Several years ago, I connected with a young man whose acting on Hallmark’s Cedar Cove greatly impressed me. As I continued to follow his career, I had the opportunity to review his work and even to meet him in person a few years back. It had been some time since I had interviewed Jesse Hutch, but in light of his new and amazing Lifetime Christmas movie, A Very Vintage Christmas, we recently had some time to catch up. Even though his movie premiered the week of Thanksgiving, it is still available to watch, and it is my honor to share our recent chat with all my readers today. 

RH: Jesse, it’s been so long since we last chatted. Thanks for being willing to do this.

JH: Ruth, it’s my pleasure, and yes, it has been a while.

I’ve been trying to keep up with you and your family over the past few years. I think you all are staying pretty busy. 

Jesse and his family

It has been a busy time. Our kids recently made the move to traditional school. My wife had been homeschooling them, but a lot of change was happening, so we made the decision to make this transition. It’s been really good on all fronts. We were glad that we took a little extra time to develop them and find out who they are themselves, even as young kids. We also wanted to find a school where we could meet the teachers and get a sense of who they are and what the school stands for. That can be quite difficult nowadays. But we found a good school where they really love the kids and they take the time to meet the needs of all the kids. They have extra people come in and help each class, so if anyone needs extra help, they’re on it.

I’m so glad to hear that, Jesse. It seemed like a positive decision for your kids and family. It can a very controversial topic, even amongst church people. I know I’ve had some heated discussions regarding public school, private school, and homeschooling in our home Bible studies at times. 

Jesse and his wife

Those kinds of discussions can certainly come up. Our kids are in a faith-based school, and even then, we can have massive discussions. Even in the case of a holiday like Halloween. There are many people who call themselves believers, and then they freak out about Halloween. But those are the kinds of conversations I love. If people are willing to have that talk…sometimes, they’re not. And sometimes, those conversations can be even more fun, because it’s like, “Okay, you wanna go there!? Let’s go!”

Well, recently, you had a Christmas movie premiere on the Lifetime network. I know it had been a while since you’d done a Christmas movie. 

{laughs}Yeah, I guess it has. A little mix of opportunity has to meet the right circumstances. It’s always about what I audition for and what I don’t audition for. And even if I do audition, it doesn’t mean I end up getting that role. So it had been a while, but I do enjoy the Christmas movies and being a part of that. We’re in a business where we’re not always in control of who’s hiring for what. No lack of being close to things. It’s just the way it goes sometimes.

So back to this movie, some of the network producers high up on the food chain came to visit the set, and honestly, they were just wonderful people. So personable and down-to-earth. It’s always great when these people show up on set because honestly, that’s quite rare that people will come and visit sets, so I was quite surprised.

That’s just so good to hear, Jesse. I know with these movies, you have about fifteen days to shoot them. I know that I have nothing but respect for everyone who makes these films, and when one of these movies comes to screen, it is definitely a miracle that everything comes off as it does. 

With Tia Mowry

As you said, yes, a lot of these movies are go-go-go. It’s not for the faint of heart, to be honest with you. I have worked with other actors on these films, and you can see how the pressure gets to them. You have to work quick, and you don’t have the opportunity to do take after take. Quite literally, sometimes you only have one shot at the scene and then they do coverage. If you’re lucky, they’ll do two takes because they always want a safety. The director wants to get what they want from a scene, and you, as the actor, have a very small window to offer what you have to offer. And then you have the director of photography who would like to ideally have all their boxes checked. So let’s just say you’re only looking at those three components of the film. They all have to line up, and you only have a handful of takes. So you do have to hone your skills as an actor, which I love. It’s almost like a boot camp for actors. I think if you can do these movies and bring your A-game as fast as possible, it’s really great. So I really enjoy doing the challenge of doing these. The director will come up and give you a few points, and you know this is it. You make the changes, and then you move on. It’s not because people don’t want to do really great work. But they have to stay on schedule.

