The leading ladies share secrets from set and how they brought these strong, Southern characters to life.
They really captured Southern decor and charm.
Shiplap,haint blue, spices in mason jarsthey thought of everything.
Credit:©2024 Hallmark Media/Kailey Schwerman
The changes that have been made only make the story richer and more interesting.
I always love playing characters who have some chinks in the armor.
Its so much more interesting and certainly Gus is unlike any character Ive ever played.
Credit:©2024 Hallmark Media/Bettina Strauss
She also struggles with trusting others and always seems on edge.
The complexities of Gus are what drew Malick to the role.
Shes been sort of marginalized in this town as sort of the bad seed.
©2024 Hallmark Media/Kailey Schwerman.
Its really hard to dodge it.
To get out of it.
But as time goes by I think were going to start to see the cracks in her armor.
Credit:©2024 Hallmark Media/Bettina Strauss
I like that shes no nonsense.
I like that she doesnt suffer fools.
And I like that she gets to wear really comfortable clothes.
Credit:©2024 Hallmark Media/Kailey Schwerman
These are my favorite old pair of jeans and I donated them for Gus to wear.
I actually dress like this when Im home.
We live on a ranch and when Im not going out and playing glamorpusses, Im shoveling horse doo.
So its not that far afield for me.
What is different for the veteran actress is the accent.
She continued, Its always fun to be able to immerse yourself.
You know for me its about okay how do I sound?
How do I walk?
What am I wearing?
What kind of hair do I have?
What do my nails look like?
Wife to the late Frank Sr. and mother to Frank Jr. (played by James Kot).
And I kind of feel that way about him.
And its a really interesting thing.
I never thought about that in a way.
Im a very big family person.
I love my brothers and sisters.
We always have dinner on Sundays together.
And we always celebrate all occasions.
Im obsessed with having a tight knit family.
So that feeling of loving the person that loves your child is very interesting.
And she loves me too.
And its a lovely, interesting relationship.
I work so much in the South and Ive done so many movies in the South.
Two in Austin, Two in Dallas, Tennessee, Atlanta.
Ive worked in Atlanta a lot.
So Ive spent a lot of time in the South…
I think the way people in the South enjoy words is so fun.
And they definitely captured that in the writing.
I think maybe most specifically with my character.
And fun… Theres a wonderful tradition of women characters.
I think just of women and the language is more delicious.
Mae is the one who left Merinac.
Maybe she actually can go home again, and it just might be very beneficial to her career.
And so much of her identity is founded upon being a New Yorker now.
Thats me in New Orleans.
So Im obsessed with her.
Its the best place in the world to spend Christmas, apart from Hallmark.
Everything is such a party.
A zest for living that I find to be so utterly unique.
I love it so much, I get teary-eyed.
Another Southern city is also close to Angelsons heart.
Memphis is the first place that I ever shot a feature film.
I was in a movie there for a couple of weeks.
Right before I went to graduate school.
And oh my gosh.
Memphis is my second favorite city.
She added in a whisper, So much better than Nashville.
Ive never been to Nashville but thats what I think!
ThisMemphis-born editorcouldnt agree more.
When Amanda married Frank Jr., she switched sides and became a Frannies girl.
She then became an outcast in the world in which she grew up.
She was no longer allowed into her mothers restaurant or to her home.
Shes really taken over a very motherly role.
And her sister for that matter, Fisk explained.
And you’re free to get the most mad at.
But its because you love them so much and you care.
Those relationships are really complicated and really complex and I just love that the show is going there.
Its not glassed over.
These are complicated relationships with complex women.
Theyre all coming from something.
They all have a backstory that informs why these relationships are the way they are.
Strong, Southern women is not a foreign concept to Fisk.
She is the daughter of Academy Award winner Sissy Spacek, and she grew up in the South.
The two states that I call home are Texas and Virginia.
So that was always the place where we spent a lot of time when I was growing up.
I was raised in Virginia and that is my true briarpatch.
I love the South.
I love small towns.
I feel like this show really honors whats special and whats complicated about growing up in a small town.
That I recognize more as an adult even.
I definitely felt it as a kid but didnt really register.
As an adult I feel so lucky.
If you missed it because you don’t have the internet’s streaming service, this is your chance.
And trust me, you won’t want to miss this show.
