The Wild Job Hallmark's Olivier Renaud Had Before Becoming An Actor

In an original movie from the Hallmark Channel, "Romance With a Twist," which premiered in January 2024, Olivier Renaud and Jocelyn Hudon star as Bennett and Luna, two artists slated to showcase their talents at a local arts festival. Luna has a background in dancing, while Bennett's expertise lies in aerial performances. Interestingly, if you've seen the movie and assumed Renaud had a stunt double for his high-above-the-ground scenes, you'd be mistaken.

Before venturing into acting, Renaud honed his skills as a professional aerialist, making him ideally suited for his role in Hallmark's "Romance With a Twist." During his college years, Renaud joined a circus, the world-renowned Cirque du Soleil, with which he toured globally as a professionally trained aerialist.

During an interview with Digital Journal, Renaud offered his insight on acting, noting, "In my opinion, find what you are good at, and keep working at it," a philosophy he clearly adheres to in his own life. Combining his acrobatic expertise with his acting talent clearly proved to be a winning combination for the Hallmark newcomer, but Renaud's commitment extends beyond the realm of entertaining as he invests his time and knowledge in yet another unexpected business.

Olivier Renaud not only brings his acrobatic skills to the world of Hallmark movies but also applies his extensive entertainment knowledge in the corporate arena. Giving public speeches is another passion of Renaud's, who clearly has a knack for transforming his interests into profitable ventures. The actor hosts corporate workshops to help people improve their public speaking skills by using circus-related methods, describing them as a "seriously fun experience." His official website reads, "We will understand the important principles of entering and exiting stage, daring and failing, embracing your inner 'Beautiful Idiot,' your relationship to authority, 'Pushing,' and 'Working too hard.'"

While Renaud's corporate skills aren't featured in Hallmark's "Romance With a Twist," it wouldn't be surprising to see him starring in a business-themed screenplay for the network in the future. Interestingly, Renaud is not the first Hallmark actor to leverage his real-life talents to bring authenticity to his characters. Before becoming a Hallmark actor, Luke Macfarlane honed his musical talents, specifically in playing the cello, at Juilliard, which he showcased in "Chateau Christmas." In an interview with TV Goodness, Macfarlane revealed that he suggested changing the original script, where his character was supposed to play the violin, to reflect his real-life cello background.

Notably, Jocelyn Hudon is also a professionally trained dancer in real life, proving the Hallmark Channel's casting for "Romance With a Twist" hit the nail on the head. Before she turned to acting, Hudon was a ballerina, trained with the National Ballet School of Canada. As both Hudon and Olivier Renaud have professional dancing backgrounds, they took on most of the aerial scenes themselves.

However, despite their skills, some scenes required stunt doubles. According to a hairstylist who worked on the project, the toughest part of it was matching wigs to Renaud's real hair. "There was one time when the double got too close to the top of the silks; the opening was too small, and when he tried to flip through the silks, they snatched that wig clean off," she quipped on Instagram.

Still, not everyone was thrilled with Renaud's Hallmark gig. According to one Reddit user, the actor's aerial skills weren't adequately showcased. "We'd been robbed of seeing him — as the real-life experienced professional aerial acrobat — perform," the person remarked in a subthread discussing the movie. Nevertheless, Renaud remains satisfied with the work done. When speaking to Digital Journal, the actor noted, "I hope the audience gains an understanding that being an aerialist is difficult, and we hope that [the performers] keep going."