Interview With Actor Brennan Elliott, “Christmas In Vienna” & “Crossword Mysteries”

By Ruth on November 14, 2020 in Interview, movie, television

When it comes to actors, especially those in the Hallmark family, there are a few with whom I have had the opportunity to connect genuinely. It just so happens that Brennan Elliott is one of these extraordinary people, and he belongs to this extremely select group of actors who perfectly embody every essential element that Hallmark represents. Last year, I had the joy and honor of meeting him, and I celebrate the fact that he is in a new Hallmark Christmas movie this weekend, Christmas In Vienna. (We missed watching anything new from his last holiday season!) As Brennan was completing his mandated fourteen-day quarantine in Canada before filming his next two Crossword Mysteries installments, I had the honor of conducting his first-ever “quarantine interview.” It is my delight and privilege to share that conversation with all of you today!

RH: Brennan, it is so nice to chat with you again!

BE: Always great to chat with you, Ruth. I hope you are well.

Oh, I am. Just busier than I’ve ever been. But this is a good busy. And I think you’re almost done with your quarantine, aren’t you?

Yeah, Wednesday morning, I’ll be out. It’ll be nice to smell clean air again.

I honestly can’t imagine. I’ve talked with a few people in quarantine, so I know it can be a bit tough.

Well, the way I look at it is this is something I think that this country–Canada–is taking precautions and being proactive. And that’s what you have to do. They have to make sure that you’re healthy when you go to set. Luckily, my family didn’t get any COVID, and so I know these are the stipulations that are in place. It’s become the new normal, and you gotta do it. I have no problem doing it at all.

That’s right. Well, I realized it had been such a long time since we talked. Last year, when we met and talked, was the last time, so it’s been over a year now.

Wow, it has been quite a while!

Well, it’s been an unusual year, of course, with everything that’s happened.

And you’re a busy girl.

Um, yeah, especially over the past couple of months or so. My new job has been a blessing, but it’s kept me busy, and I love it. So you are finally getting back to acting now. You’ve been on lockdown during this pandemic crisis.

Yes, I’ve been at home. I had one movie I was offered to do before this, but since my wife obviously has gone through illness over the past five or six years, I wanted to make sure we protected that. And at the same time, when hundreds of people were dying every day in June, July and August, I decided it was best to take a beat and see what’s going on. There were a few projects out there that came my way, and I was like, “If I go on a plane right now and do this, I don’t feel like my head is going to be in the right space.” And I think everybody’s in the same boat. But then by the second week of August, I decided, “Okay, I think this is going to be around a lot longer than normal, and we have to adapt to the new normal and get back to what we do best and just go back to work and try to be as safe as we can.”

Exactly.

Hey, Ruth, I’m having a hard time hearing you.

Oh, let me see if I reposition it. Can you hear me better now?

Yes, that’s better.

Maybe it was just the position where my phone was. Who knows?

Yeah, who knows? Maybe I’m going deaf. Quarantine sickness.

{laughs} I seriously doubt that. So the good news is that we have a Christmas movie coming out. I know Hallmark didn’t know what was going to happen. Nobody knew what was going to happen this year. But how cool that you already had a Christmas movie filmed this year. I think it may have been the first Christmas movie filmed for this season.

I don’t know that. That’s beyond my pay grade. I don’t know if it was the first, but I do remember being in Europe in December and January and being around hundreds if not thousands of extras and people on the streets. No masks. I do remember…you know, COVID wasn’t even in the consciousness on the scale it is now except maybe behind closed doors. We had never heard of it. I remember I came back after the Christmas break, and then we went back and finished our last couple of weeks of filming. I remember one of our execs and one of our producers, and I think even one of our line producers got very ill. Now, I’m not really sure if it was COVID. No one gave me that information or that diagnosis later on, but they were very sick. We thought there must be a flu bug going around and thought nothing of it.

