Hallmark’s Big Change: Old Regime Demanded ‘No Tears’
In the past year, a couple of big Hallmark stars, Candace Cameron Bure and Danica McKellar, defected to Great American Family. This is the new network that Bill Abbott, former Hallmark, CEO, started. McKellar has even called GAF “more Hallmark than Hallmark is.”
However, Nikki DeLoach has revealed that Abbott’s regime micromanaged everything down to how many tears she had in an emotional scene.
What did the Curious Caterer star reveal?
Nikki DeLoach Reveals ‘Old Hallmark’ Didn’t Let Her Cry In Movies
In the past few years, the Hallmark Channel has made a lot of changes. They have become more inclusive, they have improved their wardrobe, and they now even let actors cry in dramatic scenes.
Recently, Cranberry Christmas star Nikki DeLoache was a guest on the Vulnerable Podcast. She confessed to podcast host Carlson Romano, “I’m a crier. Like, if something is sad, I’m gonna cry.”
However, the old regime nixed that acting choice. Nikki revealed, “And they would go, ‘No, no, we don’t want to have the tears. Just, like, one single solitary tear.’ And I’d be like, ‘Okaaay.’ Because…they wanted you to still look pretty.”
In other words, they did not want their actresses to have smudged makeup or not look perfect. The scenario is something out of The Stepford Wives.
Thankfully, now under the regime of new Hallmark Media CEO Wonya Lucas, Nikki can bawl her eyes out, and no one will stop her. “Now…we are telling deeper, richer, bigger stories.” Most of all, she loves it.
The way Hallmark thinks about it now — the mindset that’s happening at our network — is our audience is very diverse, actually. We want everybody to see themselves in at least one or handfuls of our movies, and I love that.
Danica McKellar Praises Old Hallmark Regime At Great American Family
Back in July, Danica McKellar told USMagazine why she left Hallmark for Bill Abbott and Great American Family. Firstly, she revealed that Abbott’s network offered her a multi-picture deal. In addition, she was signed on to be a producer. That means from the start of a project, she was able to develop a movie and see it to the end.
Also, she revealed that she felt that working for Great American Family was familiar to her. “In some ways feels more like Hallmark than probably if I were still Hallmark. So all producers are all the same. All the actors, of course, were the same too.”
Not exactly all of the actors. Besides Candace Cameron Bure, Trevor Donovan, and Jen Lilley were the other regulars on the feel-good network who left.
However, with Nikki DeLoach’s revelation, fans online have now begun to wonder whether these actors left because Hallmark expected them to do more on screen. Perhaps they were uncomfortable doing comedy or a full-on dramatic scene with crying.
Then again, Candace Cameron Bure’s recent comments to the WSJ about Great American Family focusing on “traditional marriage,” has created a lot of controversies. This is because the phrase “will keep traditional marriage at core” is code for anti-gay marriage. Moreover, Hallmark is now dedicated to being inclusive.
CCB’s statement has caused fury online, and even her Fuller House costar and television sister Jodie Sweetin called her out for this statement.
What do you think of Nikki DeLoach’s revelation about showing emotion in a Hallmark movie?
