Lisa Whelchel – Hearts of Spring

By starrymag | April 9, 2016

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

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

A) I have the Hallmark movie Hearts of Spring. I filmed that earlier this year and I did another Christmas movie, but I don’t know when that is going to air.

Q) How was character originally described to you?

A) I actually created the characters and the way I described her as a woman who is single and raising her teenage daughter while writing a blog about parenting teenagers.

Q) You do a lot of blogging yourself. Where does your inspiration for social media stem from?

A) Well, I haven’t been blogging for the last few years. I was probably one of the original bloggers because I wrote a journal every morning. I started in 2001 when we took around America in an RV, but there wasn’t even really the word “blog” invented. So, I just called it my Daily Journal that just happened to be online. A few years ago I stopped writing my daily journal because I was focusing on relationships and friendships and I realized I was spending more time writing and connecting more one-on-one with people I didn’t know than people I did know.

Q) What have you learned or taken away from your experience blogging?

A) I think it is wonderful, but sometimes in order to find a balance the pendulum has to swing far to one side than farther to the other. So, I had really been spending a lot of time writing books and keying my website up. I needed to swing farther to the other side of just having lunch with friends that I do know and being intimate and vulnerable in a context that was a little bit scarier than writing online. I think a balance is good so there is as much blessings that come from writing and reading blogs. Just knowing that you are not alone and hearing other people’s perspective, there is a lot to be learned. So, I’m a big fan of blogs.

Q) Your daughter Clancy is a part of the film. Were there any trepidations about her being in the movie or joining the entertainment industry?

A) I told all of my children not to even consider the entertainment business until they had grown up enough to make their own decisions. It was something I did not encourage, but Clancy was the only one who wanted it badly enough that even after she grew up she still wanted to be an actress. I told her that if she wanted my support she had to get a college degree first. So, she actually got a four-year degree in two years just because she was so determined to move to California and pursue acting.

Q) What do you think it is about the movie that will resonate with viewers?

A) I do think that a lot of it has to do with the fact that there is so much in the world that we especially watch on television that makes us feel afraid, despair or too much realism. I think the thing about Hallmark movies (and with this film in particular) is that it is uplifting. If you watch it before going to bed, you’ll probably have sweet dreams instead of scary ones. It’s just encouraging, inspiring and sweet. It has a good message and, basically, it will make you feel good.

Q) What were the most challenging scenes to film?

A) I don’t think there were any challenging scenes. The fun thing about it is that some of the sweeter, more poignant scenes are ones with my daughter. So, it wasn’t challenging as much as it felt the camera just happened to be rolling on conversations we had already had as ourselves.

Q) What makes Hearts of Spring such a good fit for Hallmark?

A) I think, for one thing, it’s all about the romance and Hallmark movies are all about the romance. This one has a fun little twist to it. The gentleman that my character, Harley, has met in real life is a very handsome pediatrician who is very sweet and charming. Then, there is a man who is posting comments that oppose her parenting views on her blog under a different pseudonym, which she discovers is the same person. So, there you have the conflict to overcome!

Q) Will you be live tweeting during the film?

A) There is a Facebook chat and I’ve also done some Twitter questions and answers that were filmed. I hadn’t thought about live tweeting. That’s something to consider!

Q) You have shown great strength and determination in taking charge of your life and pursuing new challenging. What would you share about achieving new goals in your life?

A) I would say it is so important to develop a really strong support structure around you of friendship, the people that really know you and accept you so you are able to be vulnerable – people who have proven that they are not going to judge you and will love you through everything. Then, if you have that kind of support and structure around then I would say lead a little less controlled life because that’s where the growth happens. We really find out who we are and push through the boundaries – the self-imposed limitations that we have. That’s hard to do if you don’t have a scaffolding support around you.

Q) Is there anything else about the film you want to be sure fans know?

A) I do believe that the character that I play has a blog named “Parenting From The Soul” and their philosophy on raising teenagers is about respecting them as individual human beings, not as small children where we get to dictate and tell them what to do. It’s more about relationships than rules and that’s something that resonates and reflects my own heart in raising teenagers.

Q) You are an avid fan of “Survivor” and even were on one season. What has been your biggest take away in terms of game play?

A) What I learned, personally, is to keep in mind that it is a game. But it is very difficult to play a game with people that you care about and it is a lot easier to play a game with little tokens or pawns or pieces that you move across the board. It’s easier to be detached than it is when there are people you get to care about. I think the thing I have learned is to try to keep in mind that it is a game and everybody signed up to play along with the same rules. Then, play the game!

Q) Have you kept in touch with your former costar Kim Fields from “Real Housewives of Atlanta” or “Dancing With The Stars?”

A) We did a show to honor Charlotte Ray about a month ago and she told me that she was doing “Dancing With The Stars,” but I wasn’t allowed to tell anybody. I have been excited to watch her and I think she’s been doing a wonderful job.

Q) What do you think it is about the legacy of “Facts of Life” that resonates with fans even after all these years?

A) I’m really grateful. It’s a privilege to be a part of a show that really brought so much joy to so many people. Now, there are new generations that watch it online or watch it on cable. It’s an option for young people to watch that is not only uplifting, but education in a lot of ways. I don’t think that it is negative in a way that a lot of television shows can be today. I just feel very privileged to be a part of it.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who are fans and supporters of your work?

A) I would like to say thank you so much! As we all learn and grow and change, I’ve really appreciated people that knew me as a child and have yet become lifelong friends.