A Very Vintage Christmas

Exactly. And I know you’re one who likes to be challenged. I’ve known that about you for a while. Someone gives you a challenge, and you’re going to rise to the occasion. I appreciate that because I am the same way. But I know there are those who don’t want to be challenged, but I always see you rise the occasion, Jesse.

Thank you. I know with me that I’ve always been someone who, when the pressure rises, my focus becomes more clear. When there’s less pressure, my focus opens up and I become a little more relaxed. Sometimes, I don’t know where to go. So when it’s crunch time and we’re losing sunlight and we need to get this shot and it’s the end of the film…it’s the last scene everyone’s gonna see and the snow machine broke down and we need to do this right now…and the underscore of everyone is, “Don’t screw this up.” I love it!  {laughs}

Speaking of your newest movie, A Very Vintage Christmas, I know you got to work with another rather well-known actress who played your mother. 

with Patricia Richardson

Yes, Patricia Richardson. Most people probably know her as the mom or wife from Home Improvement. So it was pretty cool to get to work with her since I grew up watching that show. I’m not gonna lie. I kinda geeked out a little bit. And I told her that, and she thought that was pretty cool and funny. It was really difficult because I had one scene where I was literally up on a ladder fixing something. She walks into the scene, and I so wanted to turn around and go, “Ah, hah, hah, hah, hah,” like Tim Allen would have done in Home Improvement. {laughs} But I didn’t. But I wanted to! She was honestly really wonderful to work with. She was always willing to discuss the scene and always willing to jump right into it. She could go from just talking and jump right into this highly emotional scene in a second. She was great on and off the screen. She was the voice of reason, and we had some really good conversations in between setups. She has a really great heart for people and her kids.

With Tia and Patricia

And then working with Tia {Mowry} was awesome. And like most Christmas movies, filming A Very Vintage Christmas, it was the middle of the summer. {laughs} It’s supposed to be cold. We’re all decked out in winter jackets and layers, beanies and scarves, and she was such a trouper. She was awesome.

While I don’t know Tia, I have been impressed with what I’ve seen of her. And others who have worked with her have said nothing but great things about her. She is not concerned about what everyone else has to say about her. She knows who she is, and if somebody doesn’t like that, that’s their problem. At least. that’s the feeling I get from her. 

Yeah, we really connected on family, children, diet. We had some really great discussions as well. And it’s a very short time you get to spend with these people. Funny enough, there’s a few intricate connections. I worked on a series for NBC way, way back in the day called American Dreams. I worked with Arlen Escarpeta. Arlen is good friends with her husband because they worked on a series called The Oath. So all those little connections are always so interesting. We may not know each other, but we know other people who know those people we’re working with. And then I just worked on Project Blue Book, and Michael Malarkey has also worked with Tia’s husband and Arlen Escarpeta. So that was really cool.

It’s so good to hear that these people you watch on TV and hope are good people really are just as wonderful if not better than what you thought they were. You could be crushed if you found out your “heroes” are not nice people in real life. 

With Director Paul Kaufman

Yeah, a lot of genuine people on this movie. And the director, Paul Kaufman,  as well was very focused on his direction. He’s quite funny. He has a dry sense of humor. So that would come out a lot. And there were always jokes flying at me, but I could always throw the jokes back. So we had this banter always going whether the camera was rolling or not. And he let me ad-lib. I probably got to ad-lib in the project a lot more than any other project that I’ve ever done. I was already very inspired by the script that was already in place. I would just be inspired in the moment to try something. I know it’s always a risk as an actor if you try something because you don’t know if it’s okay. With some projects, they’re like, “No, you missed the word ‘the’ right here, and I think you need to put that exactly where it was.” But I would try stuff, and he’d just move on with no comment about saying I needed to follow the script. So that would make me think that maybe I could try something else and see how it goes. And the next time, he wouldn’t say anything, and we’d move on. We kept doing that. And finally, he came up to me and stared at me for a few beats without saying anything. I was thinking, “Okay.” Then he said, ” Hey, those ad-libs today.” And I was like, “Yeah?” He said, “Yeah, they were good. Keep doin’ them.” And I was like, “Yes!!” I’m not sure if all of them made the final cut. I didn’t have any say on that. But at least the director liked them.

