Interview With Actor Christopher Russell

By Ruth on February 1, 2020 in Interview, movie, television

There are particular Hallmark actors that we tend to view in a wide variety of roles on the network, but sometimes, it takes a while before we readily identify and appreciate the myriad of characters they have presented to us on our screens. For me, Christopher Russell happens to be one of those people. I have been regaled and entertained by his characters and antics for many years now, but it was only last year that I recognized his name and aspired to learn more about him. Thankfully, he was more than willing to arrange for an interview with me, and back in late November, he and I had the chance to chat. It is my honor and privilege to present our engaging and informative conversation here today!

RH: Chris, it’s so nice to get to connect with you! Thanks for making the time.

CR: Ruth, it’s my pleasure. Thank you for reaching out.

I know you’ve done a lot for Hallmark, especially recently.

Yes, that’s true. Hallmark has been good to me.

And you were recently in a Lifetime Christmas movie as well.

That is correct. I look forward to what 2020 is going to bring, especially with how many more Hallmark movies I might get to do this year.

You seem to be well connected with both networks, and that’s how it works with some actors, especially if you are in Canada. Sometimes it just works out that one network uses you more, and we don’t always know why. But I know you did a lead role earlier in 2019 for Hallmark.

Yes, Love Unleashed. And my Lifetime Christmas movie was called Christmas Unleashed. {laughs} And those movies are not connected at all!

{laughs} I noticed that!

Originally Love Unleashed was called Puppy Party Romance.

Oh, I think I remember seeing a post about that. We all know that names of these movies change quite regularly. Sometimes even more than once. So, Chris, I have heard really good things about you.

That’s nice to hear. Have you been talking to my mom?

{laughs} No, actually the last person I talked to about you was Tyler Hynes. He spoke very highly of you.

Yeah, he’s got a crush on me. {laughs} I’m kidding. We had one of those rare opportunities on The Mistletoe Secret where we got to have a pretty solid story between the two male co-stars.

Oh, yeah, it was totally a bromance.

Yeah, because we’re friends through the whole thing, but we have miscommunication.

I actually talked to the screenwriters of that movie. They told me how they loved writing for you and Tyler. Sure, they loved having Kelly Pickler in the movie as well, but writing that bromance was so much fun for them.

That’s great. I think it really worked in the end. We had never met before filming that movie, but we just hit it off right away. Generally, I don’t play the big, bombastic characters in these Hallmark movies, but in this one, I really went for it. He’s sort of the polar opposite of Tyler’s character. I think having the two of us playing off each other made it pretty funny.

I thought it worked perfectly. You know, when I saw the preview for the movie, I noticed how different Tyler’s character was from his typical character in these Hallmark movies. He’s not generally playing such a quiet character.

Yeah, he was kind of like the yin to my yang.

So Chris, how did you get started in this acting profession? Was it something you always wanted to do?

Photo by Waldy Martens

Yeah, it sort of came to fruition whilst I was playing the role of the donkey in my preschool nativity play when I was three years old. {laughs} I’m not even kidding! From that moment on, I wanted to be an actor. I didn’t even really understand what it was at that time, but I knew I liked performing as different characters, whether it was a donkey or a lion. {laughs} Eventually, I played a lion in kindergarten. And it sort of went from there. I joined theater camps as I was growing up. In some of those, we would write our own plays and put them on. One of them was about this candy planet, and I was the candy alien. So there were some really interesting roles from the get-go, {laughs} I would have to say.

I really enjoyed it. And then in high school, I understood that drama club was not for the cool kids. But I didn’t care about my place on the social ladder, and I joined the drama club. I was a big part of that in high school. There’s this Tom Stoppard play called The Real Inspector Hound. There’s a character in there called Magnus Muldoon. He’s an old man in a wheelchair, and I played that character. At the end of the play…if you haven’t seen it, I’m gonna spoil it for you right now. He stands up and rips off his beard to reveal the fact that he’s not an old man in a wheelchair, but he is the real inspector and he’s been undercover the entire time. I was really into it, and I truly enjoyed it. I wanted to make a career out of it, but I didn’t know how to go about it. So I just kept doing a lot of high school plays.

