The Little-Known Connection These Hallmark Actors Have To Fan-Favorite Flicks

Fan favorite Hallmark flicks like "Winter in Vail" and "Snowed in Christmas" provide the perfect examples of the picturesque backdrops that the feel-good network has become known for. Paired with the on-screen romance and family-friendly hijinks, these scenic locales really foster the cozy, often small-town vibes that we all know and love. However, the real-life regions behind the flicks have a little-known connection with some of the network's biggest stars.

While the channel's storylines are typically set in small-town America, most of Hallmark's made-for-TV movies are surprisingly filmed in Canada. Several of Hallmark's most loved actors also hail from the Great White North, with many having relocated to the U.S. during their acting careers. In this way, fan-favorite stars like Tyler Hynes and Stephen Huszar have fostered special connections to the Hallmark films they appear in.

For example, the movie "Christmas Island" took Quebec native Andrew Walker to Nova Scotia, a beautiful province he originally visited when he was 12 years old. "I hadn't seen Nova Scotia for 30 years," Walker told Heavy. "So to spend a month there was really, truly special."

The Canadian-born Tyler Hynes has filmed several Hallmark movies in his home country, but his 2024 movie "Shifting Gears" was particularly special. Hynes stars in the romance alongside Katherine Barrell, with the pair playing exes competing in a car restoration show. While the movie marked a new venture for the network, being the first film released as part of the Make Her Mark Women's Directing Program, the location was also significant to Hynes.

"Having a production company in Ottawa, in my hometown, rise to the occasion of doing something that's a little bit unorthodox...they did a lovely job and I'm very grateful for the whole circumstance," he told TV Goodness. On top of the familiar landscape, the Ottawa-filmed movie also gave Hynes the opportunity to include his family in the production. The Hallmark star revealed that his mom was often on set, while his nieces even made it into the flick.

"They showed up one day and we threw them in front of the scene," he said. "They did love it. And they're right front and center. You see them both looking under a hood of a car and then meeting Kat." We love to see the special behind-the-scenes connection that Hynes was able to form with "Shifting Gears," but it's far from the only time a Canadian filming location has made a big impact.

Fan-favorite actor Stephen Huszar is another Canadian native who's expressed his appreciation for Hallmark's out-of-country filming locations. In addition to starring in several made-for-TV movies, Huszar played Luke Tatum for two seasons of "Chesapeake Shores," revealing that its seaside locale was a major bonus.

"I also love being outdoors, so Chesapeake Shores was great because we were doing a lot outdoors," he told Soaps She Knows, explaining that the show was filmed on Vancouver Island. "You will see Orcas and humpback whales every day and eat as many oysters as you can possibly eat. I love oysters, so I got pretty good at shucking them. The location was just incredible and the role itself was great." The picturesque shores of Vancouver Island weren't the only highlight for Huszar, as the movie "Love in Glacier National" took him into the mountains.

"We had an entire ski hill in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada," the actor said. "So, we'd wake up in the morning and have our breakfast...Then we'd take the chairlift up and shoot on the mountain all day and then ski down. It was just a dream come true." Hallmark may have its own reason for frequenting Canada, but the little-known connections it fosters with its stars sure is heartwarming.