That’s great news, Jesse. I know I had the chance to watch this one, and the quality far exceeded my expectations. It’s important to me to watch as many as I can–not just Hallmark. I have so many friends in these productions all across the networks. And for the most part, I find that even if the movie wasn’t my favorite, there’s often something positive about the movie. But in your case, I truly enjoyed it. 

I’m so glad, Ruth. Yeah, Lifetime did a really good job of making the movie and giving it a lot of press. I think Lifetime has really had fun with our movie. They talked about our movie in People magazine, US Weekly, and Elle. I’m always surprised when these kinds of things happen. I don’t know about it ahead of time, and there is a picture of me in connection with the movie! I never thought anything like that was coming. It might seem a bit strange, but like I always say, if you can’t laugh at yourself, you have to find someone else to do it. {laughs}

{laughs} Yes, that’s very true. Now, as to other things you’ve done since we last chatted–which has been a while, I know–I know you were in The 100 last season. 

Yeah, that just aired this summer.

That’s one of those shows that I have seen several episodes from various seasons. I love what I’ve seen of the show, but I just don’t have the time to keep up with it all. But I know it has a tremendous following. So what was your time on that show like for you?

I had a blast on The 100. The costume design was phenomenal. I could not believe how cool that was. They made me a mask, and it was all personally designed and made to fit me from top to bottom. The people who I worked with actually knew a lot of the stuff I’d done from earlier in my career. Dark Angel was one of my first jobs. One of the stunt performers is now the stunt coordinator for The 100, and he directed that episode. It was really full circle and really cool to be able to work with people I have seen come up in this business as well. And here we were sort of moving forward together. That was a really special moment for me.

Also, I’ve always done my own action and stunts. But the last four years, I’ve started physically training even harder than I normally would. I’ve been looking to be a more well-rounded performer. So I really enjoyed pouring myself into the stunt end of this business as well because that’s also an aspect of telling the story. So when it came to The 100, they needed someone who could act well, but also take a beating and be able to handle all the physical action. I was really glad it worked out because I had lots of fun. Running through the forest and yelling and screaming. Getting shot at, having a bit of a fight here or there.

I also recently booked a role on Supernatural. I got to hang out with those fellows.

That’s good, Jesse, because this is their final season.

Yes, which is also why I was like, “Yes, let’s get in there.” And now my episode will be airing next month. I wish I was allowed to say more about it, but all I can say is, tune in. It is scheduled to be episode ten airing on January 23rd. It’s a fun role, and there’s lots of action involved. It is kind of part of the main plot, and it’s just so exciting to go in and have some fun with everyone else.

That is yet another show that I’ve seen several episodes from various seasons. I think after the show ends, I need to just sit and binge watch it! It was a show I didn’t think I’d like when I first tried to watch it, but now I see what a great show it is. I think you’ve got a few other things coming up here and there as well, but let’s focus on Black & Blue a bit.

Yeah, you know, I’ve been enjoying where my career is going. I’m always interested in the long investment of this career, and I’m very much looking to step up and keep building. The development of my own project has always been on simmer, so to speak. And it looks like you’ve noticed Black & Blue. I’ve been developing that project for about four and a half years now. Recently, it came to the forefront. We’ve had some people show some interest, and we just decided that we would move forward and film a proof of concept. We recently finished filming that. It took four days, and we did it over two weekends. We had a crew of sixty plus people. Our service budget was incredible. People just kept coming on board and stepping up to the plate. We had an incredible amount of backing from the film community. We are in post-production for that now, and I’m really happy with how it’s looking. In this business, as an actor and a performer, you’re a product, constantly on the shelf, constantly going, “Hey, hey, look at me! Pick me!” Now Black & Blue is one of many projects that we have in development. And we have a bit of a mentality shift. So now my approach is, “Hey, would you like to join the team? If you do, welcome aboard. What hat do you want to wear, and what role do you want to play? Where do you want to go with your career? If not, maybe we’ll see you on the next one.”