At the end of high school, a friend of mine got a background agent. He said to me, “Hey, why don’t you come with me? I’m gonna be in the background for this show tomorrow.” I asked him why I would come with him. He said, “Just try it. Just come see what happens.” So I showed up to this set, and I had no idea what was going on. They told me to sign my name when I got there, so I did. I kind of hid in the background of the background. They used me, and it was one of the best days ever. I couldn’t believe it! I was like, “Oh my goodness, look at all this food!” Everyone seemed happy to be there, and I was like, “Look at these actors! They’ve got these special warm coats that people take on and off. This looks like the life!” {laughs} I had never experienced being behind-the-scenes, and I was fortunate enough to sneak into a union production on my very first background experience. I got to see the perks for myself, but please understand it was not the perks that made me want to do this. I had wanted to do this all of my life. It was so exciting and so fun. Then I got my own background agent. I did it maybe two more times and felt that maybe I could go on to do a little bit more. So I got a principal agent, and my first audition with them, I booked the role. It was just a one-line role in a Canadian TV show. But from there, I knew that this was going somewhere. But then I didn’t work again for a year. {laughs}

Dirk Gently

Now, I know it sounds like my career started off kind of slow, but that’s the way it goes sometimes in this business. I got another role in the show Kevin Hill, which was a short-lived Taye Diggs show. And at the same time, I got a role on Land of the Dead with George Romero who created Night Of the Living Dead. So it was just getting these small roles at the beginning, but being able to be a part of something like that was really exciting for me. I kept at it, and here we are.

You just made my task so much easier, Chris. You answered a bunch of questions for me in that story.

Hopefully, I didn’t ramble too much.

No, you were fine. I found the progression of your career very interesting. It looks like Supernatural was one of the roles you’re most known for.

Supernatural

Yes, only because that show has such a massive cult following. The fans are so devoted to the show. I’m actually shocked that I’m so well-remembered in that show because I’m literally in two scenes of one episode. I mean, they’re long scenes. I play a character who is a sixty-five-year-old man who plays poker with a demon. Instead of playing for money, they are playing for years of their lives. If you lose, you get older, and when you win, you get younger. So I win, and then I look like a twenty-six-year-old. That would probably be the first stand-out role of mine. I’ve still got people who recognize me from that role. That show is just wrapping up its fifteenth and final season.

Star Trek Discovery

I have not seen that particular episode you mentioned, but I’ve seen a few episodes here and there from various seasons. It is quite a show, and I can’t believe it won’t be continuing after this season. It is one of those shows that basically almost everybody in Vancouver who’s an actor has either been on the show or wanted to be on the show at least once, if not more than that. Their fan base is incredible.

I agree. It has been quite a show that has done so much for the Vancouver acting community.

I know that most of the time when you appear in Hallmark films, you don’t play the lead. But sometimes you’ve gotten the girl. And you’ve been the lead at least once. Your first Hallmark movie would have been…

Catch A Christmas Star.

Yes, you beat me to it! I just watched that again recently because the script was written by the same screenwriters who wrote The Mistletoe Secret.

There you go! I just keep showing up as the annoying guy in their scripts! {laughs} Catch A Christmas Star was a long time ago. Interesting side note about that. That was my very first Hallmark, and I booked it about three weeks before I actually went to shoot it. The day before I had to start shooting, my daughter was born seven weeks early unexpectedly. So I shot that on zero sleep and having to go back and forth between the hospital because we were visiting my parents when my wife went into labor. Our daughter was not born at our primary hospital. We had to go to the one that was closest and that could deal with premature births. So that movie sticks out to me quite a bit.

Oh my goodness, I can imagine! Wow!

She’s doing great now. It’s all good stuff. But making that movie was fun. I got to work with that director again on Merry Matrimony, John Bradshaw. And that was one where I DID get the girl! Steve Byers was the lead of Catch A Christmas Star. He’s actually a friend of mine. We have the same agent team.

