Tori Anderson – Love Under the Olive Tree

By starrymag | June 20, 2020

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

 

Q) You’ll soon be seen starring in the Hallmark movie Love Under the Olive Tree and I wanted to talk about how the title of the film is kind of a metaphor for what we see take place between these characters.

 

A) I think that it’s sort of like an umbrella because these two families come together finally after a multiple decade long feud.  It’s a story about how misunderstandings force a rift between families and once communication happens everyone reconciles and then forgiveness happens.  It’s about love between my character Nicole and Jake (Ben Hollingsworth), but it’s also the joining of families back together and falling back into relationships and rediscovering friendships and family bonds.

 

Q) The setting of Hallmark films can really become a character in itself and I wanted to talk about how the location where the film is set and how the landscape also plays a part throughout the film.

 

A) I think that’s a really great aspect of it.  It’s supposed to be Northern California, but we shot outside of Vancouver.  I think because it’s a story about a land feud you have to really grasp how beautiful this land is, how much they love it, what it means to each family.  We shot on several gorgeous locations that were just completely stunning.  When you do so much work outside it really allows your characterization to develop to another level.  I actually grew up on a farm, so I love that aspect of the storyline.  I love being outdoors.  I like that I was playing a slightly headstrong woman who loves the land.  She loves farming and loves the traditional ways of making olive oil. I really do think that the fact that we were able to shoot in such a beautiful location really did inform the storyline.

 

Q) Since the film is centered around olive oil, how much about olive oil did you end up soaking up literally and figuratively?

 

A) I did learn a little, but I did do some research on my own about traditional olive oil methods and more of the mass consumers methods as well.  I focused mostly on the traditional methods as well, obviously because that is what the family’s history was.  It was really fascinating.  I found out that they have to be pressed generally within twenty-four hours so that they don’t oxidize.  There are pros and cons to each method.  I think there are sanitary issues with the traditional method, but it’s sort of a beautiful rustic way of making it and it’s definitely more aesthetically pleasing.  It’s more artisanal.  The traditional way kind of piqued my interest more than the mass amounts that are made.  I also marveled in the fact that when you taste olive oil you do drink it out of a glass.  When I saw the glasses on set, I was like, “Oh my gosh! This is so bizarre.” There are wine glasses that they are drinking olive oil out of, but that’s how people taste it.

 

Q) So much of what we consume ends up being an artform.  When you taste wine there is a creativity to it, there is a balance, and a poetry.  It’s sort of the same way now realizing the way we consume olive oil.

 

A) Absolutely.  Absolutely.

 

Q) There is a big payoff at the end of the film with whomever winning the olive oil competition gets to decide what to do with the land that is in question.  What does the spirit of competition really bring out in Nicole and Jake?

 

A) I think that they are both inherently two very competitive people.  Jake comes from a background where he doesn’t actually really know a lot about olive oil.  Nicole comes from a background of where it really is sort of part of her and it is intrinsic as to who she is as a woman.  When the competition starts, Nicole and Jake were originally childhood friends, so they revert back to this fun, friendly competition and you see that in the opening scene when they see each other.  They sort of poke and prod each other a little bit.  When the land dispute comes up, Nicole sort of gets a little headstrong and so does Jake.  I think that they are at odds, but there is always something underneath that I think is a commonality between the two of them that they don’t understand until later on. Until they actually talk about what their paths are.  Jake is taking sort of a different path and he doesn’t feel really grounded and centered in his life.  Nicole has always known what she wants to do.  I think you are seeing two different people at odds, but they find a commonality.

There are moments that I wouldn’t say are of complete anger, but are little bubbles of anger between the two of them. I really do think that they are flaming little bits of affection.  When Nicole is really angry at Jake it’s always because there is something else behind it.  She always has this sort of wonderment of why didn’t Jake become this person she thought he would be.  She is sort of attracted to him.  There are all sorts of other elements that come into play that I think kind of cloud her competitive nature.  It was really fun to play though because I think that Ben is such an amazing actor to work with and we had a lot of fun playing back and forth with that.

