A few years ago, a young actor named Anthony Bolognese burst onto the Vancouver movie and television scene. I had the good fortune and honor of meeting him and his amazing mother at the Joey Awards a few years ago (when he happened to take home one of those coveted trophies), and he has been on my radar since that time. It just so happens that Anthony will appear in a new Hallmark Christmas movie tonight (November 8th), and the time was finally right for me to interview this budding young star. It is my delight to share our recent conversation with my readers today!

Candace Woods Photography

RH: Anthony, it’s so lovely to chat with you today.

AB: Thank you, Ruth, for agreeing to interview me.

I know it’s a crazy time right now. How are things where you are?

Well, it’s one day at a time. My mom says that the numbers of cases keep going up–not really where we are–but we’ll see what happens.

Same here. We are still doing online school. Where we are, things aren’t too bad, but some areas are increasing. I haven’t been close to anyone who got COVID.

Anthony Bolognese, Carlo Marks, Katrina Law, Madeline Hirvonen, Islie Hirvonen Credit: ©2020 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Bettina Strauss

Me neither.

So, Anthony, I remember when I met you a few years back at the Joey Awards. 

I remember that too.

That was the year you won a Joey Award. 

That’s right!

How did you get started in acting?

Well, my mom signed me up. I was around five or six.

That’s cool. Do you remember what your first acting role was?

I think the first thing I did was with Hallmark. No, wait, it was a short film. I had to pretend that I burned myself on that stove.

So was Hallmark your next thing?

A Gift-Wrapped Christmas

Yeah, I think so. No, wait! The second thing I did was for Lifetime. A Gift Wrapped Christmas. I actually did some other short films, but I remember the ones where I made the most connections with people.

I remember A Gift Wrapped Christmas. That’s been a few years now. Can you remind us of your role?

I played this kid who was with my dad when my mom died. I was young when she died, so it was just me and my dad. There’s a client of his who wants to go to the beach for Christmas. But my character wants to build a snowman, not go to the beach. And my character also wants to go tobogganing. I don’t want to go to the beach.

A Gift-Wrapped Christmas

Is there anything fun about filming that movie you can tell us about?

Yeah, the singing part. But really, I pretty much remember all of it because it was super fun to film, and I met lots of people and got to know them a little bit.

That’s great to hear, Anthony. So was your next thing Hallmark?

Yes, it was.

On set of All Things Valentine with director Gary Harvey

I remember that one very clearly. All Things Valentine. 

That was a really cool movie with lots of amazing people in it. I got introduced to so many people as a result of that movie.

And that’s the one you won a Joey Award for, right?

Yes, it was. I was nominated for both that one and A Gift Wrapped Christmas.

So All Things Valentine was your first Hallmark movie. I see that people still like to watch that movie when it repeats. 

I think it would be great to make another movie with the same people and characters, but now we’re older. I think that’s gonna happen in the future maybe, right?

Very possible, Anthony. Now, did you know anything about Hallmark before you made this movie?

On set of All Things Valentine with actress Heather Doerksen

Yeah, after my Lifetime movie, I actually thought All Things Valentine was going to be another Lifetime movie. Then I realized it’s the same company, but there’s different channels.

Oh, yeah, that happens quite a bit. Especially at Christmastime, Hallmark and Lifetime do similar things. So after All Things Valentine, what was your next thing?

I think it was Supernatural.

Oh, that sounds right. 

Yeah, Supernatural and Ghost Wars too. Oh, and a really small spot on Falling For Vermont.

With actor Benjamin Ayres on Set of Falling For Vermont

Oh, I remember that one! Your character was towards the very beginning. It was one of the first scenes we saw. 

Yes, as my mom reminded me, I went to the dentist, and they checked me out.

Right! It may have been a small scene, but I remember saying, “There’s Anthony!” I was so excited to see you. I even sent your mom a message saying that I saw you, Anthony.

I also did Supergirl.

Cool. I haven’t seen all of Supergirl or Supernatural. It’s great that you’ve done some CW stuff. What was it like being a part of those shows?

On set with Jensen Ackles

Well, it was different being on those sets: bigger sets and lots more action. I was actually playing the younger version of one of the characters. It was kind of like virtual reality.

So here’s a little story. On Supernatural, I ate fifty peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on that set. They finally told me I didn’t have to keep taking real bites during the scene. I was further in the background, but I said, “No, I want it to be real. I’m gonna keep eating the sandwich.”

Oh my gosh, that’s cute! I could see that. 

I would also say that show is different because it’s like a horror film. It’s not just the nice stuff happening. There’s more action happening. It’s not just smooth. It’s got a little bit of trouble.

You didn’t mention much about Ghost Wars. What do you remember about that?

With Actor and Director Jason Priestley on set of Ghost Wars

It was like a deserted road. I didn’t like the firecrackers. They didn’t tell me about them, and they burst in my ears. I was riding a bike through a road, and there’s a bunch of ghosts. I’m trying to defend myself from these ghosts. And that’s how you keep the ghosts away is with these firecrackers and wires and stuff like that. The firecrackers were supposed to pop, but I didn’t like that. So I had to have earplugs in my ears because they were so loud. Then there were two people in the scene who were pretending to be dead. The car was all bloody, but before I filmed it, they came over and talked to me and showed me the fake blood so I wouldn’t be scared.

