Today, I am excited to share with you all my interview with actress, Andrea Brooks, who stars on the Hallmark drama, When Calls the Heart, and has been in a number TV movies, including: A Wish For Christmas, Destination Wedding, Jingle Around the Clock, Fishing for Love and more!
In our interview below we discuss Andrea's new UPtv movie, The Wedding Fix, where she plays the lead role of a television journalist who takes on the challenge of planning her best friend's wedding. I had the pleasure of pre-screening this movie; it is a delightful, lighthearted family friendly rom-com, with great chemistry between the leads and sweet best friend moments. I hope you enjoy my interview with Andrea below and the premiere of The Wedding Fix this Sunday night on UPtv!
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INTERVIEW
Actress
Andrea Brooks
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Net, It’s a Wonderful Movie: Welcome, Andrea, to ‘It’s a Wonderful Movie,’ where we chat about family friendly movies on TV! Please tell us about your character, Gwen, in “The Wedding Fix.” Is she anything like you?
Andrea Brooks: Thanks so much for the chat! My character in "The Wedding Fix" can best be described as a no-nonsense, Type-A, hyper-planner. I do think I share some similarities with Gwen, but I'm definitely a bit more capable of going with the flow than she is (I think that comes with the territory when you act for a living). It's apparent within the first few scenes of the movie that Gwen's ability to focus and follow a strict set of rules is both her strength and her flaw. She's a hardworking television journalist with a big heart, and she's always happy to lend a helping hand, but she very much likes things to be done on her own terms. It's about time she meets someone who can shake things up and teach her the value in improvising and living in the moment.
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| image: “The Wedding Fix” UPtv |
Net, It’s a Wonderful Movie: Do you have a favorite scene or memorable filming moment in “The Wedding Fix?”
Andrea Brooks: This was an exceptionally delightful shoot! I adored working with our director, Nicholas Humphries, and Patch May was such a fun co-star with infectious charisma! Most of my memories involve us cracking up in between takes along with the rest of the cast and crew. That said, one of my favourite moments during the shoot took place during a cute star gazing scene. The camera setup was quite elaborate, and it was freezing cold shooting out on the dewy grass in the middle of the night, but the scene felt so effortless and natural. I think it's my favourite moment in the entire movie.
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| image: “The Wedding Fix” screen grab from UPtv |
Net, It’s a Wonderful Movie: Your character, Gwen, goes rock-climbing for the first time. Have you ever done any sort of outdoor adventures like this?
Andrea Brooks: I have only ever rock climbed at indoor climbing gyms, so rigging up to climb a real mountain was a new experience for me (as it was for Gwen)! We were lucky in that there were a lot of climbing experts on our crew. They were wonderfully helpful when it came to giving us pointers in this scene.
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| image: “The Wedding Fix” UPtv |
Net, It’s a Wonderful Movie: Congratulations on “The Wedding Fix” being your second lead role in an UPtv movie this year. The first movie, of course, was “Fishing for Love.” In that movie your character learns to fish. Did you have any previous experience fishing in real-life?
Andrea Brooks: Thank you so much!! I have such fantastic memories from both of those shoots and I'm so excited that people can finally see the movies on UPtv. I had no experience with fishing prior to shooting "Fishing for Love" (unless, of course, you count my brother and I putting poptarts on hooks and attempting to catch carp in Lake Las Vegas when we were kids). Shooting at the docks in Brentwood Bay was fabulous because we were able to meet and chat with so many individuals from the local fishing community. Spencer Lord and I were able to get out on the water, ask fishing questions, and learn to tie knots before we even went to camera. I loved it! Also! Fun fact... Keep your eyes out for a fishing scene in "The Wedding Fix." It was thrilling to be able to put this newly acquired skill to use in yet another movie!
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| image: “Fishing for Love” UPtv |
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| image: “The Wedding Fix” UPtv |
Net, It’s a Wonderful Movie: Was it a challenge to film these movies during the pandemic?
