure that you were included, that you were informed, that you were safe. They were also very health and environmentally conscious which somehow made what they were doing…well, magical.
This year we’ve seen you thus far in Matching Hearts and Fashionably Yours. Again, anything special about those films that you would like to share?
Matching Hearts
Getting to work with both Taylor {Cole} and Latonya {Williams} again in Matching Hearts was great. And working with both Ryan Paevey and Kat Graham for the first time was a lot of fun. They’re both very “real” people – what you see is what you get – and it’s so satisfying to see people succeed because of who they are and how they approach the world and their craft.
But the big moments for me are usually about progress and representation. I’m very conscious of what I was exposed to growing up and value being a part of work that changes or challenges that narrative.
In Matching Hearts, we had a prominent character who was gay (although it wasn’t a huge story point, it was in there!) and that felt very important, and really resonated with me as I really think the world of Hallmark needs to reflect and represent the real world.
Christmas In Evergreen 3
In Fashionably Yours, we had a lot of amazing representation of cultural diversity on set and in the movie from actors to director right through to the storyline. As someone who grew up watching film and TV and rarely seeing myself reflected on screen, the importance of this project was very profound. I hope we get to keep moving in that direction. It’s crucial that film and television reflect the world as it truly is – it’s the only way things will change for the better. Kids need to know they belong. Those kids grow up to change the world.
Looking ahead, any upcoming works you can mention? Also, any truth to the rumor there might be a Christmas In Evergreen 4 and you might come back?
with Rukiya
I heard that rumour too and all I can say is PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE BE TRUE! I would love to be back on set in that town for Christmas. It was so much fun! And I don’t think our love story is complete – Hannah and Elliot just had their first date. So it feels like there NEEDS to be more. But who knows 🙂
Before the Pandemic closed the world I was working on Mighty Ducks as a Dad. We’ll see if that comes back around. We only shot the pilot but it was a lot of fun. One of my close friends is the 1st AD and being on set with him is always a treat. Beyond that, I didn’t have anything else lined up. I’m very interested to see how our industry deals with the new safety requirements.
During this lockdown, what have you been doing to pass the time?
I’ve been busier than ever. I run two restaurants (Say Mercy & The Mackenzie Room) with my restaurant group – Collective Hospitality. When the Pandemic touched down in Vancouver it became evident that we needed to close the restaurants to help stop the spread. We had to lay off almost all our staff, which was devastating because they really are like family in some cases. So we asked ourselves what we could do to serve them, and the answer was that we could feed them “Staff Meal.” Staff Meal is a beloved term in the restaurant industry – it’s a time where, before a shift, you eat together and discuss your lives, you connect, and prepare for service.
learning glass-blowing
Then we considered that many restaurants would be closed, and pondered if we could feed everyone. From there we extrapolated a bit further and thought, well, everyone is going to be going through various forms and degrees of food insecurity – whether that’s a lack of finances, a lack of access to good food, an inability to cook, what have you – so could we feed everyone? The Staff Meal Initiative was born.
We started cooking affordable healthy meals with the opportunity to buy a “Suspended” meal for someone else that the restaurant would distribute for you. It was a huge success – people needed it, and we were run off our feet trying to figure out how to keep up. So we called fellow restaurants and pitched the same concept – cook for your community, give back to your community, cook for the collective good. We’ve now brought on nine partners who are all independently running their own versions of Staff Meal. We have been feeding the community, feeding the Frontlines, feeding our Neighbours. Our restaurant has probably put out somewhere upwards of 4000 meals for the community, another 1500 or so to the Frontlines, and have served our community diligently for eight weeks non-stop! We have also been collecting for the local food bank making weekly contributions of about $300 which is great because they can spend $3 for every $1 donated. All of that multiplied by nine partners has made this very exciting and the impact very profound for the community.
with Rukiya
The Pandemic has been scary, and difficult, but within it, there have been models of compassion and care unlike anything I’ve seen globally before. It’s been really grounding to get to serve the community and provide some hope in dark times. The Economy of Kindness has made sure that each person who has been looked after, looks after someone else.