I know Steve. He’s quite a fun person to interview. That is, when he’s not too busy. He has a great sense of humor too.

Yes, he does have quite an amusing sense of humor. He usually plays the straight man, the serious guy.

So true! Some don’t realize he actually can be pretty funny. Now before doing your first Hallmark movie, were you aware of Hallmark as a network?

On Catch A Christmas Star? No, not so much. I knew a little about Hallmark and that they did Christmas movies and maybe even some easygoing rom-coms. So I’d heard of Hallmark movies, but I really didn’t know what they were. But I really got a taste for the impact these films can have and how many people watch them when I did Midnight Masquerade. That was my second Hallmark movie. It was with Autumn Reeser, and it’s one where I did play the lead. I still have people to this day telling me that is their favorite Hallmark movie. I know it’s like a Halloween one, and I did it back in 2014. And even all these years later, people are still watching it. Until that movie, I didn’t realize the reach that Hallmark has. They have fans all over the world, and it’s just amazing!

I understand. I used to think Hallmark was for older people, and I had no idea the devoted fan base they have. And now, I’m totally in with the fans and I get all kinds of support from the network and the fans as well. I also notice you were on Good Witch.

Yeah, I forgot about that! {laughs} Again, I played the other guy. The other, other guy. I think I was one of three at that point.

You’ve done so much, I can understand you might forget about one once in a while.

It can be hard to remember being a guest star on a show because you’re not there as much or as long. But with the movies, it’s different. You’re thrown in with everyone for the entire shoot and you quickly become a close-knit family, and then all of a sudden, it’s over.

A Puppy For Christmas

I noticed the Good Witch you were in was the movie where Teryl Rothery and Rebecca Marshall were both in it.

Yeah, it was originally supposed to be two episodes, but they decided to merge it into one.

Yes, because they used it as a movie to kick off that particular season. Recently, I talked with another one of your co-stars, Cindy Busby, and we discussed A Puppy For Christmas. She said that many people have made that movie a holiday tradition to watch. Even though it didn’t air originally on Hallmark, Hallmark’s streaming service, Hallmark Movies Now, did pick it up. So a lot of people are discovering it that may not have seen it before. You’ve got Christmas, Cindy, a dog…

And you have me playing the other guy.

{laughs} Yes, I was about to say that! And you weren’t a very nice “other guy” in that one. Unfortunately.

Nooooo!

I think the first time I watched it, I saw your character and was like, “Okay, this guy needs to go!”

Well, it sounds like I got my job done then.

You’ve done a lot of Hallmark, but you’ve also done other things that are not Hallmark. You’re in the season of UnREAL that I still have yet to see.

UnREAL

That season, Brennan {Elliott} and I spent a lot of time together because of the way that show works. Because it takes place at the mansion all of the time, even if my character was not the primary focus of the scene, typically speaking, my character was still there in the background somewhere. We pretty much worked every day of every episode. We would all come in together. They would pick up all the men together in this big van, and they would pick up the women at different times because…not trying to sound like I’m discriminating or anything, but men’s hair doesn’t take as long as women’s hair does for a show like that. Men’s hair is usually shorter and easier. So the guys would all come in at the same time. The women usually took longer because of the time it would take to get their hair exactly the way it needed to be.

UnREAL

So I spent a lot of time with Brennan on the way to set. He’s a funny guy, I mean, he’s a really funny guy. Then it was really nice to get the opportunity to work with him again on All Summer Long in a different capacity. On UnREAL, my character was a nice guy whereas Brennan’s character was the host, and his character was kind of nasty. So it was nice to get to work with him again where he played a nice, genuine, caring character.

And your character in All Summer Long–even though you didn’t get the girl–your character wasn’t nasty or mean. Your character was still nice. Although we knew Autumn Reeser was going to end up with Brennan, you were nice enough that we wouldn’t have minded you being with her. But you were also understanding when you realized you two weren’t supposed to be together. I like that they wrote your character as not obnoxious or horrible. He was a likable guy.