Andrea Brooks: Filming during a pandemic is no easy task. You're always worried that at any moment, a producer could come running in with bad news about an outbreak. Luckily, we were in the clear for both "Fishing for Love" and "The Wedding Fix." Generally, I have found that people in the film industry take the ever-evolving covid protocols quite seriously as nobody wants to cause a shut down. I find that we definitely shoot outdoors quite a bit more. We also test and maintain distance when not filming. I've worked with so many exceptional artists over the past couple of years, and I'm so scared I won't recognize them if I ever see them walking down the street without a mask on.
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| image: “When Calls the Heart” Hallmark Crown Media |
Net, It’s a Wonderful Movie: Many viewers also recognize you as Dr. Faith Carter on the television series, “When Calls the Heart.” Please share what it is like to work on this family series, especially as your character moves on with her medical career in Hope Valley without her love, Dr. Carson Shepherd.
Andrea Brooks: When Calls the Heart is such a wonderful gift. I adore our cast and crew so much and I still pinch myself when driving in to work every day. I'm so proud of Faith's career achievements, and I've loved bearing witness to her evolution as both a medical professional and as a human being over these past eight years. Becoming a doctor in the early 20th century was unheard of, and it's quite a thrill being able to tell that story, especially now that she's standing on her own two feet after Carson left for Baltimore. Faith's got a lot on her mind this season, and she's finally going to have to come to terms with her feelings and her heart (something she hasn't been very good at doing in the past).
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| image: “When Calls the Heart” Hallmark Crown Media |
Net, It’s a Wonderful Movie: What does it mean to you, personally – to create movies and TV shows that families can watch together?
Andrea Brooks: It means so much to me, especially now being a parent myself. I was so inspired by family friendly shows like "Little House on the Prairie," "Full House" and "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" when I was growing up, and it makes me happy to think that I get to be a part of telling those kinds of stories for a new generation. I do believe that television has tremendous power to bring families and loved ones together while teaching valuable lessons and inspiring us to be the best versions of ourselves. It can also offer comfort, connection and community. I absolutely love being a part of it all!
Net, It’s a Wonderful Movie: Oh, I love the shows you mentioned! I, too, grew up with those same exact programs in my home. My family especially loved "Little House!" It is awesome to think a whole new generation is growing up now with "When Calls the Heart!"
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| image: “The Wedding Fix” UPtv |
Net, It’s a Wonderful Movie: Do you have any future projects you can share with us?
Andrea Brooks: The ninth season of When Calls the Heart is currently on air and we're crossing our fingers for a season 10! I have another movie forthcoming that stars myself and Marcus Rosner (I'll be sure to keep everyone updated about a release date).
Net, It’s a Wonderful Movie: That's so fun that you were able to work with Marcus Rosner again! You two made such a cute bride and groom in "A Harvest Wedding." I look forward to hearing more about your new movie (working title: "Sit, Stay, Love"); the story sounds like a cute one - based around pet adoption.
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| image: "A Harvest Wedding" - Hallmark Crown Media image: on the set of "Sit, Stay, Love" - Instagram |
Net, It’s a Wonderful Movie: Anything else you'd like to share?
Andrea Brooks: I've also been writing a lot and have started pitching some of my own family friendly projects. In the meantime, be sure to check out reruns of "Fishing for Love," as well as "The Wedding Fix" on UPtv on March 20th!
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| image: “The Wedding Fix” UPtv |
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| image: “The Wedding Fix” UPtv |
Thank you so much, Andrea, for taking the time to share your filming experience with us! It is always interesting to learn extra behind-the-scenes details, and it was fun to hear your enjoyment in the creation of this new rom-com! The outdoor setting is certainly beautiful throughout the film; it is truly a breath of fresh air! And the love story that develops gradually throughout the movie is such a sweet one! Thank you for this lovely, family-friendly movie!
I also want to say a special thank you to all my followers here for reading this interview. I've included a trailer for “The Wedding Fix” below. I hope you will enjoy the premiere of this lighthearted movie this weekend. Like sunshine peeking through the clouds, “The Wedding Fix” will leave you with a smile on your face and brighten your day!
Be sure to catch the premiere of
Sunday, March 20, 2022
at 7pm/6c. on UPtv!
