Thanks to the Hallmark Network, I have the honor of connecting with exceptional people like Jason Cermak on a somewhat consistent basis. Hearties have always loved him, and Sleuthers enjoyed seeing him in the popular Fixer Upper Mysteries series with Jewel and Colin Ferguson. Making his début on the Countdown to Christmas line-up (apart from a When Calls the Heart movie that premiered after Christmas a few years back), Jason will be a prominent part of A Midnight Kiss, the official end to the movie premieres this season. I certainly have missed seeing him regularly on my TV screen this year, and it was such a treat to chat with him recently about what has occupied his career in 2018 and what his aspirations are going into 2019.
Photo by Jana Benoit © 2018
RH: Jason, I am so glad we both were able to find time to chat! It’s been quite a while since we last chatted.
JC: Ruth, it’s always great to chat with you too. It’s been rather busy lately.
I know you finished filming A Midnight Kiss not too long ago, and we get the premiere on Saturday. I actually met someone who was filming with you. Pauline Egan.
Oh, yeah, I hadn’t really worked with Pauline before. The leads on that film are Carlos PenaVega and Adelaide Kane.
Right. And this is the final of the Countdown to Christmas movie premieres for the season.
That’s great. I had wanted to do a Hallmark Christmas movie because I’d never been in one. I almost was in a different Christmas film this season, Coming Home For Christmas, directed by David Winning, but I booked Supergirl at around the same time. And due to scheduling issues, that one just wouldn’t work out. I was so bummed; I figured I wouldn’t be booking a Christmas film. But then about a week later, A Midnight Kiss came along, and I know it’s technically not a Christmas one, but it kinda is. So I was really glad this one worked out.
Well, I was glad this one didn’t go through any more name changes. Pauline was telling me there was the possibility of the name getting changed, and I was glad they stuck with this title. I really get tired of all the name changes because I keep an eye out for the original name, and sometimes the names change two or three times. I have missed movies I really wanted to see because of these title changes.
You know, that happened with A Sister’s Obsession. That was a film I was in that came out earlier this year. They changed it to Killer Twin, and I wasn’t even aware of the title change until someone mentioned it to me.
That’s one that is thankfully sitting on my DVR now, so I’ll be glad to watch it when I get some time. But since we’re focusing on A Midnight Kiss, what exactly is your role in that film?
A Midnight Kiss with Jessica Steen and Adelaide Kane
I play Adelaide’s brother. Jessica Steen plays my mother. She’s from Heartland. I was a fan of hers from way back when she was on Captain Powers. Cameron Bancroft is in this one too. He plays my father. In the story, the Christmas season is just finishing off, and our parents are retiring. Adelaide and I have taken over the business. So right after Christmas, a web entrepreneur, played by Pauline, comes to us and asks us to plan a last-minute party. She says she’ll play us double. It’s pretty much an impossible party plan, but we take it on anyway. We’re going to prove that we can do it. Well, my character injures himself, and so we have to call on my buddy, played by Carlos, to come in and help us out. He’s visiting for the holidays. And that’s the story in a nutshell.
A Midnight Kiss With Chad Riley
Sounds like a great way to end the holiday season. I know that Hallmark’s New Year’s movie last year broke all sorts of records, so here’s hoping this one will too. So who’s the director on this?
J.B. Sugar. He is originally from Vancouver. I think this is his first Hallmark movie.
That’s cool. I know that you were in another Hallmark movie earlier this year. Love At First Dance. Your character wasn’t very nice in that one, but you played your role well.
With Cecelia Deacon
Love At First Dance
Oh yeah, I haven’t even gotten to see that one myself yet. But that’s good to know. Thanks. It was a pretty fun and straightforward role. And I got to do a lot of scenes with Cecilia Deacon’s character. She was the bride-to-be. It was funny when we were filming because in one scene, she mistakenly calls Niall Matter‘s character “Gavin,” which is my character’s name. And we just couldn’t stop laughing. And in reality, it’s clear that her character is really falling for mine anyway. So that was pretty hilarious. I don’t think originally that she and I were going to be a match in the movie, but they decided to change it up a bit. Which was nice. And I’ve heard rumors of possibly another one of those films as well.
