wingman wednesday

A talented newcomer who could also whoop your butt, Lily Ji is about to make her presence known as she is set to go toe-to-talon with building-sized monsters in “Pacific Rim: Uprising.” As one of the newly-minted cadets tasked with saving humanity by way of giant robots called Jaegers, the Beijing-based actress hopes that the size and scope of the movie (never mind the CGI creatures) will lead to more on-screen opportunities both here in the States and abroad.

We recently sat down with Ji to discuss her excitement for the film, the need to tap into her imagination while shooting against green screens, and how her background in various forms of martial arts helps her career in multiple ways.

TrunkSpace: “Pacific Rum: Uprising” is a big movie with mass international appeal. Is it difficult to not feel overwhelmed as you gear up towards the release?
Ji: I’ve been just feeling so excited since day one until now. So very excited, that’s for sure.

TrunkSpace: Does the idea that the film is expected to do so well in so many different markets increase that excitement?
Ji: Yeah, absolutely. I remember the first one did really well in China and then I was like, “Wow!” And I got to work on the second one and it’s like, “Great!” It’s so funny, I remember a few months ago I actually ran into the triplets from the first one in Beijing. They were the cadets and now I’m the new generation. It’s like, “Wow, what a connection.”

TrunkSpace: Nowadays it seems that everything getting made is based on something else, but it’s kind of nice that “Pacific Rim” is marching to the beat of its own world/universe.
Ji: Oh yeah, absolutely. Which is really fun and exciting to work on, because as Marvel and all that, it’s already existing and been made so many times, but this one is a brand new world and it’s so much to explore. And then especially when we’re creating our own characters and we get to really put in a lot of personal stuff and personal understanding, which is really cool to do, on the creative side.

TrunkSpace: Obviously there’s a lot of green screen work in a film like this. As an actor does that require you to put more faith in your director because they’re not only taking you through the scene but, again, they’re helping to paint a picture of that world for you, right?
Ji: Yeah, absolutely. It’s just really practicing your concentration and definitely imagination, for sure. And luckily Steven (DeKnight) was always like, “Okay, just imagine over there, a Kaiju, and here’s how tall it would be, roughly,” and then you just have to use your imagination the whole time. There’s this one scene, four cadets – four of us – and half of the set actually was green screen and I was like, “Oh my God, it’s so hard to imagine.” But then, the other half was ready, so you kind of just copy that set into the other one and it’s like, “Okay, the whole thing is the same,” which is really fun to do. (Laughter)

TrunkSpace: Does that concentration also come into play when you’re trying to remain in the scene and work with those green scenes, because it must be difficult to not fall out of the moment at times?
Ji: Absolutely, especially when we’re adding action and stuff. That’s actually extra little work, and you have to remember your lines of course, and then the movements, and then when to do this and then when to punch that, and then also remember, don’t block your light and the position, this spot and that spot. It’s like, “Oh my god, what’s going on?” (Laughter)

TrunkSpace: A film like “Pacific Rim: Uprising” takes so long to make, especially in post-production when all of the effects are added. Is it odd for you to sort of be back into it now and talking about the film again after being away from it for so long?
Ji: No, actually, I think all the memories and experiences still feel like… they’re recently new for me. I guess just because it’s such a great project and it’s probably the first very big project for me, personally, I feel like, wow, it’s just so amazing. And we took like half a year to shoot, and we basically spent that half year, every day together. We train together – the cadets – we eat together, we do whatever, all together, kind of like we were doing military life together for half a year. And then the past year for post-production we still chat occasionally. We still follow each other’s stories and everything. I just feel like we never really have been apart, so part of that big family and the memory is still there.

TrunkSpace: Because it’s such a big movie, do you feel like it’s a career game changer?
Ji: Yeah, for sure, because my profile was generally in China before. Even though I was in some Hollywood productions before, the characters… the size of it… it’s just not very helpful, of course, until this one. And finally, with all the publicity… there’s only two Chinese cadets in the whole group and it’s really good for us to get seen and also to showcase our talent, our skills – like bilingual skills – and for me, an action side as well. I’ve been training for martial arts, MMA, all those, and definitely, action is one of the jobs I’ll keep doing.

It’s definitely a great opportunity to be seen by the industry here and internationally too. It will be a big step.

TrunkSpace: Having a background in martial arts must be a great asset to have as an actor because it opens doors for you that wouldn’t be available otherwise. You get to step into the action roles that just might not work for people who don’t have that skill set.
Ji: Yeah, for sure. I think age-wise, this age group, we’re already like new blood. MMA, boxing, martial arts, tai chi – all those kinds of stuff will definitely help me for sure. And I think, even if it’s sci-fi, where there are big productions – the superhero stuff – they also require action stuff. And actors or actresses still need to train. No matter what genre, definitely, something always will help. And also, it helps me to stay in shape. (Laughter)

“Pacific Rim: Uprising” opens today.

