Erica Durance – Wedding Planner Mystery

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

A) Right now I’m working on the television show “Saving Hope” and we’re midway through our third season. I also just wrapped wrapping another Hallmark movie. Everything is kind of streaming along and is very busy.

Q) What is the premise for your film Wedding Planner Mystery and how was your character Carnegie Kincaid originally described to you?

A) She is a feisty go-getter who finds all sorts of mishaps, but she is fearless and determined. She is up to the challenge. She is a woman who loves love and found a way to be as close as she can to it by being a wedding planner. She loves the romance of it and the perfection of it, but it doesn’t necessarily coincide with her own life. She is working to balance those things. I liken the movie to a murder mystery with a little romance and a little comedy in it. It’s a fun night and one of the reasons I was drawn to it was because it had a bit of that old school spy aspect to it and doesn’t completely take itself seriously. It was a very fun project!

Q) Was there anything you added to the role that wasn’t originally scripted for you?

A) It was a constant work in process. The director, Ron Oliver, and I worked a lot on the script to keep it flowing and have it all feel authentic and truthful. I think you just bring who you are to the character and add a little bit of spunk and I put that kind of in there, adding a bit more sass than was originally there.

Q) You have been in a wide variety of genre of television shows. Do you have a preference for one?

A) It seems to be that I am rolling around and taking any challenge as it comes my way if, at this point in my life, it seems like the right thing to do. I spent seven years on “Smallville,” which has its dramatic elements and hooked into a lot of fun. It was a romantic comedy that I really loved. Then, I dove into “Saving Hope” for its sense of realism and all the extras. She’s a very driven, very basic woman. There is not a lot of refinery around her. It’s all very intense and dramatic. I wanted to challenge myself, I suppose. I chose Wedding Planner Mystery to step back in and have a little fun. I think, as a person, I actually lean a bit more towards comedy and wanting to laugh and seeing the joke in things more often than the drama. That’s ironic because I’m kind of in the midst of something really dramatic right now.

Q) Was there instant cast chemistry when everyone began working together or did it take some time to bond?

A) It isn’t always the case, but I did find it with Brandon [Beemer] and everyone was nice. I think they all came with a heart to make the best project that they could and the key to me for a lot of chemistry is for people to not take themselves too seriously and to have fun. That was really a theme on set. Everybody was really generous. That was helpful. I enjoyed working with Brandon and Andrew ]Walker] a lot.

Q) What were some of your most memorable moments from filming Wedding Planner Mystery?

A) I think the day-to-day work was memorable. I loved my director, Ron Oliver. He’s done a lot of films with Hallmark and various other companies and networks. He has such a great tone on set and he is always listening to music. We were watching little synopsizes of old movies between takes, a kind of throwback to the old movies. We were trying to set that tone into our little mystery that we were doing. On a personal level, that was great fun and I laughed so hard working with him. There was one specific scene where I get to dress up as a cat. My character was going to a costume wedding and I had to break into the church, kind of be a cat burglar. I hadn’t done any dressing up since “Smallville,” so that was a lot of fun. On the show, I was often going undercover and they would put me in these scenarios that would be really bizarre and strange. I would have to be dressed up and I’d often get in trouble and Clark would save her. This had a bit of a throw to that. She’s a gal on her own trying to solve this mystery and put things to right. She finds herself in a couple of shady situations.

Q)  What makes the movie such a great fit for the Hallmark Movie Channel?

A) It has the balance of fun and intrigue. It’s not too graphic. Hallmark likes to stay in that space for their audience. It’s really nice to watch something with a little bit of mystery and romance. It’s lighthearted and that’s what the demographic likes to watch, as well as having a strong female lead. She is very multilayered and she’s three dimensional. She has strengths and vulnerabilities. She is a bit quirky so she’s very relatable. It’s got that kind of feel to it and I think they are really going to enjoy it.

Q) You are a part of social media. Are you looking forward to receiving instant fan feedback when the movie premieres?

A) I am part of social media in the way that I know it is a part of the professional side of things and the way our world is going. I’m certainly not into it to see what people are thinking all the time. I finally went, “Okay, okay. I have to do this.” I’m a pretty introverted person. For me, it’s a way to promote the projects that I’ve done. But as far as sussing out how everybody feels all the time, it is a bit of a blessing and a curse. Everybody is allowed to have their own opinion. I guess that is how everything is going these days with social media. You have to protect yourself form that instant reaction.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

A) As I often do, I thank them very much for going along this journey with me and for being so supportive. I very much appreciate it.