Yeah, that movie did really well. People really liked it, and honestly, it was very well done. And Niall is a huge favorite amongst the Hallmark fans.
Niall is a good guy, and sometimes we both end up going out for the same role. That happened recently. So I see him around now and then. And when we see each other at auditions, we tend to tease each other and say, “Break a leg, jerk!” {laughs}Of course, it’s all in good fun.
Photo: Jason Cermak Credit: Copyright 2016 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ryan Plummer
But speaking of Love At First Dance, the director, Mark Jean…we were slated to do the fourth mystery film with Jewel. You know, the Fixer Upper series. Unfortunately, due to some personal reasons, Jewel was unable to continue that series. And I just happened to get my 01 Visa due to a Netflix series that was shooting in LA. So although we had to say goodbye to this series with Jewel, Mark was also directing Love At First Dance, and so I was able to join the cast of that movie.
Now, you mentioned A Sister’s Obsession that changed its name to Killer Twin.
Yes, I was a part of that one, and it did very well for Lifetime. In fact, the writer for that is supposed to be doing a sequel for that movie. So we’ll see how that one pans out.
So is there anything else upcoming you can mention?
I was just in Supergirl last month. So people can look me up in season four, episode seven.
I also did do a movie earlier this year in Kentucky called The Danger of Positive Thinking. I’m not sure what network is going to carry that. It might be Lifetime. It was with Nicky Whelan and Jesse Hutch.
The Danger of Positive Thinking
Oh, yeah, I remember when you guys were filming that!
It was really something. I got around to seeing who else was in the cast, and I was like, “Jesse, you’re from Vancouver! What are you doing here?” And he was like, “Yeah, same with you!”
Well, we’ll keep our eyes open for that one. Are you thinking of going down to LA for pilot season?
I’ll be down there for that and probably before that as well. It’s busy in Vancouver right now, so it’s tough to leave when it’s busy. But my plan is to go down to LA at least for some time.
That all sounds good, Jason. And I am very glad that Hallmark is still using you in their movies. Here’s to many more into the new year.
Thank you, Ruth, and to the Hearties and Hallmark fans for all your support. Here’s hoping I will have more to announce soon. But I hope everyone tunes into A Midnight Kiss on December 29th!
It always gratifies me to no end to witness the success that people like Jason are continuing to experience within the film/TV industry. As we all know, life has its ebbs and flows, and Jason’s career has definitely had its ups and downs in the time that I have known him. However, the thing for which I admire him the most is the fact that he remains steadfast in his pursuit of his dreams and goals no matter what obstacles may come his way. As a fan, it can be difficult to perch oneself on the sidelines and observe what appear to be perfect opportunities pass him by for no apparent reason. But as we all know, no matter what prospects don’t culminate, there is always something better on the horizon of which we may not even be aware. Jason has consistently kept his nose to the grindstone, so to speak, and I have a sense that 2019 is going to be his best year ever. His work ethic, humility, and positive outlook continue to carry him through the times of uncertainty and disappointments, and he always emerges as stronger on the other side.
I hope that everyone tunes into the Hallmark Channel (in the USA) or the W Network (Canada) for the December 29th premiere of A Midnight Kiss. Additionally, I invite my readers to visit all of Jason’s links below and consider following him where applicable. Jason has played practically every kind of role imaginable from the more sinister roles to the other guy to the romantic leads and practically everything in between, and whenever I see him on my TV screen, it is a moment to rejoice. His ruggedly handsome features combined with his acting prowess and kind, generous nature make him the ideal “Hallmark” man, and I hope to see more from this incredible young man in 2019 and beyond. I greatly anticipate what the future holds for Jason, and it is such an honor that he has continued to interact with the fans over the years, and I am eternally blessed that we have been mutually supportive of each other for all this time. We fans breathlessly await his next leading role in a Hallmark (or another network) movie, so fingers crossed that something truly special comes his way quite soon!
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