Yeah, they did that a little bit with The Mistletoe Secret too. Yes, he was obnoxious and all that, but in a fun way. And in the end, he realizes what’s going on, and he’s happy for his friend.

Yes, in fact, when I was watching, at first I was thinking, “Oh, this guy isn’t very nice.” But then you see how he’s really happy for his friend. He’s willing to bow out so that his friend can get the girl. I mean, after he doubled the bid on the ornament, you felt like throwing something at him. But thankfully, you redeemed yourself.

That’s the point. You’ve got to have a bit of an arc. You have to have somewhere to start and somewhere to finish that’s not the same. I do want to say that one of the pleasures of working on The Mistletoe Secret was the director, Terry Ingram, and Tyler Hynes and having the opportunity to ad-lib a lot. Mainly Tyler and I, but Patrick Duffy did it too. I didn’t have as many scenes with Patrick. But when me and Tyler were together, it was sort of a given that there would be one take where we did some stuff that was unscripted to see what would happen, and I think a lot of that ended up in the movie. Not that we necessarily changed the lines or anything like that, but some of the blocking and some of the looks that we were giving each other were added by us to sort of spice it up a bit.

When the movie premiered, a lot of the fans were asking which parts were scripted and which parts were improvised, and Tyler wouldn’t say which ones were ad-libbed and which ones weren’t. Now, I did like seeing you in Love Unleashed last year with Jen Lilley. In fact, to be honest, that was probably when I ultimately made the connection about who you were and how many times I’d seen you in these Hallmark movies. I really thought you and Jen were great together. And another dog…you’ve made a lot of dog movies, haven’t you?

I know, it just seems to happen. They seem to like putting me with the puppies. {laughs}

And Jen was pregnant when you made Love Unleashed, isn’t that right?

Yes, she was.

Did that make things difficult to shoot around?

You know, that’s something you’d have to ask the director. I think they figured it out and knew what they were doing with it. There were no stunts or anything, so we didn’t have to worry about that. It was pretty easygoing. I mean, if we had been doing Terminator 3 or something like that, that could have been a bit of an issue. {laughs}

{laughs} I really don’t think I could see Jen doing Terminator 3 even if she wasn’t pregnant. I don’t think that would be quite her style of movie. I mean, not that she couldn’t do it if she wanted to, but I don’t think it would be her first choice. It was nice to see you in a leading role. I know sometimes you get the lead roles and sometimes you don’t.

Christmas Unleashed

Yeah, I like to mix it up and keep the audience guessing. With Christmas Unleashed, I played the lead role alongside Vanessa Lachey. That Lifetime movie premiered December 7th, so I hope lots of people got to see it. Working with Vanessa was so great. She is a lovely person, and I watched her go out of her way to talk to the fans in the midst of shooting the movie. In fact, she even got food and coffee trucks for the whole crew as a nice gesture of thanking them and caring about them. And really, she cared so deeply about making the best possible movie and made sure that everyone involved had a great time while shooting it.

I do have another movie that I did last year. I don’t know exactly when it’s coming out, but towards the end of last year, I worked with Emilie Ullerup on a movie that’s called Love In Glamping or maybe they changed it to Glamping In Love. I’m not sure what it will ultimately be called.

Oh, yeah, I remember her sharing something about that movie on social media. We’ll see if the name changes or not. But she got pregnant last year too, and just recently had her baby.

Yeah, but hey! I promise it’s nothing to do with me! {laughs}

Christmas Unleashed

{laughs} Oh, I know! It just seems that lately Hallmark has a lot of their leading ladies who have gotten pregnant. She and her Chesapeake Shores fellow “sisters” all got pregnant last year. Jen was also pregnant last year. Jill Wagner is now pregnant. Andrea Brooks from When Calls the Heart was pregnant last year as well. Italia Ricci was pregnant last year as well. Lacey Chabert was pregnant a few years back. But sometimes those situations seem to happen. The year I was on staff at school and was pregnant with my daughter, there were ten of us who got pregnant that year.

