During the month of January, the Hallmark Channel (along with the W Network up in Canada) air movies (both premieres and repeat showings) that are a part of the Winterfest celebration. It’s the perfect way to bridge the gap between Christmas and Valentine’s Day. This year, Hallmark mounted a sequel to the very popular 2018 film, One Winter Weekend, starring Taylor Cole, Jack Turner, Rukiya Bernard, and Dewshane Williams. This movie, One Winter Proposal, became an instant fan favorite for so many reasons. While I watched with great anticipation along with all the other fans, I was pleasantly surprised with the addition of Kayla Hutton in the role of Nikki, Sean’s (played by Dewshane) niece. Upon further investigation, I discovered this was her first movie ever, and it was such a joy and honor to recently speak with her about her journey within the entertainment industry thus far.
RH: Kayla, it’s so nice to chat with you today.
KH: Thank you for reaching out, Ruth.
You’re in Toronto, right?
Yes, that’s where I’m from and where I live.
It was so great getting to see you in One Winter Proposal earlier this year.
Thank you. It was a lot of fun working on that film.
Are you high school age?
Yes, I am in grade twelve, my last year.
That’s what I thought! I interview a lot of kids who work with Hallmark especially. I’m sure it’s not the usual thing for someone to reach out and ask you for an interview.
Yeah, it’s my first interview ever.
That’s so cool, Kayla! I interviewed Dewshane earlier this year. Also Rukia and Jack. I’m still waiting to make connections with Taylor because she’s so busy. But how exciting to see you added to the cast! Was this your first movie?
Yes, it was my first movie ever.
Have you been trying to be an actor for a while now?
Yeah, I decided I wanted to start acting when I was thirteen. I started going to an acting school around that time.
So have you mainly been doing theater?
No, I’ve been doing commercials and just other things like that.
Before you got to audition for One Winter Proposal, how familiar were you with Hallmark?
I was always watching Hallmark movies on the W Network, and so I was pretty familiar with them.
Was this just a regular audition?
Well, of course, since I live in Toronto, I’m pretty used to there being a major casting process where you audition. You audition, you’re called back, you’re placed on hold, and you might even do more callbacks. But with this movie, I was told pretty fast that I got this role.
Since they didn’t film in Toronto, how did transportation work for you?
They flew me to Calgary, Alberta for the filming.
Had you seen the first film in this Hallmark series, One Winter Weekend?
Before filming One Winter Proposal, I watched part of the first one. I was glad I got to get a little backstory on their characters. It was very good for me to know about Dewshane’s character’s history. I try to make sure I keep up with stuff like that, and it helped me to understand how my character fit in.
How many days were you on set filming?
It went really fast, but the best I can remember it was right around eight days.
That’s great! You got to be there for a lot of the filming.
Yeah, it was great! I had some downtime while I was on set which gave me time to hang out with everyone. I really liked that. It was a short time, but it was a lot of fun.
Were you familiar with the work of any of the actors in the movie before filming or maybe even fans of theirs?
When I booked the role, I think I knew who some of the actors were, and when I got to set, some of them looked familiar. So I knew I’d seen them on TV before. But really, I didn’t know too much about the actors themselves, but I definitely know them now. And I so enjoyed getting to work with them. I am a fan of all four of them now.
I can only imagine that you had a fun time on set.
Yeah! {laughs}
Most of your scenes were with Rukiya and Dewshane.
Yeah, I had so much fun with all of them! While they are adults, they still knew how to have fun. I think I really bonded with Rukiya, and of course, Dewshane was just so much fun. We all had such a blast together.
That’s so good to hear, Kayla. I thought it was great for a young person to pop up in the film. And I thought your character was loads of fun. She was a good matchmaker.
My character was just so bubbly and fun to play. She just wants to see her uncle get engaged to the right woman.
I know the movie was a big hit. For Winterfest movies, it was one of the top ones ever. And we’re all hoping for a third movie in the series next year. People have said it should be called One Winter Wedding. I think it would be great if they do that and bring you back for the third film. I’m sure the fans would love to see you back.
Thank you, I’d love to come back too.
Since this was your first movie, are you hoping to do acting as a career?
Yes, for sure. Acting has been a passion of mine for a while. I hope to do this for my career. I’ve got some more stuff coming up this summer that I plan to be involved with, so I hope everyone keeps an eye out for that.
We’ll certainly be looking for more from you.
I’m still auditioning some, but this is my last year in high school, so it can be hard to balance everything. I think there will be more opportunities after I graduate. But I can share that I have an upcoming guest star appearance on a new TV series. I also got to be a part of the recent Disney Channel spotlight for Black History Month.
Are you taking acting classes right now to prepare you?
Yes, I am. I have some after-school acting classes I take. And I really enjoy doing that. I am also preparing this summer to go to University in the fall. I will be studying sociology and African studies.
That’s amazing. I’m so glad it worked out to chat with you today. And had Dewshane not tweeted about you during the movie premiere, I may not have discovered you. So I guess I have him to thank as well as you.
I’m so glad he did that too. And thank you for your time, Ruth, and for giving me the opportunity.
My pleasure, Kayla, and I hope we get to see you on another film soon. Maybe even a Hallmark one.
I would love that! And thank you to all the fans for making this movie such a success. We all appreciate you so much!
Even though we have only seen Kayla in one movie, there is no doubt that this young lady is a natural on the screen. She fit in with the established cast and brought that sense of joie de vivre and excitement to this world that Hallmark fans fell in love with last year. I can only hope that there will be many more opportunities for Kayla in the near and distant future, and the fact that she is making plans to attend college next year and pursue studies that fuel her passion is confirmation of the lovely, talented, intelligent woman she is rapidly becoming. As she pursues her passion and her studies, I am fairly confident in affirming the fact that she will be successful in whatever she does in the future, and I tend to think we will see her in more amazing projects, whether in front of or behind the camera.
If you have not had the opportunity to watch One Winter Proposal (or if you would care to revisit it), check it out on the Hallmark Channel again on April 14th (not sure when it will re-air in Canada). Additionally, please check out Kayla’s links below and follow her where applicable so that you can closely track and support her career. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to chat with her, and I can only hope that many of us fans will pledge to support her as she goes on in her life, chasing every dream within her heart and mind.
FOLLOW KAYLA