That’s good to hear. 

What else is great about that is that it was actually my birthday when I filmed that. When they found out, they sang “Happy birthday” to me.

Oh, that’s cool! So glad to hear how they treated you since you were a child on set. I’ve heard about how nicely they treat kids on set so they won’t be scared. I’m glad they did that for you. And I’m sure your mom was happy about that too. 

Ghost Wars

Oh, and back to A Gift Wrapped Christmas, it was my birthday on set too.

Oh wow! 

I have been on set several times when I had my birthday.

That’s so great, Anthony! What a great place to have a birthday. Doing what you love.

I did a Hallmark Christmas movie called Christmas Under the Stars last year.

Oh, yeah! 

I had so much fun with one of the actresses on set, Autumn Reeser.

On Set of Christmas Under the Stars with Autumn Reeser

Yeah? That was one of my favorite Christmas movies last year. It was in my top ten last year. And I love the fact that Autumn played a character who was a single mom who had adopted a child. That’s not a storyline you see much on TV.

My mom said she especially loved that story too. My aunt is adopted herself, and she’s gone on to have a baby as a single mother. So there was definitely a personal connection for some people in our family. It was great to be part of something that was a little bit different.

I thought it was great too. I knew she was a single mother, but we didn’t know if she was divorced or if her husband died, and when the story came out, I thought that was amazing. 

I think it was my mom’s favorite. She loved the actor Clarke Peters. She had to give him a big hug at the end and tell him he reminded her of her own grandfather. My mom loved meeting him. But Jesse {Metcalfe} and I were like two peas in a pod on set. We were always playing around.

On Set of Christmas Under the Stars with Jesse Metcalfe

I can imagine. That was a great role for Jesse too. And he and Autumn are amazing together. I was glad to see them reunited. It felt like it was one of Hallmark’s top films last year. Anything else you have coming up?

Yes, I am in a new Hallmark Christmas movie called Christmas With the Darlings. It originally had a different title, but that is the title everyone will know now. I hope everyone tunes in this weekend. It’s going to be a really fun Christmas movie. I’ve also been working on a Disney Channel show I can’t talk about yet.

Here’s what happened. I got to read for a Halloween production, and we don’t know what happened with that. I think with the pandemic, things happened, so we don’t know what happened to that production. My parents said I did a really good job, and I kept working hard. My parents said it would all pay off if I kept working hard. Some things have been put off till next year, is what my mom said. My mom reminds me how blessed we are because some people still can’t work. And I got to go back and work.

Anthony Bolognese, Carlo Marks, Katrina Law, Madeline Hirvonen, Islie Hirvonen Credit: ©2020 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Bettina Strauss

I’m so happy for you, Anthony. I know it’s a difficult time, but I have a lot of Candian friends who have gotten to continue working. So, Anthony, what do you do to keep yourself busy during the shutdown?

Carlo Marks, Madeline Hirvonen, Anthony Bolognese, Katrina Law Credit: ©2020 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Bettina Strauss

Well, at first, I was playing video games with my friend. And I would use kid’s messenger to message my friends. That was how I stayed in touch with my friends. Once things opened up a bit, I did go swimming at my friend’s house. We played La Cross in the backyard. My mom also bought a puzzle, but no one wanted to do it with her. So it’s just sitting there waiting to be put together. We did play funny games together as a family.

It sounds like you kept yourself busy, Anthony, which is great.

We also got to go out and played in the backyard a lot and get on the trampoline. So that’s fun. We did funny videos on the trampoline. We could still walk in the neighborhood if we were social distancing.

Well, Anthony, I’m so glad I got to interview you. We’ve wanted to do an interview for a long time. I’m excited for Christmas With the Darlings.

I hope everyone likes it! And thanks for interviewing me, Ruth.

Even though Anthony is a child, he has had some marvelous experiences on set, and it seems like his career is still going strong despite the pandemic. I couldn’t be more pleased to see a youngster like Anthony making his way in this business. While he is incredibly talented, he also has a fabulous mother that keeps him grounded and out of harm’s way. If you have not had the opportunity to see some of Anthony’s earlier works, I invite you to check out his links below and possibly look up some of his past Hallmark and Lifetime films. Additionally, don’t forget to tune into the Hallmark Channel tonight (November 8th) for the premiere of Christmas With the Darlings {November 21st on the W Network in Canada}, which is destined to be another fun ride on the glittering list of holiday fare available on the best Christmas station in the world, the Hallmark Network! My sincere desire is that Anthony will continue to remain as humble and as committed to excellence as he is now even as the years go by, and it boggles the mind to conceive of where his career could take him five, ten, or even twenty years from now!

Katrina Law, Islie Hirvonen, Anthony Bolognese, Carlo Marks, Madeline Hirvonen Credit: ©2020 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Bettina Strauss

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On Set of Christmas Under the Stars with Clarke Peters

Katrina Law, Anthony Bolognese, Islie Hirvonen, Carlo Marks, Madeline Hirvonen Credit: ©2020 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Bettina Strauss

Madeline Hirvonen, Anthony Bolognese, Islie Hirvonen Credit: ©2020 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Bettina Strauss

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