Exclusive Interview: Trevor Donovan On ‘Reagan’ & ‘Jingle Bell Princess’
Recently, TV Shows Ace was privileged to interview Trevor Donovan. He recently talked about his role in the 2022 movie Reagan, his role in the upcoming GAC Christmas movie, Jingle Bell Princess, a little about The Engagement Plot, meeting his fans at RomaCom, his beloved dogs, and why he always chooses kindness on social media.
Moreover, if you ever need something positive to read, Trevor Donovan’s page is always uplifting, and often very funny.
However, Donovan is extremely busy these days. First, he recently signed with GAC Media (GAC Family and GAC Living), in a special deal. In addition, he will star and executive produce original movies for ex-Hallmark CEO Bill Abbott’s new network.
However, although he had spent the last three and a half months filming a cornucopia of projects, Trevor Donovan fans may be happy to know that he is as warm and kind as he is talented.
Most of all, he genuinely loves his work and is very thoughtful about his roles and the fans that watch his movies. He never takes his fans for granted. That proof is how his voice was quite emotional when he described meeting the fans who love his movies.
What did the 90210 star have to say?
Trevor Donovan Discusses Reagan
Trevor, you are portraying John Barletta in the upcoming movie Reagan. What made you interested in playing Reagan’s equestrian secret service agent?
John Barletta served in the U.S. Army 7th Calvary, in Vietnam. Later he became a secret service agent. He was from Boston and was a cowboy. Think about it…a Boston-born Cowboy! Wrap your head around a Boston-accented cowboy.
A lot of Secret Service agents tried to do the job, but they could not ride that long. But, John Barletta was able to keep up with Reagan. The two developed a close relationship that lasted decades. He was President Reagan’s longest serving Secret Service agent.
I know you have been in the JL Ranch movies…do you regularly ride? How did you prepare for this role?
I learned to ride really well on the History Channel show, Texas Rising. [Trevor played Kit Acklin].
Did you read Barletta’s book? Or talk to his family?
I didn’t get the role until the last minute. I had three days…five days, before shooting. There was not a lot of time to prepare.
There were not many videos of him riding with President Reagan. Instead, I watched his interviews to get how he spoke.
Do you have a Boston accent in the movie?
Yes! I had to learn a Boston accent on the fly.
Did You Film At Reagan’s Ranch?
Yes, we did. And we even filmed at the Reagan Ranch in the Santa Barbara area. It was an incredible experience to ride where Barletta and Reagan rode. They never filmed there before.
We even filmed in the Reagan Library for a couple of days.
You are in the upcoming GAC Christmas movie, Jingle Bell Princess with Merritt Patterson! Is this your first Royal Christmas movie?
This is my first Royal movie, but I am not the royal. Merritt is. I play the regular guy.
Maybe next time you can be the Royal. Can you tell us a bit about this movie?
This is the story of a widowed dad Sam, and his twin girls. The Princess stays with them during the holidays. I had a great time filming it with Merritt.
The movie is based on the book His Jingle Bell Princess by Barbara Dunlop.
Join @TrevDon & @merritt_pattrsn for a behind-the-scenes look at #JingleBellPrincess on set! Premiering Sat., Dec. 4, 8pmET/5pmPT, on #GACfamilyTV! 🎄👑 #JingleBellPrincess #GreatAmericanChristmas #12MoviesOfChristmas #StoriesWellTold #GACers #ChristmasMovies @CharlieJBoyle pic.twitter.com/FWTSLfE6m7
— Great American Family (@GAfamilyTV) December 2, 2021
Roma Drama is coming up in Florida from January 7-9. What do you enjoy about meeting the fans?
We did the first one in Franklin, Tennessee. It was great. Meeting fans was great. I learned just how important these movies are to fans. It was a great experience.
The next Roma Drama is in Palm Beach, Florida January 7-9.
I don’t think you can talk about The Engagement Plot, but your social media, along with Rachel Boston and Jacks and even Brian Bird who is behind this movie. It is hard to not get excited about this movie.
This movie is not for GAC or Hallmark. They made it independently. [It is an acquisition.] This is a story like The Bachelor. This story is about the girl he didn’t pick, and he makes up for his mistake.
Speaking of Social Media, I go to your channel to feel good. You are always so upbeat and you look for ways to unite people. That is a gift. You always are a positive place on the Internet.
Originally, I tried to promote some products and I did not feel comfortable with that. Then, I realized I could do something positive online.
When you were a kid, you could be bullied at school, but you could escape from it and go home. But now with social media, you can never escape it because it is anonymous.
My online presence is how to address the bullying initiative as well. If I am going to speak out on it I need to represent it correctly. I have to follow that in how I conduct myself online.
Tell us more about the anti-bullying campaign.
This is really important to me. There is a new hashtag #TheUpstanders
Credit: ©2021 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Allister Foster
Would you like to talk about dog rescue? Your dogs are adorable!
I have three dogs. My Bulldog is Tito, Golden Retriever, Shadow, and Labrador Chance. One was what you would call a rescue, because of a risky home situation.
But I have others who help me out with the dogs. It would not be fair to bring them to travel. I have to go in and out of Canada.
They send me photos every day. They are living a great life. That is what is important.
Trevor Donovan next stars in Jingle Bell Princess. It premieres on Saturday, December 4, at 8 p.m. Eastern, on GAC.
Trevor’s Hallmark Christmas movie, Nantucket Noel is still airing on the network. Moreover, the encore presentations are on Wednesday, December 8, at 8 a.m., and on Saturday, December 25, at 2 a.m., all times Eastern.
Lastly, Reagan will be released in the first quarter of 2022.