Anyway, push forward a couple of weeks, and we are just thanking the Lord that we’re all safe and healthy, but more importantly that myself or anybody else in the show never got COVID or got sick because we were right in the very early stages of when things were happening apparently. At least, according to what you see when you look at CNN, FOX, or MSNBC, or whatever you watch. We know in January or February was about the time when people became aware of it. But we were lucky to get in and out and then come home. In fact, I came home and thought I would take a few weeks off and then be right back after it to film a couple more things, and then bang! COVID changed everything.

I know the network has been promoting your movie Christmas in Vienna quite a bit. I’ve seen trailers and previews and clips. I first saw a preview on the Christmas preview special.

Oh yeah, that clip has been out there for a while. Good that you got to see that.

I have been so busy with my new job that I hadn’t seen it, and I also like to avoid spoilers anyway.

I think it’s safe to say that I don’t think there’s a lot of people who know what’s out there yet until they watch the show. Everybody’s dealing with a lot. There’s a big elephant in the room, and it’s called COVID. I think a lot of people are dealing with it differently and in their own way. It’s not a normal time right now. Whether you’re filming or have work duties or are being a mother or a father and a husband and friend…I mean, it’s all very, very different. I’ve always said that Hallmark is the best network on TV and they know what their fans are hungry for and the content they want, and they try to find a way to provide that. I think they’ve done it successfully. It’s been a real encouragement to me. So I just go out and keep plugging away like it’s normal, but I also take those precautions within this new normal while trying to bring content to the fans because that’s what I love to do.

I know they’ve shown some behind-the-scenes clips. And I remember you shared some photos when you were filming. It looked just beautiful, I mean, just gorgeous.

Come on, I mean, I got an opportunity to go to Vienna and film a movie about Christmas. We got to utilize the Kris Kringle Market, and even all the extras were just real people walking around. When you watch the movie, know that those were not extras; they were local people. At times, we would have to reshoot scenes or redo them, but it was such a great added available stimulus of truth right in reality because these people didn’t know what we were doing. They’re like, “Why is there a camera? What’s going on here? Oh my gosh!” It was fun.

But Vienna itself is definitely the star of the piece. It’s a beautiful place to film, and being shot there and then shot in Bucharest, Romania, was amazing. But most of it was in Vienna, and we were very proud to have been a part of it.

So what can you tell us about the movie and your role without, of course, giving away too much?

Well, I think one of the themes that made me interested in being a part of it was…and why I wanted to do this was that there’s a real strong element of, “Are we able to love again after being broken-hearted?” And that is such a universal thing that I think takes many faces and forms. But obviously, my character, Mark Olson, the diplomat, and Sarah Drew’s character, Jess, and even our children…this theme echoes throughout the whole story. It is about how when you’re heart’s been destroyed, and you’ve lost all passion for life or maybe being romantic or maybe even your instrument or your friends or even going out in the day or you’ve just lost hope…is your heart so broken that you can open your heart again and love again? Can you do it with the hope that everything’s gonna be okay? It’s very scary to do that.

That was something that was very personal to me, and I felt that was something…I mean, Mark is an extremely lonely and broken-down man, and I found him very difficult to play at times. Very interesting and kind of tragic, but a heroic lead. His wife has passed away, and I don’t want to get into that too much, but he’s destroyed, and his heart’s been broken, and he doesn’t know how to love again. He wants to–especially in his mind–but he’s afraid that within that context of just trying to be a father and do his job and all these different things…when you see the film, you realize something comes into his life that opens up his heart again. And for him, the scariest thing in the world is how do you trust in and believe in it and allow yourself to face that second chance with an open heart when it’s been hurt before? You never know if she’s going to fall again, and you might have to handle the pain again. So it’s really personal, at least from my perspective. A personal story of second chances or finding love and hope and faith again, especially after being under the guise of being in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Then, of course, it’s taking place during the most fantastic holiday ever, Christmas.

Exactly. It had to be something to be filming during December and January in Vienna.

Yes, we began filming December 10th, and we finished January 23rd or something like that.

It had to be something to be filming there during that time. Often these Christmas movies are not being filmed during the holiday season, so that had to be amazing. And then you’re in Vienna during the holiday season. That had to be an incredible experience.

