Alison Sweeney on Difference Between Hallmark Romance and Mystery Movies (Exclusive)

Alison Sweeney is continuing her Hallmark Channel reign. The actress and producer is back with two new films.

Sweeney has been a staple on the network for years, starring in romance films and mysteries alike, and is expanding her work through creating content for the network. Under her new deal, she’s producing stories the fans are enjoying.

In Romance at Hope Ranch, she stars as Hope Morgan. She starts a new chapter as her daughter heads off for college, leaving the life she knows to fulfill her childhood dream of running a ranch in the picturesque town of Ruidoso, New Mexico and reviving the beloved Giddy Up Gala, a beloved but forgotten tradition. Her transition isn’t easy, and she must navigate new challenges, and decide whether to invite an old love back into her life.

In Sugar and Vice: A Hannah Swensen Mystery, she plays the role of baker Hannah Swensen who agrees to cater desserts for the grand masquerade at the newly renovated hotel. With glamour in mind, she’s shocked to learn of a murder, and must sift through secrets, scandals, and sparkling masks to unmask a killer before the night ends to avoid the catastrophe from ruining the event.

PopCulture.com caught up with the Sweeney about her new films. The actress also dished on her expansion with Hallmark.

PopCulture.com: Thank you for talking to PopCulture today. Congrats on your two new movies with Hallmark. For Romance at Hope Ranch, did you guys shoot on location in New Mexico?

Allison Sweeney: We did. We actually shot in the town of Ruidoso, and in a farm not too far away from that, a ranch, and we were there the whole time. It was so great. 

PC: How did that add to the experience to really be able to immerse yourself in the town, considering the town plays a character in the film?

AS: Exactly. It just felt like I really got to experience the town and feel it for real, so that I could understand the dynamic of my character being there and settling into this great community. And so I just think the community really became a role in the movie more than even intended in the script because we were really filming there.

PC: Also in Romance at Hope Ranch, you play an empty nester excited about her next chapter in life and potentially love. How did you relate to those two themes?

AS: I’m in the middle of it. My son is off at college, my daughter is a year away from going to college. I definitely related to how it feels and getting to play opposite Megan, my own daughter, in real life in that scene, brought it all home for me in a way that was very real. So it was really fun to have that experience and different from some of the other movies I’ve done.

PC: Now working with your daughter in the film, did it become emotional for you at any point because you are going through it in real life?

AS: Yeah, it just felt that scene, in particular with Megan, where we say goodbye, it did kind of really feel real and it was this cute little dorm room set that they built just for filming that scene. It brought a lot of truth to the moment in a way that I think Megan and I both felt real about.

PC: Did working with your daughter in this film bring you guys any closer?

AS: Yes, even though we are already close. But I think it helped because it really gave Megan an insight into what I do for a living and what my job really is like. And so, I think that was fun to share with have her really get a sense of what it’s all about, and it gave her a new appreciation for how hard my job is, and different from what she probably imagined it being.

So, I think that was really cool. And I really loved sharing that experience with her, just being with her on set, seeing her engage with like other crew members and the cast, and being on her own. I got to really witness her being an adult, and a professional in that environment, and she did a great job. She was super positive and smart, and appropriate. And she just fit into the world really well and it was really awesome to watch. I was so proud.

PC: Your other movie is a mystery film. What type of preparation do you do for the different genres of a romance versus a mystery?

AS: When I’m acting, it’s about the building of that character in that world. So in the romance film, it was more about just trying to really be as natural and organic in that circumstance. And in some ways, I felt I could identify with Hope because I love horses, and I could totally see myself, that if I was to want a second chapter, I always joke and say, ‘I’d want to start a vineyard or a horse ranch, or maybe both.’ I love that way Hope was written. She is very much a doer, and someone who loves to do stuff for herself and doesn’t like to ask for help, and she’s really thought and through. She knows what she’s doing, but it’s also overwhelming, and sometimes it’s OK to ask for help. And so I loved that theme and that build for the character in that movie.

Preparing for a role for the mystery film was different because, or I should say similar because like the circumstances of the mystery and the murder and the solving the crime are all like accidents that happen along the way. And so developing the character of Hannah is really about finding your way to her own dreams of having her bake shop, and then these crazy things happen around her that she has to deal with, if that makes sense.

PC: What elements about each genre do you like?

AS: I like them for different reasons. But for me, the mysteries are super fun because you always get a little bit of action, and there’s adrenaline, and confrontations or the scary things that happen. It’s just a different thing for me to do, so I really love playing into those elements. I love the romances for those cute moments and kind of like awkward real life stuff that happens.

PC: You’re a beloved Hallmark staple. What makes the network so magical that you want to continue sharing your art on the platform?

AS: The fans, 100% interacting with the fans, meeting people who watched the movies. I just met this lovely woman last night who’s a huge fan of Hallmark movies and she was sharing with me her favorites and how it makes her Christmas so much more magical to have the the movies on during the holidays and just hearing people’s stories of how they connect with these movies and what it means to them, and interacting with them online. Ever since I started on Days of Our Lives when I was a kid, it was so great to get that feedback from fans early in my career and recognizing what they noticed in the scenes and what I can do as an actor and a producer and a writer. I want the fans to know that it really matters to me, that their reaction and their engagement is what it’s all for for me. I love it. It brings me so much joy to know I’m impacting people like that and bringing them feelings and happiness and comfort in their home.

PC: And outside of acting in Hallmark films, you’re also producing. How has Hallmark allowed you to spread your wings as an artist?

AS: Hallmark has been so welcoming to me. I’m so grateful to have them as producing partners in this project, in this world, and they want to produce with me. They want to develop ideas with me. We have great similarities in the kind of content we want to produce for the audiences. And they’re so receptive to that, and I’m so grateful to have them. I’m so grateful to have them and to be able to work with them. I am lucky to have that relationship.

Sugar & Vice: A Hannah Swensen Mystery (Hallmark Channel) Premieres Saturday, March 7th at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Channel and streaming next day on Hallmark+. Romance on Hope Ranch is available to stream now.