Alison Sweeney’s recent release Hannah Swensen Mystery, “One Bad Apple,” is introducing Victor Webster to the series for the first time. Webster, Sweeney’s co-star from “The Wedding Veil” movies, will be taking over for Cameron Mathison’s character. His character is Chad Norton, a prosecuting attorney.
In an discussion with the podcast Hallmark Mysteries & More, Sweeney talked about the process of bringing Webster into the series. And she shared a few details about her aspirations for her other series, “Chronicle Mysteries.”
Hallmark Executives Came Up With the Idea of Adding Webster to the Cast
Sweeney told Eric Rutin of Hallmark Mysteries & More that it was Hallmark, not her, who came up with the idea of inviting Webster onto the series. Once they approached her with the idea, Sweeney said she immediately felt he would be a great fit.
“When Hallmark approached me about Victor’s availability and (that) he might be interested… I seriously was like ‘Yes! Yes! What do we have to do? Yes, right now! Call him back, tell him yes, don’t let him do anything else,” Sweeney recalled.
She said that after starring in the two “Wedding Veil” movies with Webster, she had no doubt that he was the perfect choice.
“It was Hallmark’s idea,” she confirmed. “…I was still not at that stage yet… It was Hallmark that approached me with the idea. ‘Victor’s available. Victor’s an actor we love. What would you think about us going to him?’ As the words were still hanging in the air I was like, ‘Oh my gosh yes, yes, how do I make this happen?'”
Then it was just a matter of putting together a character for Webster and pitching the idea to him, she shared.
“So then we strategized about it…” Sweeney continued, noting that at this point, Webster had no idea they were considering him. “So I pitched and developed an idea for what his character would be like and we had a meeting with him and I pitched it to him and he was very positive and responsive and he loved it… He said yes! So it was thrilling.”
Sweeney expressed appreciation for Hallmark’s creativity in thinking of Webster.
“It just felt so right to me,” Sweeney recalled. “I wish I could take credit for it being my idea. It was not my idea… At least I know when to grab onto a good idea.”
She added that fans will notice that Webster brings a new dimension to the series.
“He’s perfect for it and he brings such a new and different chemistry to the Hannah universe…” Sweeney said. “Right away I could imagine how that was gonna go and how the character, how Chad would fit into this world. And I just knew Victor could do it. And I was so excited for mixing it up in that way, giving him a little more of that skepticism about Hannah. It was really fun for me.”
Sweeney Said Her Focus Is Always on Making the Fans Happy
Sweeney shared that when they make the “Hannah Swensen” movies, the focus is always on keeping the fans happy.
“For me it’s all about what fans want to see and supporting that and giving them the exciting movies they want to watch,” she said. “That’s what’s so rewarding to me.”
She said that she wants to create many more movies in the Swensen franchise.
“I hope the fans understand how much they mean to me and their feelings about these movies are important to me,” she said. “But I want to keep doing this for a long time. I want to make 30 of these movies… To protect that, sometimes you have to take action in the short term…. I understand it's painful, but hopefully they have faith in me and give me a chance.”
When the “Carrot Cake” movie ended on a cliffhanger, Sweeney said it was important that fans knew right away that another movie would be coming. And she wanted to ensure that both characters had valid perspectives.
“I do think that Mike had his own point of view, that he was trying to protect her…” she remembered. “He didn’t want to upset her, and I completely understand that from his perspective… They both came to that argument with a real, legitimate point of view.”
She also mentioned that Cameron Mathison did an excellent job in the scenes.
Sweeney Also Gave a Little Hope for Fans of ‘Chronicle Mysteries’
Sweeney also starred in “Chronicle Mysteries” with Benjamin Ayres. And while the franchise isn’t officially canceled, there aren’t currently plans for another film. But she hopes things will change one day.
“As far as I’ve heard it’s not officially canceled…” Sweeney said. “I don’t disagree with Hallmark that in the world of the mysteries it’s probably confusing and weird to have me star in two different mystery series, but I don’t see a problem with that… I’m happy to make the movies that they’re asking for and keep my options open… I love the story of Alex and Drew, I love that whole premise… I have plenty of ideas waiting in the wings.”