Oh yes, and there was a lot of available stimuli all around us that really fed the material and the energy around us. I mean, you take Vienna around Christmastime with the Kris Kringle Market, and it’s already set up for Christmas without us or any of our set decorators having to do it. I mean, it’s already the Christmas season. You’re getting on the ice rink, and there’s a skating scene…which I’m not disclosing too much. There’s probably one in every Christmas movie. But yeah, it’s all available, and from my perspective, you just included in the performance an element that’s available and creates a level of honesty and truth.

That’s cool. So your co-star, I believe this is her first Hallmark movie.

Not her first Hallmark movie, but her first Hallmark Christmas movie, that’s for sure. She did a Hallmark movie years ago, I think.

Had you met her before working on this movie?

No, I had not. I reached out to Sarah when I found out she was cast. She was cast shortly after me or vice versa. But I reached out to her, as I do with all my leading ladies. I try to connect with them and make them feel comfortable. I just want to break the ice so that we’re feeling comfortable enough to be vulnerable and open and connected to each other. We sat at a Starbucks for maybe an hour and just had a little quick chat. I didn’t know anything about her. I understood who she is and what she had done. She’s most known for Grey’s Anatomy. But I had never worked with her and didn’t know her personally. And then we came to work, and you go to Europe and you work. And that’s what we did. But we had a good chance to have an hour together before we went.

That’s good. I know she’s done a few Lifetime Christmas movies the past couple of years. I think that’s how I got introduced to her work. I honestly didn’t know who she was beforehand. So I was really excited when I heard she got cast. I’m looking forward to seeing you two together because I think it’s gonna be great and fun. I mean, of course, we all have our favorites to see opposite you. We love seeing you with Lacey {Chabert}. But I think it’s nice when Hallmark mixes it up a bit and puts in someone different.

You know, it’s funny. I don’t think people realize…I mean, I’ve worked with Lacey, of course. We’ve done a bunch of our stuff together. All of My Heart and now Crossword Mysteries. I love that. We’re good friends. And then there’s Danica {McKellar}, Bonnie {Somerville}, Maggie Lawson, and the list goes on. I’ve been lucky enough with the network to be able to diversify and play with a lot of these other leading ladies, and it’s been a lot of fun. I hope that continues.

And this year, we see you back on the Hallmark Channel. We’ve seen your Christmas movies and your mystery films on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, but it’s been a while since we’ve seen you on the Hallmark Channel. I love both channels, but it’s nice for a change.

Again, that is something beyond my pay grade.

I only bring it up because…well, would you classify this story as a lighter story? Lots of times, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries are a bit heavier. That’s not always the case, but it is often true.

I think it’s the perfect venue for the Hallmark Channel. I think it’s familial. I think it’s Christmas majestically and hauntingly beautiful. It’s gorgeous. It’s lighthearted. It’s got humor. It’s fun and heartfelt. I don’t play anything darker or lighter. I play whatever is on the page, so I don’t really know what that means. But I understand the context of there’s a little more serious drama on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. But even Christmas In Grand Valley, that wasn’t really dark. I think Christmas In Vienna is the perfect Hallmark Christmas movie. It has all the brand elements and is strong in its promotion of love, romance, funniness, kids’ playfulness, and the spirit of Christmas. And the music and this wonderful locale really fuel the show.

I was asking because I know some fans will say, “I don’t want to watch anything on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries at Christmas ’cause it’s gonna be heavy and sad.” I don’t have a problem with it, but some people don’t want to cry during Christmas movies.

Well, if they are crying over Crossword Mysteries, they’ve missed the movie. {laughs}

No, I’m just trying to be funny. I know there is that tendency to lean towards darker, more dramatic material on that channel and for Hallmark Channel to have the lighter stuff. I don’t really know if I one hundred percent understand that narrative, but I can understand where people are coming from on some level. Many scripts you get, and you make it alive and as real as possible, and where it ends up is really beyond your pay grade. I’ve said that before. When I read this script, there’s no other place this movie would ever probably go, but it’s perfect for the the Hallmark Channel just based on the locale, the score, the romance, the love, the Christmas. Christmas is really the thing that opens these people’s hearts up. So I really couldn’t see it anywhere else but the Hallmark Channel.