I have been keeping close tabs on your project, Jesse, and I have been thrilled that it’s been taking off for you the way it has. I remember watching those episodes on YouTube from way back called Stakeout. I think I watched every single one of them. I thought you really had something then, and now to see this project taking off for you, this is great. I remember reading an article earlier this fall about your project, and I was like, “Wow, this is really happening for Jesse!” It’s wonderful to see you going ahead and doing it. Far too many people in the business talk about doing projects, but they don’t actually get around to doing it for a variety of reasons. I find what you’re doing very inspirational. You’re not just sitting there letting everything happen to you. You’re creating opportunities for yourself. 

Thank you for your kind words, Ruth. As you know, this business is up and down. I still have a lot of work to do. I basically felt like people needed to start to see something. They need to be a part of this. They need to witness this in order to know where they fit. I think this business is about people first and content second. Black & Blue could not have been created or brought to the point where it is now without the people. And we also need a reason for people to get together. Our approach has been asking people what they want to do with their career. Do you want to move forward in acting? Do you want to be a director, a photographer, a stunt coordinator? And based on what people said, that is the hat we tried to put on those people. And we’re working towards creating an atmosphere that would allow that person to grow and develop in that area.

Black & Blue

Black & Blue has become a lot more personal than I expected. It’s quite emotional at times to feel so blessed by people coming out and giving their time and talents to make this happen. We’ve been keeping a professional budget of what it should have cost for everyone involved and every aspect, and we’re sitting at around four hundred thousand dollars right now. I feel honored. And one of my goals, personally, is to direct more, and I’ve been working towards that for a long time. There have been people along the way who have said, “Maybe you should find someone else to direct because you’re also acting in it.” or “Maybe you should step down from this role because you’re not going to be able to do all that.” We’ve had a lot of people along the way who have been encouraging, and we’ve also had people along the way telling us it was going to be very hard. I can appreciate the reality of the situation.

However, we have been very inspired by the original “Rocky Balboa” story. And we’ve also been very inspired by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, who did Good Will Hunting. Even Deadpool with Ryan Reynolds. He tried for a long, long time to try to make it that film and finally just did something on his own. It has been intense and emotional. We are so thankful we’ve got everyone on board. And it is the one project we are the most excited about. I mean to be able to come up with what we want to do and then do it. And then to see others moving forward with they want to do in their careers and then see them be able to do it has been great.

Behind-the-scenes
Black & Blue

So now where we’re at, once we have this post-production done, we’ll have it edited and I’ve got a solid trailer and teaser. We’re going to start looking for producers. We’re going to start looking for those people who perhaps are a seasoned producer and they’re interested. Or perhaps, it’s that person who is right on the cusp of becoming the next known producer. They’re right there. They have the talent and the skills, and they are just ready to do this, but they need that project. And I believe that Black & Blue can be that project for somebody. I believe that Black & Blue cannot only be our dream, but it can be a dream for others as well. It’s exciting to be a part of something like this. I mean, it’s not paying any of my bills. If anything, it’s taking money away from paying my bills. It’s taking money away from feeding my kids. My wife is behind me a thousand percent. I believe this will go somewhere because I think it’s fun. I think it’s got heart, and I think it’s got action. The mix and blend of all of it…I think people are craving something right now that all ages and shapes and sizes can all sit down and watch together. They can connect to something, and I think they’ll walk away going, “Ah, that was fun!” or “It brought a smile to me or maybe almost a tear.” But it’s not super heavy or depressing, but it is grounded in reality. I mean, when our characters are under stress, they feel it. If someone gets shot in the arm, they might bleed. But it’s also not so graphic that you’re like, “Oh, nobody can watch this! It’s crazy!”