 

Q) I had the opportunity to speak with Ben and he was talking about another competition, one between the two of you that happened on set.  He also mentioned the olive boxes he had to stand on a few times.

 

A) There were some funny moments. We had a dance scene and I think that we are pretty much the same height, but so many people want to put me in heels and it doesn’t always work on set.  I had to change out of my heels that I was going to wear for the dance scene and wear flat shoes.  He was a really good sport about that.

 

Q) Talk a little more about the chemistry that you cultivated with Ben.  

 

A)  I think that I had a few days shooting before Ben, and before I really met Ben before he came to set.  He is an incredible actor.  He comes with a fully realized character, so it really was an easy process working with him.  I had a lot of fun working with him.  When you work with really talented actors it’s always fun.  You sort of don’t see the person. You just see the character and it allows you to disappear somewhat into your character as well and you kind of have this freedom.  He was incredible. We talked a lot about the characters beforehand as much as we could in hair and makeup before shooting.  It was just great.  He is so good.  It was so nice to work with someone who is so talented.  He was a complete joy to work with.

 

Q) What are some of the things that you learned and soaked up from being a part of the movie?

 

A) What I really love about Hallmark movies in general is the people. The caliber of people that they hire is so wonderful.  Everyone is a joy to work with so that makes that easy.  We shot on the Taves Family Farm in Abbotsford, BC and there were goats that were two months old and there was frozen apple cider and we got to ride peddle carts.  It was a really fun shoot.

I think because there are competitive aspects in several moments of the movie it was fun to have those aspects.  It turns out I am not a natural with peddle carts.  I am really bad at it.  When I was supposed to win it was a challenge, to say the least, when Ben was so much better than me.  But that’s okay. It’s not my forte and that’s fine.  I will take a step back from that.

I would say that the locations that we shot at were absolutely stunning and the people that we got to shoot with.  I come from a really large family, so I love family dynamic and I love when all of the cast is on set at the same time.  It makes for a little bit long-winded scenes because there is so much coverage to be shot, but I just find the energy is just so much fun working with so many people in those moments.  Also, I really loved some of the more intimate scenes with Ben actually because…Specifically the hayride. The characters were actually able to communicate for the first time and really openly and genuinely without there being a competitive nature.  They sort of both relax and spoke really openly and honestly with each other and I loved that moment.

 

Q) The movie isn’t your average Hallmark movie which starts off with a meet-cute moment, the characters actually have a history together. 

 

A) Yeah, you’re right.  I didn’t actually think about that.  You’re right.  Normally there is the meet-cute moment between two characters in Hallmark movies.  I think that because Nicole and Jake have a past and because it is sort of a little spotted here and there, there is already some tension to begin with that adds for a nice arc for them both to go on.  I think that’s one of my favorite things about this film is the fact that each character…I mean, you look at the grandfather and you look at the parents and you look at the grandchildren Nicole and Jake and every character has their own journey and every character has their own growth.  No one is really the same person from the beginning to the end.  It’s refreshing for sure.

 

Q) The movie is coming out at quite an appropriate time with the pandemic as family becomes even more of a focus for many of us.  Mending fencing and putting petty differences aside become more of a priority while as we put things in perspective.  That’s also what I really get from this movie too.

 

A) Yeah, absolutely.  Sort of a parallel.  I mean, at the time when we were shooting I didn’t really think of the parallel, but now I think it showcases what a simple misunderstanding can cause and how if you really kind of communicate and sit down and try to understand what’s going on with someone that can be mended and you can forgive and move on.  I think it’s a really important message right now, especially remaining open and listening and trying to be there any way you can.

 

Q) Is there anything else we didn’t touch on that we didn’t talk t about or there any other upcoming projects you’ll be featured in?

 

A) There is another project, but I don’t think it has a name yet.  There is something else that you can look from me in the future. It just doesn’t have a title and I don’t think the title has been cleared yet.  I will say it is a Christmas film.