It is a movie that we are all definitely looking forward to watching here. I’ve been anticipating it since you mentioned it to me last year, and I’ve been very excited about seeing it on November 14th.

Brennan and Lacey

Yeah, I think it’s going to be a great addition to the Christmas lineup.

We are all glad you’re back for a Christmas movie this year. I know many people expressed great disappointment that you were not in a Christmas movie last year.

Yes, on my social media page, I got so many questions, and obviously, the fans were very passionate. They were in disagreement with why I did not have a Christmas movie in 2019, but look, you know how it is. Thankfully, we have this one, and hopefully, this one does well for the network.

Oh, I’m confident it will, Brennan. And it will become a favorite, and everybody will love it, and they’ll all be live-tweeting. I’m assuming you’ll be live-tweeting?

If I’m not on set, I will be. I will be in the midst of shooting Crossword Mysteries, and I know that it is an entirely different world now. I don’t know what all the protocols are or the CDC guidelines or whatever. I don’t know how long our days will be, but if I’m hobbled here in my hotel, yeah, I will definitely be live-tweeting. And if not, I’ll catch up when I get back. But I think the fans should come out in droves. I have seen a rough cut, and it’s a really beautiful movie.

I remember Nathalie Bonin was active with the music of the film, both writing and playing music. I interviewed her. She’s promoted the film quite a bit as well.

Yeah, she wrote the score and did the music and helped Sarah learn the violin. She was very pivotal in that element. It’s great to have people passionate about the work behind-the-scenes and to help make it good. That means they believe it.

I’m looking forward to finally getting a chance to see it along with the fans.

I’m a huge believer right now more than ever…I don’t want to sound cliche, but I feel like people need a little Christmas spirit or a little something that Hallmark has to offer. And I think this is an excellent addition to that. As I’m sure, all the other movies are as well. Just to be a part of the lineup and share some Christmas joy. If you want to go to Vienna and see something–I mean some of the best we have…These aren’t sets. They are actual living locales that we got. I don’t know how we got them. I didn’t produce this one, so congrats to all the guys that were involved. And Maclain Nelson and Jake Van Wagoner and David Wolf–our producers–really collaborated to get these locales. I mean, it’s one in a million that you’ll have that opportunity.

So you’ll be out of quarantine on Wednesday. And then you’ll be filming two Crossword Mysteries, right?

Yes, that’s right. I will begin filming on October 26th. I don’t know what the schedule will be at this point, but I was told that’s day one of filming. Then we have a week off, and we shoot the next Crossword Mysteries after that, so we should be done by the middle of December.

Crossword Mysteries

Oh, that’s good!

Two new installments, two new cases to solve. That’s good for the fans, for the Sleuthers. We hope they will air in early 2021, but we don’t know for certain at this point of the dates.

Well, that’s exciting and something to look forward to. I loved all three, of course, but I’m probably partial to the third one.

I think the third one is definitely the best. I think we found our stride a little bit. And now we’ve moved locales because that was all filmed on the East coast. Now we’re in Vancouver on the West coast, so that’s a new added thing. We’ll see how that translates on screen. I’m sure it will be wonderful. Vancouver is so beautiful.

I’m glad you brought that up because I was thinking about the fact that I thought these were not originally shot in Vancouver. And I was sensing you were in Vancouver. So while you haven’t started filming them, without giving anything away, how do you feel these next two installments are going to be? I’m sure they’ll be wonderful. But do you think they will be even better than the third one?

Crossword Mysteries

I think better or worse is so subjective. I think you’re going to try to make the best movie you can, right? And learn from your mistakes from the previous ones. I plan on them being better. You’re always striving for better in any kind of endeavor. But I think these are going to be ones the fans will be happy to see. Possibly a little more with the relationships evolving personally. Every project is different and has its own little variables and things that can be difficult.

