It is an undeniable fact that one of the most universally adored “Countdown To Christmas” movies that Hallmark has ever done is The Nine Lives of Christmas. My dad still maintains it is one of his all-time favorites, and every Christmas, people pepper their social media accounts with quips, pictures and more expressing their surpassing love for this sweet holiday rom-com featuring the adorable felines as well as the acting duo–Kimberley Sustad and Brandon Routh. Well, it just so happens that I had the unparalleled honor of chatting with the vivacious and heavenly Kimberley (after much schedule wrangling), and I am honored to share this delightful and winsome chat with my readers today in anticipation of her new movie coming out this weekend (11/18), A Godwink Christmas.

Photo by Brendan Heart

RH: Kimberley, I cannot tell you how lovely it is to finally get to chat with you.

KS: Ruth, same here. It is so nice to get to connect with you at last! Thank you so much for reaching out and for being so flexible.

Honestly, Kimberley, I completely understand. The life of an actor and a mother can be quite unpredictable at times. I’m so glad it worked out! And, Kimberley, in case you don’t know, you are one of the Hallmark fan favorites. Whenever the movie The Nine Lives of Christmas comes up in discussion amongst the fans, people are always saying how much they just love you. And that movie happens to be my dad’s favorite Christmas movie. In fact, a couple of years ago, we had seen it so much in our family that we had to take a break from it for a while because every time we turned around, he was playing it! 

Awww, that’s cute.

And the Hallmark fans are constantly saying that they want to see more of you on the channel. And they have all sorts of questions about what you’re really like in person and all that.

{laughs} Well, I suppose I don’t see a lot of that fan chatter. I don’t do Twitter. At least at this point.

So how did your acting journey start?

My acting journey actually started in Seattle. I started out in theater. Now, I did grow up in Canada, but I wound up in Seattle. If you’re gonna do theater in the States outside of New York, Seattle is definitely one of the best places in the country to do it. While doing theater in Seattle, I got to work with some great people. I did several original stage pieces with Lewis Black at the Rep and other theaters in Seattle.

One day, Andy Tennant (Anna and the King, The Bounty Hunter) was coming through town. He is well-known for doing all those rom-coms that he writes and directs. And this was back when Modern Family had just started coming out, somewhere around six years ago. My agent reached out to him and said, “Hey, I hear you’re doing a new TV series and you’re shooting the pilot in Spokane, and I think you should take a peek at my actress.” And for some reason, they did. They met me in Seattle, and I got the series regular role right off the bat. Nothing happened with that TV show. It ended up being a TV movie {Thunderballs}. But with that job, I made more money in my couple weeks of filming, and it meant that I didn’t have to swing cheesecakes at The Cheesecake Factory in order to hold down my theater job. I realized that the option of only having to limit myself to one job was a distinct possibility, and I thought that might be nice. Theater is my passion, and it’s my love, but for me, it was very hard to make a living.

Primeval: New World

So I made the dreaded leap into film and TV, and I got an agent in Vancouver because I was living in Seattle at the time. I’m a dual citizen. I was driving from Seattle to Vancouver for one-liners like, “White wine, please.” Actually, that was my very first line in my very first television show. I did that commute for a couple of years. And then I got a recurring role on Primeval: New World. It wasn’t long after that it started to snowball, and I moved up to Vancouver because I realized I might be able to make this into a career. So that’s the long and the short of that.

Now, many of the fans, myself included, know you from your Hallmark work.

Yes, the same year I moved back to Vancouver, I got a role in the film A Bride For Christmas, and that was my first Hallmark movie. And really, it just went on from there. I started working steadily for Hallmark after that.

A Bride For Christmas

I know that A Bride For Christmas is still a fan favorite film. After all, in addition to you, you’ve got Andrew Walker and Arielle Kebbel. But interestingly enough, I don’t think that is where I first saw you. I think I first saw you in Signed, Sealed, Delivered. 

Oh, yes, one of my more dramatic roles for Hallmark. When I got offered that…I mean, she gets raped, she has a child from that situation and her husband thinks she cheated on him. Then she needs a kidney replacement, and she dies. I was like, “Wow!”

And that is a very memorable episode because it dealt with such a serious topic. As much as I love Hallmark, serious topics like that don’t often get featured on the network. I appreciated the way they handled that one. 

I feel very lucky to have been involved in so many unique projects with Hallmark. My understanding is that storyline was close the heart of one of the creators of the show. It was initially supposed to be the first episode, and I think it ended up being the third.

