Rascal Flatts’ Joe Don Rooney Stars in Holiday Hallmark Film, ‘Christmas in the Heartland’

Rascal Flatts’ Joe Don Rooney’s creative talents extend beyond his music. The singer and guitar player is starring in a holiday film, Christmas in the Heartland, on the Hallmark channel this holiday season. Rooney plays, appropriately, an aspiring country singer named Jim, who discovers he is the father of a teenage girl.

The movie, with many twists and turns, might open the doors for more acting opportunities for Rooney, but this isn’t his first acting role. The 42-year-old also appeared in To Appomattox, and, according to Rooney’s bandmate, Jay DeMarcus, who is both scoring music for and appearing in the upcoming flick, Will Gardner, all three of the Flatts guys, including lead singer Gary LeVox, have a bit of the acting bug.

“Who doesn’t like to sit in a room and play pretend with a bunch of other adults? It’s a wonderful thing to be a part of,” DeMarcus recently said (quote via The Boot) “So, when they make sense and we have time to do other things, then I love to do it, but Flatts is always the priority, and obviously the most important thing career-wise.”

Rascal Flatts won’t have much time to dabble in new endeavors in the new year. The trio have hinted that they plan on doing a big tour in 2018, but have yet to announce any details. Their latest album, Back to Us, was released earlier this year, and is available for purchase on Amazon and iTunes.

In addition to airing on the Hallmark channel, Christmas in the Heartland, which also stars Bo Derek and Shelley Long,is also available for viewing on Amazon, iTunes, and Target.