Truth be told, when I was doing a Christmas movie, there was a scene which I won’t name, but I had such excruciating pain in my upper jawline, and I didn’t know what was going on. It was not a toothache, but like really bad pain, and I remember finishing that scene, and I couldn’t finish working that day. I had to go to the doctor. I had six hours of oral surgery, and I was on set the next day. There’s really only one scene where you can see I obviously am swollen on that area, but you take a lot of those elements and include them into a performance and the work, and it’s just part of the journey. Every journey that we had on Crossword has been different. The first one, getting our feet wet and figuring it out. The second one was shortly after that, and just trying to find our characters even more nuanced. And I think Abracadabra was…I agree with you wholeheartedly. It was not only my favorite–Idon’t like to say favorite–but it’s the one I felt expressed the show’s voice. It was closer to the timbre that we were looking for. I think it’s going to keep evolving as the relationship is evolving between Cass and Logan. And the cases are pretty interesting to solve. So it’s gonna be a lot of fun.

My goodness, Lacey has done two Christmas movies at this point. I was thinking about that before this interview.

Yeah, a few of the ladies get a couple of Christmas movies every year. Maybe her. Maybe Candace {Cameron-Bure} if she wants. I asked Lacey the other day, “Are you going to get arrested, or am I gonna get deported?” {laughs} I feel like she’s so busy. But no, she’s done a couple of Christmas movies, and she’s got a week off to spend with her family. Well-deserved. She’s a good friend, and I care about her. So whatever I need to do to make her transition into this world easier, I’ll do it. That’s my job. With a lot of the guys, your job is to do your best to make the movie and lead the story on. We always have a lot of fun together. We’ve done nine films together. She will finish here with four movies, and I’ll finish with three, but I had a really long break in between. I’ll do what I can to make sure she’s rested.

I’m so looking forward to seeing what you guys come up with for the next two movies.

Crossword Mysteries

You know, she’s a trooper. She’s my good friend, and she’s going to be busy at the end of the year, but she’s able to do it. I think Brooke Shields and I did three Flower Shop Mysteries films in a row. I remember being like, “wow!” I have all the compassion because I’ve been through it before. Back to back to back to back.

But I know she loves it, and she thrives on it. And she’s still this lovely, wonderful person. She’s very passionate about it and still gets along with everybody.

You know, it’s kind of like when I’ve done a few series. You do ten or twenty-two episodes in a row, and it kind of has that feeling. I would love to have a series or something like that where you’re working eight months non-stop. You really get into the character and the work, and you’re kind of in that vibe. You know, it’s like starting the treadmill or the bike. Once you get into it, you’re just on. But I haven’t seen her in…gosh oh my goodness! A long time! Actually, it was the last time we did Crossword Mysteries. A little over a year ago.

Well, it will be great to have you two back together. In addition to these, is there anything else that you might have coming up in the future? I know it’s a challenging time, but I figured I’d ask.

Well, there’s Christmas in Vienna and two Crossword Mysteries. There are a bunch of other projects floating around. I usually wait until they call, and then I go to work. But there are a few other things that have been discussed. But with things the way things are because of COVID, it’s hard to say. Everybody’s in the same boat right now. We’re just trying to make content and deliver it to the fans, and Hallmark’s doing an amiable job with that. A brilliant job. I’ve been told I’m going to be very busy, so I’m assuming I’ll have a little Christmas break and I’ll be right back after. As soon as I do, I’ll be letting everybody know.

Are any of your personal projects in the mix at all? I know you’ve been working on things off and on.

Yeah, I have some stuff I’m working on that are gonna take a little break. I have a lot of Hallmark content to do here this year that I’m excited about, so I just focus on that. Once I have a little break from it, then maybe I’ll pop some of these things off, or one of them I might even bring to the network that I’m excited about. So I’m always thinking, but I’ve been lucky enough to be so busy that Hallmark takes up a lot of my focus producing and acting. But with the pandemic, it’s kind of put a wrench into a lot of things. I’m just trying to put one foot in front of the other and just stay focused. I’ve never acted in this kind of environment. I’m sure no one else has either. To sit here for fourteen days with all the world problems, but everyone has a different experience. You just try to accept it and try to stay light with everything and go with the process. As long as you’re safe and healthy, that’s the most important. And the reward is having a film or a series or a bunch of films or whatever to make the best fans in the world happy. That’s why we do it.