The fact that you mention these unique roles with Hallmark…I  can say without a doubt that you also have a very unique presence on screen, Kimberley. In a good way. There are many actors out there who are excellent, but they don’t bring that little something to the screen that sets them apart from other actors. But with you, from the moment you appear on screen, there is no mistaking who you are. You don’t have the cookie cutter look that some actresses do, and I really appreciate that about you.

Yes, I’m uniquely outlandish! {laughs} And I am sure people think, “Wow, she is gigantic and tall!” Every time I see myself on screen, I always see that I am a tall lady, and it looks like I’m hovering over people. I am such a tall woman, and yet I still manage to get these incredible jobs! That is something that just blows my mind at times.

Kimberley, I don’t think it’s any kind of detriment to your career, at least coming from a fan perspective. Brooke Shields is tall, and she has managed to book roles and have quite an extensive career. So why can’t you do the same?

Well, I guess you could say the fact that I am so tall means that I demand the attention just based off of that! {laughs}

While a part of that might be true, I know it’s more than that. There are actors that I have to regularly look up who they are because I don’t readily recognize them. It’s really embarrassing when it’s people that I actually know and I have to look them up on IMDb. But I think that you bring something special to each of your roles, and it’s more than the way you look or how tall you are. I think it’s also the way you act. And I know I’m not alone in that view. 

Well, thank you, Ruth, I do appreciate you saying all that. And my gratitude goes out to the fans as well.

Your first lead role with Hallmark was The Nine Lives of Christmas. And that movie captured my heart the moment it came out because I’m a huge cat lover. So the big question we all have is–are you a cat lover?

The Nine Lives of Christmas

I love cats. When I was younger, we always had these bales of hay and little cats would have their kittens in there because it was warm. And I used to climb all the way through there and get completely scratched up by the hay. And I was so allergic to cats that they would scratch me or rub against me and I would emerge from the hay bales with puffy eyes and swollen limbs. So it’s funny that I did The Nine Lives of Christmas. I love cats, but I am so allergic to them. My cat in that movie had so much hair so maybe my performance was so great because I was drugged up on antihistamines. {laughs} But I do love cats and I think they are very unique animals.

In spite of all that, The Nine Lives of Christmas is still a very popular film and the fans regularly ask for a sequel. 

This is at least my third time hearing that this week!

I bet you’ll hear it even more now that the Christmas movies are airing 24/7 on Hallmark. Sequels are a big thing with Hallmark right now. 

Well, it sounds like I need to get on the phone with Brandon and tell him that he needs to find some time in his Legends of Tomorrow ten months-a-year filming schedule to make a sequel to this film. You know, he started that job around two months after we finished filming The Nine Lives of Christmas. My little co-partner has not been able to do anything else.

True, that does make it difficult. But there are ways, and you should see if Brandon can find a way to make it happen. I know the fans would love it, and my dad would probably sit and watch it every day for a month at least! {laughs}

Your dad doesn’t sound like he watches the typical “guy” stuff since he watches Hallmark.

Cooking With Love

You’re right about that. He does love the old shows and Hallmark is always a safe bet. Now, I did chat with Paul Campbell not too long ago, and we talked about A Godwink Christmas. And with this film coming up, the fans are so excited that you’re coming back to do another Hallmark lead! We’ve seen you in a lot of supporting roles over the past couple years. In fact, my mom and I watched you in the last Emma Fielding Mystery, and you absolutely terrified my mom!

Wow, I’m so shocked that you’ve seen all these things!

Kimberley, when it comes to Hallmark, I have seen just about everything. Especially the stuff within the past few years. And in that last Emma Fielding, when your character made that dark turn and we realized that you are the murderer, my mom said, “She is really good, and I don’t ever want to see her play a part like that again!” My mom wants to see you in sweet roles, not psychotic roles. 

You know, that was an interesting role for sure. It’s always fun to play something a little bit different. The lead actress, Courtney Thorne-Smith, is an absolute doll. We filmed that in Victoria, and I love going to Victoria and filming with Hallmark there. That’s probably my favorite place to be to do them. We had a blast as a cast and crew and got along really well. Now, we realize that we have limited budgets with Hallmark movies, and I am always amazed at the creativity of the cast and crew with these productions.

I know what you’re talking about. For me, with Hallmark, it’s not about having the most expensive-looking production. It’s about the acting. It’s about the storyline. It’s about the family-friendly content. I don’t even worry about the other things. Everything is so strong, that I don’t feel like criticizing what they are unable to do. What Hallmark does is so incredible that I’d rather focus on what they’re doing right.