Wow!

Yeah, interesting how those kinds of things happen. But anyway, Chris, I think we’ve covered all your work. We’ll definitely look out for this upcoming movie that appears to be a Hallmark movie. When do you think it might air?

I’m thinking maybe in the spring, but that’s just a guess on my part.

Okay, Chris sounds good. Until then, we can go back and watch all your Hallmark movies and we can probably even find your most recent Lifetime Christmas movie streaming somewhere. But thank you so much for your time. I look forward to seeing you in many more things this year.

Thank you, Ruth, for the chat. And thanks to the fans too for all their support. Hallmark fans are definitely some of the best fans out there, and I look forward to making more movies for the fans this year.

Chris and family

Chris is one of those individuals who once you start chatting with him, you feel as though you have known him your whole life. Generally, I am the one who is attempting to put my interviewees at ease, but with Chris, he made my task so very simple that I couldn’t be more satisfied. While he has a delectable sense of humor and a penchant for storytelling, the best things about him are that he is humble, kind, personable, and genuinely interested in the people with whom he comes in contact. His authenticity and love for the art of acting are two things that I noticed the moment I began chatting with him, and I can hardly wait for the next occasion when we get to go even more in-depth as we discuss his work in the fascinating realm of movies and TV.

If you have not had the opportunity to view his works from the past few years, I would encourage you to look up some of his more well-known Hallmark movies and/or check your schedule for their next showtimes. Additionally, if you didn’t watch Christmas Unleashed, it is available on at least a couple different streaming platforms, and no doubt, Lifetime will reair it again this Christmas if not before (Christmas in July?). While you are preparing to have a virtual Christopher Russell movie fest, don’t forget to check out his links below and follow him on Instagram (where he strives to share fun, professional, and family photos from time-to-time) so that you have the opportunity to interact with him and demonstrate your massive support for him and his career. While we have no idea what movies or shows may come his way in 2020 and beyond, I believe it’s safe to assert that Chris is a favorite Hallmark supporting and leading man who continues to prove his mettle and merit through a diverse aggregate of characters that captivate and delight us while making us fall in love with the vulnerabilities and strengths of the human spirit. I am glad I was blessed enough to become acquainted with Chris in the way that I have, and I hope that everyone will join me in supporting this consummate artist whose devotion to his family and passion for his career continue to propel him on a journey that he has invited his fans and viewers to explore and relish right along with him.

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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.

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12 Comments

Mary Ann December 13, 2020 Reply

Great interview. While I didn’t know his name in the earlier movies, I always noticed he was usually the boyfriend that would get dumped. I remember thinking it’s because he’s too perfect looking lol. Was so excited to see him as the hero (I remember it as the one with Jessica Lowndes). He’s gotten more handsome with a few age lines, less perfect. Wish him the best in his career and family life!!! I’m a diehard Hallmark fan…h
Vicki April 22, 2020 Reply

Great interview! It took me a while to make that connection between all his roles. Nature of Love was when it clicked! Definitely a fan and look forward to more, hopefully leading, roles from him!
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  Ruth April 23, 2020 Reply
  
  Oh Vicki, don’t you love when that happens? You’ve been seeing this person on TV, and you don’t even realize that you’ve seen them in so many things. And then suddenly, poof! You know who the person is! Yes, I’m looking forward to seeing lots more from him too!
Peter Graham February 12, 2020 Reply

Nice one Ruth. Working with him now on a new film, starring Chris and Cindy Busby. He’s a lot of fun! ( Cindy is too : ) )
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  Ruth February 13, 2020 Reply
  
  Oh yeah I heard about that movie Peter! Looking forward to it as always!
denise February 6, 2020 Reply

Enjoyed the interview. Have watched his movies for a while now.
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  Ruth February 6, 2020 Reply
  
  I’m so glad Denise! Thank you for all your support.
Susan Scott February 2, 2020 Reply

Great interview. Thanks Ruth!