And of course, you have such incredible fans.

I’m very blessed and humbled by their fervor. To be perfectly honest, it’s very warm and endearing to hear some of the stories of how maybe a film you’ve done or how it’s touched someone’s lives or how excited they are… If I had them managing me, I’d be doing a movie every two weeks. They are generous and passionate, and it’s a testament to how much they love the network and love the content. So I’m just blessed to be a part of this whole process.

I’d probably better ask this. I’m thinking of your fans. Are there any plans to make any more All Of My Heart films?

There is talk about it. Lacey and I are on board, and our writer is on board. Right now, the focus has been Christmas movies. There have been conversations. We’re not to the point where we’re going ahead yet, but you know how Hallmark listens to their fans. They know what their fans want, and if there’s a story to tell and there’s time to film it, we want to get it done, and the network thinks, “Okay, let’s go ahead and do it.” Then, of course, they’re going to do that. So we’ll see. But it’s definitely something that has been floated around. Does that mean we are doing one or not? Like I said, that’s beyond my pay grade. I don’t know at this point.

People might hear rumors, but until they’re solid and you’re in pre-production and development’s over, and you’ve got a crew, and you’re ready to go, and you’ve got locations…I mean, I didn’t even know we were moving Crossword from east coast to west coast until way late in the process. So things could be happening behind-the-scenes that I’m not aware of. If I do hear anything, everybody’s going to know. And Lacey loves these movies too. She’s on board. I’m on board. Karen Berger’s on board. We’re trying to find the right story and see if the network wants to go for it. And if they do, great. And if they don’t, we’ll do something else, maybe.

That’s what I kind of figured. Glad to know it still may be a possibility. I am so grateful that your family is doing well. I know you had fun just being a dad during the shutdown. You posted some stories and pictures here and there.

I don’t think I’ve ever had eight months off ever. Like I said, I was offered something in late June or July, and that was really when the pandemic was at its worst. I just felt like I wanted to give it a few more weeks to see how it all turns out. And in the middle of August, my wife and I had a conversation, and we just decided it was time to go back to what we are doing and take the precautions we need because this isn’t going to end any time soon, at least in my opinion. But getting the chance to be a dad for once–a stay-at-home-dad–it was kinda exciting.

Yes, it tries your patience and everything else. Our kids are homeschooled. They can’t go to school or hang out with their friends unless they’re six feet apart. And that’s everybody’s life, not just ours. Everybody’s life has been turned upside down, and I emphasize that I feel such a compassion for everybody’s situation, if you have kids or if you don’t have kids. We just tried to stay in the house and take care of the kids as best we could. My wife went through a tough six years, and she’s doing well now health-wise. And I wanted to make sure that was going to keep going. We tried to spend time together, her and I, which we hadn’t done for a long period of time. So I actually tried to take the positive out of the situation with this pandemic and just realize I’ve been blessed. It gave me an opportunity to be with my kids and my wife for six or seven months or whatever it is. I was still collaborating and going over materials and doing work from home, but it was nice. We bought a new house, and so we attended to that, and it was a really nice time or at least as nice a time as you can have in the middle of a pandemic.

I’m with you there, Brennan. I know I could have complained, but so many have been struggling a lot more than me. So I chose to look at the positive and be grateful. Was your family ready for you to go back to work?

Yeah, I think my wife had enough of me. She wanted me out of the house. {laughs} I think my kids were like, “That’s not the way we do math nowadays. That might have been the way it was back when you were young, but we don’t do it that way. Don’t you have a movie to go shoot or something? Could you please?’

{laughs} Right, I hear ya.