I think you have a point there. Hallmark’s growth is amazing. Five years ago when I started making movies with them, it wasn’t as cool as they’re becoming now. Even the hipsters are getting a hold of it too. I’ve seen everything from drinking games to Saturday Night Live featuring Hallmark movies. It is becoming the cool thing to sit and watch Hallmark Christmas movies, and it’s becoming a part of pop culture. And that’s just so funny. You know, back in the day, if you said, “I’m in a Hallmark movie,” it was said quietly and maybe even parenthetically. But now, you shout it from the rooftops, and people are like, “Oh, I love Hallmark!!”

Kimberley Sustad Credit: ©2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Bettina Strauss

Moving to A Godwink Christmas, this sounds like this is going to be one of the biggest Hallmark Christmas movies of the season. I have talked with Paul Campbell, SQuire Rushnell, and my good friend, Giles Panton. And in addition to these people, of course, Kathie Lee Gifford is in the movie. 

Paul Campbell, Kimberley Sustad Credit: ©2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Bettina Strauss

One of the things I’ve been telling people…with the pairing of Paul and I, there’s been a lot of talk about casting two comedic actors like us coming together in this movie, and I think some people are expecting a comedy. But the script is actually very sentimental. Our fanbase might be surprised by that detail. Some fans are probably expecting a “knock your socks off” funny film. But it’s actually more of a sentimental, dramatic script. There is some humor in the film that Paul and I found and stuff that we invented. It’s a true story, which is unique to Hallmark. It’s an outwardly Christian film, which is also unique. Of course, we all know that Hallmark has core values and family-friendly boundaries, but this seems to be the only film that has “God” in the title. And God is actually spoken about in this film. Spirituality is definitely present within it.

Kimberley Sustad, Kathie Lee Gifford Credit: ©2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Bettina Strauss

And Kathie Lee is in it, and she is a very outwardly Christian person. And then SQuire and Louise {Duart} have pushed for this film to get made and are the authors of the Godwinks book series. So SQuire is not only a New York Times best-selling author, but he did Schoolhouse Rock and a number of other things back in the day. So with all that, there is a big, built-in audience here already.

I think what you’re mentioning about what people are expecting…at least the Hallmark fans understand what they’re getting in A Godwink Christmas. Hallmark’s marketing strategy has been careful to exhibit the dramatic and heartwarming segments of the film, so if people are paying attention, I think they will not be expecting a typical rom-com in this film with you two. It also looks like there are some highly emotional scenes.

Kimberley Sustad, Paul Campbell Credit: ©2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Bettina Strauss

Well, that’s just so good to hear, Ruth, I really think the fans are going to be pleasantly surprised by this film.

When I talked with Paul, he said you both connected quite well. And he said that he hopes you both get to continue working together on other projects. 

Yes, Paul and I hit it off well from the beginning. And right now we are kind of in the development stage of a movie we would like to do together. We had the most fun working together, even though the movie was a little more dramatic. We still laughed every day. I find him one of the funniest people alive. I had never met him before; we were not on each other’s radar at all.

Paul Campbell, Kimberley Sustad Credit: ©2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Bettina Strauss

And now we’re developing and pursuing something that we can both comedically do together. It’s more of a rom-com, fall-into-each-other kind of script where we can really show off that side of ourselves. We found that our comedic timing, even in the stuff that we invented that wasn’t in the script and that just kind of lifted off the page, worked really well. We just had a blast. Paul was so fun to work with, and we currently are looking forward to that next time that we can work together again.

I’m sure happy to hear that, and I’m sure the fans will be too. Now, in addition to all this Hallmark stuff, you’ve got some other shows coming out. 

Travelers

Yes, I joined the cast of Travelers this year, season three, which will premiere on Netflix on December 14th. We began filming that in April and went all the way until the end of the summer. I come in as Eric McCormack’s new partner/boss. We sort of run around at odds, but together are trying to save the world.

Unspeakable

Then on top of that at the same time, I did a miniseries called Unspeakable. It’s going to air on CBC sometime in January, and I believe AMC has picked it up to air at some point in the U.S. It’s a nine-part series with an incredible script that deals with the tainted blood crisis of the eighties. It was the scandal of the Red Cross distributing tainted blood infected with AIDS to a lot of people in Canada. And then, inevitably, these people died from that. It’s based on true stories, and it’s a really dramatic script.

Then I was also in season three of Chesapeake Shores.

Chesapeake Shores

Yes, it was so nice to see you pop up in that show. Maybe we didn’t like your character because she was kind of messing things up for Simon and Bree. But it was nice to see you.

Yeah, it seems like the last line of the last episode is that I’m moving to Chesapeake Shores. So I guess we’ll see if that happens, if Hallmark does a season four of the show.

