As its new streaming service kicks off, Hallmark+ is doing something new – not one but three new interconnected movies from the point of view of the male characters, best friends (Jonathan Bennett, Tyler Hynes, and B.J. Britt) sharing groomsmen’s duties at a wedding that may or may not be happening. A present-day runaway bride tells a sympathetic bartender the stories of how each of the groomsmen found lasting true love in three different countries, each movie intersecting as the friends weigh in with advice and support.
The groomsmen face the classic romantic story challenges: friends who take too long to realize they are in love, an angry first encounter turning to interest, respect, romance, and a makeover. And hey, this is Hallmark, so that means four happy endings, including the three men and the runaway bride.
In an interview, the actors who play the three groomsmen explain that they are real-life best friends and explain why the ability to deliver a sincere apology is one key to being a Hallmark leading man.
I think the real love story in these movies is the love at the heart of your characters’ friendship.
Jonathan Bennett: Oh, that’s not controversial. That’s the whole point of the movie. It’s the bromance of Hallmark that we’ve all been waiting for.
So, how did you create that amazing chemistry? How did you support each other so beautifully?
JB: I think what’s so important is that this story sheds light on real-life groups of men with their squad of friends; it sheds light on those people and their relationships. And you have your best friend, your best group of guy friends that you can have fun with, and you can tease, and you can make fun of each other, but at the same time, you’re there for each other, and you will call each other out on their crap when they need it. So, you have these three layers: funny jokes, calling each other out, keeping each other honest, and being there to support each other. That’s what real-life groups of friends do. And I think that these movies show that. And it’s something we don’t really see in movies always.
Certainly not as often about male friends. Do you have friends like that in your life?
BJ Britt: [Laughs] My circle is definitely pretty much close to this right here. Because, like Johnny said, we aren’t just yes men. It’s just when there’s something that you need to be called out on; you call out what you need to be called out on.
JB: It’s that moment when you tell your best friends that you’re doing okay and nothing’s wrong, and they look at you and say you’re lying. That’s an important thing to tell a story about. Because that’s what, in my real life, happens with me and my friends, your good friends will tell you what you want to hear. Your best friends will tell you what you don’t want to hear. And I think that’s what the groomsmen would do.
A major turning point in most romantic movies is the apology. What does it take as an actor to make that apology scene hit home?
Tyler Hynes: No one needs to hear anything more than, “I love you, and I’m sorry,” you know what I mean? And it helps to have nicely coiffed hair, a good Christmas outfit, gently falling snow. A nice apology, I think, comes from the heart, of course. And honestly, in Johnny’s movie, I don’t know that you apologize that much.
JB: Oh, I do. It’s not an official apology, but it’s a kind of leveling up, being real, and telling how I feel. Which is pretty much an apology of, “I should have said this, and I didn’t. It’s my fault.” I think when you’re doing an apology, it’s those big moments in the Hallmark movies. I know for me, it’s about the stillness in the moment. Because we shoot all these comedies, and so many raucous, funny scenes are happening, where we’re falling down hills and all these things. And then there comes that moment in every Hallmark movie that everyone has come to love, especially the fans, where everything quiets and stills, and there’s just the moment where the couple just opens up and is honest with each other. And that’s your character’s breakthrough moment. That’s the moment that your character changes, and I think each group in the movies has that moment for each character.
You must tell me about that dance number!
JB: The reason the dance is so short is because we didn’t have the budget to hire a choreographer to do the dance. We got a call from our executive saying, “Hey, we’re putting a dance in for you guys.” And we said, “Okay, what is it?” They said,
‘I don’t know, figure it out.” We said, “Great.” And she said, “Here’s the song: Shake Your Groove Thing.” And we’re like, “Well, let’s make up a dance.”
So we literally made up a dance after shooting one day when we wrapped. We made up a dance in a space like an airplane hangar. These two. And it was literally like me saying, “Maybe we do this.” And then Tyler saying, “Maybe we do that.” What’s so fun about that dance is that it is organically a groomsman dance. It’s not made by someone else. Whatever these yahoos and I decided to do in the moment, we just said, “Okay, that’s the dance.” And now it’s a hit. Now, it’s trending all over TikTok. BJ can’t help but be viral. He’s also a professional dancer.
BJB: Thank you. Exactly. I was in the corner cringing because I’m like, “Two moves is good enough.”
TH: Here’s what happened. BJ acted like he didn’t know what was going on up until the cameras were rolling. He was like, “I don’t know how to do this. I don’t know how to do this.” Cameras start rolling. And of course, he was the best dancer.
Was it different to shoot a movie from the men’s perspective?
BJB: There are three men at the center of this thing. But there’s a large cast involved in these movies, and I think what’s so lovely is that it includes everybody’s points of view through these three guys. We are the conduit in which people are viewing us, and themselves, and also all, It’s kind of evaluating our lives and our relationships and so it feels like we’ve told a story that seems male-centric, but you get to have your cake and eat it too.
TH: It’s also through the eyes of everybody who’s watching us. It’s through the significant others we get throughout these movies that we get a sense of who we are, but it’s always through their gaze. It’s an inclusive movie that stretches old and young, male-female, and every sort of dynamic, and I think we’ve done a pretty good job of balancing all that, which is a rare offering.