It was time. I hadn’t had a break like that in so long. I was excited and embraced it and lived it to the fullest. But when the churches are closed and the gyms are closed, it like a third world war trying to go to the grocery store because you gotta wear a mash, and it has people getting very impatient because they’re worried about everything. It was interesting. I’m not saying anything that anybody else hasn’t said. I don’t think any of us are ever gonna forget this time in history.

I agree with you there. So what have you done to keep yourself busy during this time of quarantine?

Oh, these two weeks have been worse than the eight months I had at home because at least I could go outside for my three-to-five-mile walk. I usually do a three-to-five-mile walk every day. That was kind of my thing. The gyms were closed, so I would do a nice walk or walk with the kids for a little bit. But during these two weeks, I couldn’t go anywhere. I’m not a big TV watcher. So I’ve had time to read and try to stay on top of stuff that’s going on in the world. But when you’re in a room for an extended period of time…this isn’t a house. It’s a hotel room. It’s relatively small. Then you realize all the little accouterments of life…a walk, getting groceries, or getting a coffee, or going wherever…when they’re taken away from you, you go, “Wow, okay.” It makes you appreciate all the things you did have before this happened.

So it was a great retrospective fourteen days. I still have today and tomorrow, so it’s not over, but I’m glad that production’s giving me Wednesday through Sunday to kind of get my feet back on the ground and smell some clean air. Because your mind starts to overthink when you’re in these quarantines. I made a joke to a friend of mine and also to my manager. They were worried about me because this is not the way I think human beings should live. It’s not a prison, but it’s definitely a point when you’re in one room for a long period of time. And I said, “Well, I have a friend named Sandy.” It’s this little fly. The fly keeps looking at the window to go outside. I tell Sandy that if she wants to be free as I do, I will not let her out right now. I want to stay friends, and it’s lonely in my hotel room. I found a picture on google of a fly on a bike, and I sent it to my manager saying, “I built a bike.” And he was like, “Uh-oh, we got to get him out of there.” {laughter from me} It’s been interesting here. Definitely interesting. It’s fun but has been different for sure.

You know, when Paul Greene was in quarantine, he joked about there being an eagle that brought him food every day. He named the eagle Ray. And he had people believing that was actually happening.

Wow. Well, if people believe that my bug Sandy had a bike that I made… well…

{laughing} Exactly, right.

I really hope everyone likes Christmas In Vienna. I’m sure you and your mom will enjoy the movie.

Oh, we will. We are looking forward to it. There’s no doubt about whether we’ll like it or not. We are going to love it!

Oh, and let me say…it’s been almost a year ago that we filmed it, but something is coming back to me now. I played a U.S. diplomat stationed in Vienna. Very much like The Sound of Music, his wife had passed. It’s basically a play on that movie. But it’s pretty modern. He’s a brokenhearted man who is afraid to fall in love again and open his heart and find his passion and love again. I don’t want to get too personal because I might disclose too much, but I found him a fascinating character to explore. Can you love again when your heart gets destroyed? Can you open your heart again, whether it’s an instrument or whether it’s romance again or your children, or it’s your passion? You view what’s happened, and I find that playing a contextual thing in this film is very powerful. I hope the fans really appreciate that it’s a universal theme.

I saw the comparison to The Sound of Music.

Yes, this character is definitely a more straight-laced, kind of reserved character that I’ve not played in a while. So it was interesting. That’s the great thing about Hallmark, and I think that other actors can probably attest to it. If you get an opportunity to be in the family, you get a chance to play, if you want to take risks and play a lot of different roles and kind of be diverse in your lead as opposed to just playing the same thing, this is a great thing about Hallmark. It’s been great to be able to do that, and this is another character that was well-written.

Well, it’s undoubtedly on the top of my list as far as looking forward to it. I mean, it’s got some competition. There are some other great movies out there this year, but at this point, it is still the one I’m looking forward to most as far as Christmas movies go.

We made the movie to entertain the fans, but the details about how it’s received and how well it does are not up to us.

Thank you again for chatting with me today, Brennan. It’s excellent, as always.

It was great chatting with you again, Ruth. Congrats on all your success too. And thanks for the support from you and all the fans. Enjoy Christmas In Vienna.