Chesapeake Shores

Now, I will say what was good about your character is that it’s making Simon and Bree come to terms with how they really feel about each other. They have both been on the fence, and even if we didn’t like your character, Caroline, she is certainly serving her purpose. So the big question is if Simon is going to stay with Bree or run off with Caroline. If the series gets renewed, I guess we’ll see.

Maybe they will bring me back.

Kimberley, you’ve had a very busy year of filming. 

Well, you know, after Nine Lives, I took a significant break. I just did smaller roles because I had a newborn. And then I got pregnant right away again, which was a surprise for us! {laughs} For the last three years, I have not been able to commit to things of a longer duration because I’ve literally either been pregnant or had a newborn. My youngest now is sixteen months, and now I’m not pregnant again. This year has been my first year officially back.

And we fans are so happy that you are officially back, Kimberley. But it’s great that you’ve been able to take that time for your kids. I love that you’re able to have your family and home life and still have an acting career. 

Paul Campbell, Kimberley Sustad Credit: ©2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Bettina Strauss

I’m glad I was able to take the time for them too. Having two little ones at home sometimes would make me feel like things were spinning out of control at times. As a mother, you really do have to do everything for these helpless little people. It takes a lot of energy because you’re feeding them, wiping them, dressing them, cleaning them, rolling them over. It is a full-time job when they’re that little. But I couldn’t have imagined doing anything else.

I’m very glad to be officially back. And to have such wonderful Hallmark fans. To be honest, Hallmark is a great enterprise to work for. In fact, Hallmark has often been compared to old Hollywood, where they have a core group of people like the big studios used to have. They would have a list of actors and then just cycle them through the various movies. When I was first told about that, I realized I had never thought about it that way, but it’s kind of true. It’s kind of fun for audiences, especially those that have been following it for a while. When one movie is done, it doesn’t mean that the fans are done seeing us. Even if you want to be done seeing us. {laughs}

Kimberley Sustad Credit: ©2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Bettina Strauss

Kimberley, I assure you that you haven’t gotten to that point with the fans because every time I see your name mentioned, the main message is, “We want more Kimberley Sustad!”

If I ever get to that point, I’ll just take a three-year break again!

{laughs} That’s perfect! Then everyone will be saying, “Where’s Kimberley? We want her back!” But I don’t think you have to worry about that any time soon.

Thank you, Ruth. I am so grateful to the fans. And thank you so much for the lovely interview.

It was my pleasure, Kimberley. I can hardly wait for Sunday night!

Kimberley & Husband

I have to admit that my chat with Kimberley was one that was definitely worth the wait. As a busy mom, wife, actress, and more, Kimberley’s schedule is often filled to overflowing.  I knew that the chances of being able to get an interview with her may have been slim to begin with. However, the fact that she not only carved out the time for me, but actually spoke candidly, pragmatically, and with her signature sense of humor was a treat that I am still savoring weeks after we chatted. As a dynamic actress whose aura of positivity, grace, joy, and kindness has placed her as the obvious choice for a Hallmark leading lady, Kimberley’s triumphant return to Hallmark in this capacity thrills me to the core, and I tend to think that her official full-time return to the film and television world is going to afford her even more amazing opportunities into the new year and beyond. The depth of her talent is something that is not always seen in actresses today, and her commitment to her craft as well as her profound humble nature are two qualities that are going to keep her on the radars of a wide variety of industry professionals. While Kimberley’s undeniable giftedness, as well as her collaborative attitude, make her the obvious choice for so many special, unique, and diverse projects, there is no doubt that she consistently chooses those projects that resonate with her and allow her to still be a devoted wife and mother. She has proven that having your priorities correct in a business and society that doesn’t always value these ideals is a perfect recipe for true and abiding success. Even if she is not a household name at present, I am grateful that she can be a working actress who consistently provides the fans and viewers with works that entertain, challenge, and connect with them. And as far as I’m concerned, that is the brand of success that means more than fame and fortune.

Please make sure that if you are in the U.S. this weekend that you set your channel selector to Hallmark Movies & Mysteries on November 18th for the premiere of A Godwink Christmas. (While I do not know of a Canadian air date as of yet, I do hope there is one announced some time soon.) Moreover, I hope that you visit Kimberley’s links below and consider following her on Instagram (she does share some really fun pictures and videos from time to time). The Hallmark community already adores Kimberley, so I’m sure I don’t have to encourage you to support this captivating artist, but more than anything, I do hope that we continue to see her highlighted on this network (and elsewhere) for many years to come. And as for a partnership between her and Paul Campbell, is there really anything better? I can think of no better Christmas present for the Hallmarkies than an original series featuring these two actors, and I am hopeful that this movie propels them into the virtual Hallmark Hall of Fame!

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