Jesse, I love the fact that you shared all that you did. You honestly spoke so eloquently from your heart that we are able to understand your vision for this project, and what you’re saying resonates with me on so many levels. The Vancouver film community and the Hallmark fans have been so supportive of me over the past few years, and it just blows my mind. They ask nothing in return. They just believe in what I’m doing, and they support me. And as far as getting emotional, I get that too. And the fact that you are doing something rather than just sitting around and talking about it…you’re putting the work in, Jesse, and I really love to see that! And now you’re beginning to see it come to life. 

Thanks for saying all that, Ruth. To quote one of my favorite movies, Dumb and Dumber, “We’re really doing it, Harry!”

So I understand you recently worked on season two of Project Blue Book. 

That is correct.

I was skeptical about that show, but I ended up watching the entire first season and truly enjoyed it. I am highly anticipating season two.

I can say honestly that Project Blue Book is one of the top five projects I’ve worked on in my twenty years so far. Everything about it was an incredible opportunity. First, it’s a period piece. I got to wear a cowboy hat. I got to ride a horse. I got to shoot a thirty thirty rifle. The writing allows for subtlety, which is something I crave so much as an actor, and it’s harder to find than you would think. I often find that with so many projects, I wanna go subtle, and they want me to go big and obvious and hit the nail on the head. Which, as an actor, you gotta do your job. In direction, you give and take until everyone is in agreement. But the on-set producer, Matty, he was fantastic and very inviting. No attitude at all. We literally one morning rewrote three scenes in a row with the director, the producer, with Aidan Gillen and Michael Malarkey and Spencer Grammer–she played my character’s wife. We all came together on set, and we all had different reasons why the scenes weren’t working for us. They knew that already, and they said, “All right, throw all your ideas on the table.” In fifteen minutes, we literally hashed out and rewrote the whole scene together. And another fifteen minutes, and they literally had the AD’s walk up and give us brand new, fresh scripts. They were like, “Here’s all the new lines.” And it had all the changes, and we were like, “Woh!” It was phenomenal. A lot of my scenes were with Aidan Gillen and Michael Malarkey.

Project Blue Book

Working with Aidan was honestly a pleasure. A lot of people know him from Game Of Thrones. I also felt it was a rare and really unique opportunity to work with actors, that even when I didn’t say anything…there were scenes with four or five of us in it. I would choose moments when I would glance at them or I would choose moments when I thought my character would look upon theirs for some form of approval or direction. And they would sense it and work with it. It was amazing. With Aidan, I had some really cool, quiet scenes, and it allowed for me to look another actor in the eyeballs, and he didn’t have a wall there. He would still stay in character and make all of his choices, but he wouldn’t put up this block and not allow me to affect him. And that was a very rare opportunity as well to work with an actor that was that seasoned. I really appreciated them. And outside of working on set, they were very kind individuals. I felt very welcome there.

Jessy Schram, Jesse Hutch Credit: Copyright 2015 Crown Media United States, LLC/Photographer: Bettina Strauss

I’m so glad you had that experience, Jesse. I’m excited for season two. And I just want to thank you for sharing so much as you have today about all your projects. It has been a joy for me to see the direction your career has been going the past couple of years. Of course, I’m still very connected with Hallmark, and we definitely miss you on that network. I know you haven’t closed the door to working with Hallmark or any other network, for that matter. But instead of being discouraged like some people get when they don’t get all the roles they may want with a certain network, you have gone on with your career and really built something fabulous that just keeps building. I know many of the Hallmark fans wonder when they might see you on the network again, but of course, those things are typically out of our hands and yours as well.