You have become a beloved fixture in the Hallmark casts. First of all, why do you believe Hallmark continues to have such a devoted fan base? Secondly, what do you appreciate about working with Hallmark?
Matching Hearts
I really do love being a part of the Hallmark world. You mention my being a beloved fixture, and to be honest I had never seen it that way. It sort of snuck up on me that I’ve done so many, and with each one, I’m just grateful to be invited back to play. The other day, the Hallmarkies Podcast went live on their IG with someone to discuss one of the movies they were watching. I logged on, for fun, just to see what they were talking about, and they said HI to me! I was floored – actually- that they knew who I was! HA! I’m sure that sounds crazy, but it’s true. I spend so much of my time as a “normal” civilian, running the restaurants and all that, that to be online and have someone know me from my work was actually surprising! And so so so nice! It’s wonderful that people love Hallmark so much and are so generous and supportive of those of us that appear in the shows!
Antonio Cayonne as Lucien
I think Hallmark has a devoted fan base the way it does because it sticks to very common core values to tell stories, and lives in a world of hopeful romance and honest connections. And over time it has drawn in a certain caliber of lead talent (the Kim’s and the Taylor’s and the Danica’s and the Maggie’s etc) who are very very genuine in real life, and whose intelligence and generosity of spirit are at the core of all their actions. You see them on screen and you “know” know them. Their work fills the Hallmark world with something you can’t script, and I think the fan base sees that and really embraces it.
As for me, I’m a fan of great people doing great work. So more than anything, I like being in the world to meet and work with likeminded talent – actors, directors, DP’S, sound techs, etc – and grow as a person from their influence. I would never cross paths with most of the people I find on set in everyday life – we’re from different cities and often live in different “worlds”- but being on set is a great equalizer and removes perceived barriers so you can just see each other as people and get lost in stories, and ideas, and opinions with each other. It’s an incredible opportunity to be a part of this world and I’m just as grateful for each booking as I was the very first.
And, although you didn’t ask, YOU are a huge part of what makes this world so special! You, and others like you (Mercy is another great example), who create a bridge between the fans and the talent, help humanize what we do and, again, you work to remove perceived barriers so that we can all just connect in a very honest, direct, and human way. Without you, we would be on-set reading twitter, and people would be at home tweeting and watching TV, and we would never have the chance to really know one another – each stuck in our own worlds. So thank you, for connecting us and caring enough to find the connections!
Isn’t Antonio simply one of the most dynamic individuals in this world today? While he may not be overly active on social media at times, one should never underestimate his intense consideration and concern for current issues that are often proclaimed loudly by the more vocal members of the industry. Moreover, if you visit his social media accounts, you will discover how he has supported the transformation that is beginning to happen within the industry and the world as a whole. It is individuals like Antonio who can aid in bringing about authentic reform because he has lived some of these social issues firsthand. It thrills me to no end to witness the way that Hallmark and the fans have embraced him (especially over the past year), and I just cannot imagine that he is not on the precipice of some phenomenal breakthrough in the industry. Antonio is the very epitome of what I desire for everyone on earth to be more like–patient, kind, responsible, humble, tolerant, and forward-thinking. When I think of Hallmark and so much of the media I readily consume, Antonio stands as an iridescent light that opens our hearts to what is excellent and lovely in this world of ours while applauding our successes and even sensitively pointing out areas that might be considered blindspots. Even in those rare instances when I don’t agree with the political or social stances of various people in this world, it never stops me from fostering genuine conversation and ultimately discovering that at the end of the day, we all want essentially the same thing. In the words of a couple of my good friends, I would hope that everyone would participate in what is known as generous listening because in truth, that is the best way to cultivate unconditional love for all in this world of ours. I am grateful to all that Antonio has accomplished and the fashion in which he has cared for others during this crisis, and I hope and pray that his name will grace many a screen in the days, weeks, months, and years to come. (And by the way, Antonio, you were extremely kind to include the comments about me and others like me! Bless you!!)
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