Exclusive Interview: Alison Sweeney On New ‘Hannah Swensen’ Hallmark Mystery
Alison Sweeney is back for her tenth Hannah Swensen Mystery, A Sprinkle Of Deceit. Moreover, with her upcoming Miracles of Christmas movie, This Time Each Year, she will celebrate her thirtieth movie with the Hallmark Channel. This is quite a milestone.
In this exclusive TV Shows Ace interview, Alison talks about this new mystery, the chemistry between Hannah and Chad Norton (Victor Webster), and the British screenwriters who bring something special to this new movie.
Tenth Hannah Swensen Mystery
Alison, this is your tenth Murder She Baked/Hannah Swensen Mystery. How has this whole experience changed within these 10 movies?
It’s been incredible. What a journey I have been on with this character! It has been so much fun! I love playing Hannah. I love the cast. I love the crew we get to work with on these movies, developing these mystery ideas. Murder She Baked is the very first movie I shot up in Canada. It is such a perfect show, character, families that see me through all the different projects with Hallmark, and I always seem to go back to Hannah.
Barbara Niven is like a mom to me. And the friends–dear friends–the girls who play my sisters also. I have become so close to them. They are such wonderful people and so funny. It makes the whole thing so much fun to go back to. This is a character I love.
Alison Sweeney On The Authentic Minnesota Feeling In Hannah Swensen
I am from From Minnesota. It is so Minnesotan in so many ways, how she dresses, how they interact.
I love that! I read Joanne Fluke’s books and they are very Minnesotan. I try to incorporate as much Minnesota as possible–the recipes, the character’s names, some of the really fun ways they interact with each other. They feel so local and so real. I love to include that in the movies.
Alison Sweeney Warns That Everyone A suspect
Sounds like everyone is a suspect in A Sprinkle of Deceit. Can you give a few clues for Sleuthers?
I love this movie. It was super fun. How do I give away some clues without giving it away? Hmm. A number of the crew said that they really didn’t see the murderer coming. They were very surprised. Which I always think is the best compliment. You have to look a little deeper.
And one of the really fun elements of this is from the book, the reunion for Lonnie, a high school reunion. I thought this was a fun way to introduce all the characters in a party format. You have to come in with an open mind. ‘Is that person going to die or is that person the killer? I am happy with the way we laid it out.
Are There Clues In A Sprinkle Of Deceit Title?
The title A Sprinkle Of Deceit-does this give us a clue as well?
The deceit is sprinkled in. It might just not be the killer with the deceit going on.
Alison Sweeney’s Chemistry With Victor Webster
You did a really good job introducing Victor’s character, Chad in One Bad Apple. This was a difficult thing to do. Cameron was well-loved. You brought someone new, and you did a great job. What’s next? More sizzle?
We’re looking for a little more sizzle. This is one of the fun aspects of these mysteries that Joanne Fluke wrote in her books, that triangle. That whole idea that Hannah is a single woman, a baker. She’s got a career, she’s got this hobby solving mysteries, crazy family, and she doesn’t have time to choose.
She is not into settling down yet. She is out there, living her best life, right?
You met Chad in the last one. He’s thrown her for a loop. He’s a real driven guy, with his own life, his own plans. He does not just fall for her. I really enjoyed writing his character. For this one, I feel I – and the writers – this was a real collaborative effort – did not change Chad. But, evolve him more into the life of Lake Eden.
He is sort of a question mark. He is new to the town a couple of years ago. He is not from Minnesota. We’re just getting the hang of him and seeing him. He is used to being around all the craziness of the Swensen ladies, and what goes out in Lake Eden. We get a sense, through his eyes, of the chaos.
Barbara Niven In New Hannah Swensen
It looks like Delores is heading for the big screen! What is happening with Barbara Niven in this new mystery?
Delores is my favorite character ever to write, to be a part of, to stand next to. And Barbara plays her so perfectly. But, it really is just hilarious every day to watch her. The way she brought this character around, she’s still Delores from the books. I think Delores in the book always had these goals for projects, she wrote a romance novel. Now she is off doing this and that, and always wanted to be part of the Lake Eden players, which is an acting troop.
In comes this opportunity, with this wonderful cameo a friend of mine did for this movie. It turns out she has a gift. She gets caught up in Hollywood glamour. You had to know it was coming, she gets sucked into Hollywood glamour, and starts using the lingo. There were so many outtakes we could not use. She was so funny.
New Writers For New Hannah Swensen
I was curious to see two new writers Nick Hopkins and Tim James who wrote the script. What do they bring? They are coming into the tenth movie.
They are coming into a pre-set family. They watched the movies before they started. They are British. We were looking for their fun British charm and humor. It was just delightful. I think they had such a lovely touch. This is what I love about watching all of those British mystery shows. They had good ideas about what the mystery was going to be, what the clues were going to be, and how to solve them. They also did a great job with these characters.
A Sprinkle Of Deceit Is Kevin Leslie’s Directorial Debut
The director of A Sprinkle Of Deceit is Kevin Leslie’s directorial debut! What does he bring in as a new mystery director?
He has come up through the ranks and has been a producer for a long time–like a physical producer, putting all the movies together, the crew. But, he’s never had a chance to direct a movie himself. So when we asked him, he was thrilled. He loves these movies. Loves mystery. He’s got such great ideas. He really elevated the movie–the story, and the tension, and the mystery and the suspense of it. I think he did a really good job with creating a cozy mystery.
Credit: ©2024 Hallmark Media/Photographer: Bettina Strauss
Don’t miss A Sprinkle Of Deceit: A Hannah Swensen Mystery on Friday, October 4, at 9 p.m., Eastern, on Hallmark Mystery. In addition, The first nine movies in this series are available to stream on Hallmark+.
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