Lest there is any doubt about my devotion to Brennan, let the record show that I have been a massive fan for years, and I cannot tell you how much it has meant for him to continue supporting me professionally with his kindness and acknowledgment. He was my first interview ever, and so whenever his image appears on-screen or I hear his voice, I am brimming with incomparable, immeasurable joy. Brennan is one of Hallmark’s most unique leading men (you will NEVER confuse Brennan with anyone else, though some might mispronounce or misspell his name from time-to-time). Whenever I see his name attached to a project, I perceive from the outset that I am in for a distinctive treat (along with all of his other fans). He continues to value his fans in such a remarkable manner, and it blows my mind to view how his prowess and skill have continued to intensify as the years go on. Seldom do we ever witness such artistic devotion to details and nuances in how Brennan approaches each project and character, and I greatly anticipate the day when he writes and directs his first project for the network! (I have already declared that this is happening in the future, and no one will ever dissuade me from that conviction!)

I cannot urge you enough to tune in tonight (November 14th) to the Hallmark Channel for the premiere of what is bound to be the Christmas movie event of the season, Christmas In Vienna. {My Canadian readers will need to wait until November 21st for the premiere of this film on the W Network.) In addition to everything else I could state about Brennan, if you are not following him via social media (all of his links are below), I mean, WHY THE HECK NOT?! If there’s one Hallmark actor upon whom you can depend for awesome Twitter and Instagram tidbits, it’s Brennan Elliott! Rarely do we see an actor who is so effortlessly and authentically engaging with his fans, and I highly recommend that you drop everything and follow him IMMEDIATELY! I thank Brennan and all of his fans (the Brennies) from the bottom of my heart for his and their support of me over the years, and my commitment remains as strong now as ever (even when my job pulls me away a bit more and I’m not as active on social media as I once was). I predict great things in the future for this young man (yeah, he’s younger than me, so I can still say that!). I hope and pray that God will continue to keep him and his family safe and healthy during this time as the blessings of heaven are poured out on one of the most gifted and most humble men on earth that I have ever met!

FOLLOW BRENNAN

Twitter

Instagram

IMDB

READ MY PAST INTERVIEWS WITH BRENNAN

Interview With Actor Brennan Elliott, “All Summer Long”

Interview With Actor Brennan Elliott, “Christmas At Grand Valley”

Interview With Actor Brennan Elliott, “Christmas Encore”

UnREAL

Interview With Actor Brennan Elliott, “Flower Shop Mystery,” “UnREAL,” and More

Brennan Elliott – Flower Shop Mystery: Mum’s The Word

FOLLOW ME

Spread the love

About the Author

RuthView all posts by Ruth

“Don’t bend; don’t water it down; don’t try to make it logical; don’t edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.” — Franz Kafka Ruth is an inspirational entertainment journalist who instinctively sees the best in all and seeks to share universal beauty, love and positivity. She is an artist who leads with her heart and gives readers a glimpse of the best of this world through the masterful use of the written word. Ruth was born in Tacoma, Washington but now calls Yelm, Washington her home. She lives on five acres with her parents, a dog, two miniature goats, cats and a teenage daughter who is a dynamic visual artist herself. Ruth interviews fellow artists both inside and outside of the film/television industry. At the core of all she does is the strength of her faith.

Tags: Christmas, Hallmark, interview, movie, television

Permanent Link

2 Comments

denise November 15, 2020 Reply

Wonderful catching up with Brennan through your interview.
- Author
  
  Ruth November 16, 2020 Reply
  
  Thanks for reading Denise!

Media From the Heart by Ruth Hill

Interview With Actor Brennan Elliott, “Christmas In Vienna” & “Crossword Mysteries”

READ MY PAST INTERVIEWS WITH BRENNAN

About the Author

2 Comments

Add comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Copyright Protected

Interview With Actor Brennan Elliott, “Christmas In Vienna” & “Crossword Mysteries”

READ MY PAST INTERVIEWS WITH BRENNAN

About the Author

Related Articles

2 Comments

Add comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Copyright Protected