Well, I have plenty of Hallmark fans that daily and weekly will ask me, “When am I gonna see you on Hallmark?” As you know, I like honesty and integrity, and I think it’s important to respect people. So when it comes to Hallmark as a network, I very much appreciate everyone I’ve ever worked with there. I think also in this business that there can be many walls that may prevent you from working where you want to. I’m not saying these walls are negative or positive, but they do exist. Communication through walls can be difficult, and I would love to be able to remove any of those walls that have inadvertently come up and instead sit down and have a coffee with Hallmark and just say, “Hey, how is everybody doing?” But that’s not the nature of this business always. I love their projects. I love that there’s always a wholesome nature. They’re always doing their best to create films and television series that allow for all ages to walk in and watch, no matter where you are in the movie.

With Brian Bird

So absolutely the door is open. I’ve never closed anything off. But there have been many auditions that have come my way that from them that I have passed on. It’s usually the ones where they want to bring me in to play the lead’s best friend. Nothing against those roles, but for me, that doesn’t feel like a step towards the direction I should be heading. I want every one of my auditions to feel like something where I am moving towards growth and building opportunity. So if I’m going to go in for any project, whether it be Lifetime or Hallmark or Netflix or HBO, I would love for it to be something that I feel is moving me forward. So if I have a one-liner and it’s with Brad Pitt, then that’s pretty cool. That would actually be an amazing step. If I have a one-liner and it’s in for a TV movie, I’m not as interested because I believe there are also roles out there that are meant for people in different categories of their career who should be allowed the opportunity to grow. If you have all these actors who have been doing it for twenty, thirty, forty years and they’re going in for the one-liners, where does that leave the younger people just starting out who are also going for the one-liners? It’s not about pride. It’s about really having a good outside perspective of where you’re at.

So I would love to be another male lead in one of Hallmark’s projects somewhere along the way. There are a couple I have read for that I thought would be cool, but of course, they just didn’t go my way. But that’s just the nature of the business.

Wow, Jesse, I really like your perspective. I haven’t heard it put in those terms before, and I feel like I’ve really learned something from chatting with you today. Thank you for being so open and sharing so much. Hopefully, everyone will check out your recent and upcoming projects, and we can still hope that one day we’ll see you on a Hallmark screen again.

My pleasure, as always, Ruth. Thank you for reaching out and for your support. I really appreciate all of my fans, and I hope that everyone checks out A Very Vintage Christmas and maybe gives Project Blue Book a try next year as well. And I really look forward to the next step of Black & Blue becoming a reality!

Jesse and his wife

I cannot thank Jesse enough for his authenticity, his integrity, and his willingness to share his unique perspective. While many fans long for the day when he finally comes back to Hallmark, as he explained, there are so many reasons beyond his on anyone else’s control why that has not happened in recent times. While we miss him on that particular network, I am grateful to know that he has been able to go on and pursue other areas in his career. I am appreciative to Hallmark for introducing me to such a generous, gregarious, sagacious artist such as Jesse, and his support of so many in the film community in addition to his kindness towards me over the years has certainly caused my admiration and respect for him to only increase. While Jesse essentially does “march to the beat of his own drummer,” he perpetually lets God guide him in every decision he makes, and he is never satisfied with the status quo nor resting on his laurels. His wife and kids are always paramount in his heart and mind, and they are an example of a family who are genuinely attempting to follow God in their daily lives and flesh out their faith. 

If you have not had the opportunity to watch A Very Vintage Christmas, as I told Bill Abbott last week when I met him in New York, this is the only Lifetime film this year that I believe is on the level of a Hallmark Christmas movie, and I would invite you to check it out if you are so inclined. Of course, many of the networks play his movies from years past: Becoming Santa, Let It Snow, Snowmance, and his Fall Harvest film, Harvest Moon. In addition to this, be sure that you check out his links below and consider following him on social media (I promise you, his posts will NEVER bore you!). No matter the trajectory of his career, Jesse will always be one that I support indiscriminately (though I pray for the day when he has the opportunity to come back to Hallmark). I adore the fact that he is a man of honor, faith, and conviction, and he is one who is the epitome of living a life that is the very essence of Romans 1:16. (“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.”)

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