Peter Porte – Love, Once and Always

By starrymag | March 10, 2018

By: Jessica Wolff

 

 

Q) Please tell us the premise for Love, Once And Always and about your character, Duncan.

 

A) It’s about these two sweethearts, high school sweethearts, Lucy (Amanda Schull) and Duncan, that are unexpectedly reunited when they discover that they each have been left half of a New England mansion following the death of Lucy’s beloved great-aunt. Duncan is the orphaned son of the groundskeeper, so he was there as well and took great care of Lucy’s great-aunt. That’s why he’s given half of the mansion and he wants to sell it and get it off his hands while she wants to make it a historical tourist destination. As they develop the plan that could meet both goals, the old flame is reunited and they realize that no matter what happens with the mansion, the two of them belong together. I don’t know if you want to give away that last bit, although it is a Hallmark movie so, I mean, there’s a good chance we get together in the end.

 

Q) What made you want to be part of the film?

 

A) I read that Amanda Schull was attached to it and I’ve always really respected her as an actress. And they were shooting up in Vancouver in January and I’ve never spent any time up there before during the winter and I wanted to get some skiing done. Those were the selfish reasons, but I also really like the script because (unlike the last two characters that I’ve played which were a bit more earnest) this character had a history with this woman and so their banter was a lot more familiar and a little snarky and fun and jokey and real and I like that take on a male character that I haven’t got to play yet at Hallmark.

 

Q) Was there anything you added to Duncan that wasn’t in the initial script for you?

 

A) No, I keep it pretty close to what the writers have written as I respect what they do. I can’t think of anything that we changed. They did a really good job at describing and fleshing out the character.

 

Q) What are the challenges to filming a romantic movie as compared to other projects you’ve been a part of?

 

A) These two characters were friends growing up. They grew up on the same estate and they became lovers and parted ways. There was so much history between them and their relationship that we’re ultimately not shooting the show in sequence. We’re jumping all over the movie in the course of the three weeks that we have to shoot it. So, we actually opened our first shot of the entire three weeks with this huge ball scene with eighty extras and full formal wear, gowns, tuxes. That was the first time, other than the dinner we had beforehand, that I got to spend any time with Amanda and it was also the climax of the entire movie. I think that might be the biggest challenge of shooting romances is to force an immediate chemistry with someone you barely know and you’re playing that you’ve known them for the last twenty years of your life. Luckily, she’s such a pro and we hit it off immediately so it wasn’t that challenging. I don’t know, you tell me. See the movie.

 

Q) Do you have any stories from working alongside Amanda Schull?

 

A) Not off the top of my head, no.

 

Q) But you overall enjoyed working with her?

 

A) Oh yes, she’s amazing. She’s fantastic Yeah, we’re still friends, we hope we’re going to do a screening party together on Sunday, the day after. It’s a shame because we really wanted to do Home & Family together, but she’s going on Thursday and I’m going on Tuesday. We were together during ADR, and she’s the best, she’s great. We also got to go to the TCAs for Hallmark together. It was nice coming out of a project with a new friend.

 

Q) Was there a piece of advice director Allan Harmon offered while filming that you took to heart?

 

A) I can’t think of something off the top of my head. It is very challenging to find a director, especially in movies like this, where they’re wearing so many hats and they’re spinning so many plates and there’s so little time. What Allan was amazing at doing was making the actors feel very comfortable and taken care of. There isn’t really a lot of time for rehearsal, there’s almost no time for rehearsal and there’s almost no time to find your way into a scene because you’re chasing a light, you’re trying to keep the focus, you’ve got so many other things that you’re contending with, the margin of error is super great and so to be able to direct actors and lead an entire crew in such a short amount of time is pretty amazing. He was such a pro at that. I think that maybe that was the advice, that he didn’t give me, but just by watching him work. I saw that you have to, to command a ship, you have to be calm more than anything else. That’s what he was, the whole time, no matter what we were up against.

 

Q) What were some moments from this movie that you’re looking forward to fans seeing?

 

A) I would say, there’s one gag with a paint can, which I won’t give away, but I’m looking forward to seeing how that turns out. There’s a bit of business with some sheep that I wasn’t there for that Amanda did that I’m looking forward to seeing. I think the ball scene, I think it’s going to come out really beautiful. Amanda is an amazing dancer and she gave me a short tutorial, so we’ll see if I don’t look like an absolute idiot. That’s probably what I’m looking forward to seeing most.

 

Q) What do you think it is about the movie that will make it a fast Hallmark favorite film?

 

A) It’s a lovely story. It’s funny, it’s funnier than the last two, I think, that I did. I think that’s a testament to the writers, they wrote some great jokes for us, and I think it’s beautiful. It’s all set in the Gilded Age in New England in these beautiful mansions, so I think the setting themselves will be some really nice eye candy.

 

Q) As a part of social media, are you looking forward to the instant feedback you’ll receive for the movie?

 

A) Not really, no. I’m not. I just put it out there and hope that people enjoy it, but I’m not really looking for feedback. There’s not much I can do with it, right?

 

Q) Are there any other upcoming projects that you’re working on at the moment?

 

A) I’ll be shooting a pilot presentation that I can’t really talk too much about, that’s next week. It’s pilot season right now in Los Angeles so, fingers crossed, I’m going out for some really awesome projects. There’s a show that I shot last year called Swedish Dicks that’s going to be airing on TopTV about two Swedish detectives working in Los Angeles that aired its first season last year and then will be airing its second season this year that I was a part of. And then, hopefully, I continue my relationship with Hallmark.