Featured image by: Luky Chen

From ancient Rome to the far reaches of space, Nick E. Tarabay has built a career on visiting fictional worlds that would make imaginative 10-year olds salivate. Hell, our inner kid is jumping up and down in excitement over his latest project, “Pacific Rim: Uprising,” because that’s what happens when you tell grown men that they get to watch giant monsters fight giant robots. Add the actor who plays Captain Boomerang into the mix and you pretty much just ransacked our childhood and brought one of our action packed action figure play sessions to life. Bravo to you!

We recently sat down with Tarabay to discuss how “Pacific Rim: Uprising” exceeded his own expectations, the feeling you’ll get when you leave the theater, and what fans of “The Expanse” can expect headed into Season 3.

 

TrunkSpace: This has got to be an exciting week for you. You just had the “Pacific Rim: Uprising” premiere the other night. How did that go?
Tarabay: Dude, it was fucking awesome is what it was.

TrunkSpace: When you’re shooting a movie like that, you must have your own idea of how the visuals will look in your mind. Did they live up to what you were expecting?
Tarabay: To be honest with you, and then some. Look, I’m old-school. I grew up watching movies before all the special effects and all the stuff, so when I see it now, it’s mind-blowing. It’s like, “How did they do that?” You see these robots, all CGI, but they’re characters. It’s amazing. I can’t even describe it. It’s amazing. So good. I was blown away.

TrunkSpace: And with this franchise in particular, what they did with the effects… the colors just pop right off of the screen.
Tarabay: Yeah, they were crazy. I was looking like, “Holy shit!”

TrunkSpace: “Pacific Rim” has such wide-reaching, international appeal. Does promoting it feel different because of that worldwide reach?
Tarabay: Absolutely, man. It’s great, because you don’t even have to speak English to like it. It’s such a beautiful, entertaining movie, and it’s got a lot of punchlines, and it’s got a lot of comedy as well in it. The action is just badass. You’re gonna love it. I mean, anybody will see it and be like, “Wow, that was fun.” As much as I love Oscar-winning movies and drama and all this stuff, I also love a good, entertaining movie. There’s nothing wrong with that. You go there and you just have fun, and your imagination gets to play, and you feel like a kid again. It’s beautiful. Just beautiful.

TrunkSpace: And in a day and age where, as a society, we’re so divided, it’s kind of nice to go see a movie where humanity is having to come together for the better good.
Tarabay: Absolutely! And also, it’s a diverse cast as well, which I’m for, through and through. I’m loving that Hollywood is on board with it now. It just shows you that, why not? What was the fear before from having a diverse cast? Me especially, coming from a different background, I appreciate it even more, because I think there’s a lot of talent out there, and a lot of gems out there, that just need an opportunity, just like me. Just give me the opportunity, and I will raise up to it and then some.

TrunkSpace: And the beauty in that is, a kid somewhere who doesn’t feel represented will see something of himself in the diverse cast and maybe feel inspired to chase his own dreams.
Tarabay: Absolutely. You hit it on the nail. I mean, look, I grew up in a culture, unfortunately, especially in my time, where nobody takes it seriously. It’s like, “Alright, get a real job, and then do the acting on the side as a hobby.” But who’s anybody to tell anyone else that this is not good enough? And to me, that hits on an artistic and a personal level. We were created in a way that we’re all artistic in one way or another, so for us not to fully realize that or acknowledge it, and by God have the support, it’s such a sad thing. And when I see that, when I see that onscreen, I’ll tell you, I’m lucky and I’m very old-school, because to me, that’s what I love about art. When it’s good, you don’t see diversity, you don’t see color, you don’t see culture. You just see something that brings everybody together.

TrunkSpace: And everyone might see or find something different in it, and yet they’re still bonded together collectively by that piece of art.
Tarabay: 100 percent! It has all these elements and then some, and it’s just… it’s good old fun. Just good old fun.

TrunkSpace: As an actor, do you have a different relationship with the work when there’s a very good chance that the audience is coming out to see the monsters and robots? Does your perspective of what goes into it, and what you take from it, from your side of things change?
Tarabay: Oh, not at all, dude. I loved it. I saw the first movie, and I was a fan. I think it’s just fun. I loved it. Doesn’t bother me at all. It’s not like I was, “Oh, I wish there was more of me or more of him or more of her than there is,” because let’s face it, I think the number one actor, the number one cast in this are the jaegers and the monsters. That’s the number one actor in the show, and then we come afterward. (Laughter) That’s my opinion. Some people might disagree with me, but I think that’s what it is. People wanna see those big monsters fight, and obviously the drama is gonna feed into it and that makes it even more delicious, but let’s face it, I wanna see those monsters kick ass and see what they do, so it’s all good, man.

TrunkSpace: In terms of your character Sonny, can you give us a sense of what his journey is without giving too much away?
Tarabay: Sonny is an edgy guy who wants what he wants. He’s a rough dude, and he tussles a little bit with John Boyega. It’s just fun, dude. I watched myself onscreen and, you know, in acting we tend to always look when we see ourselves on the screen like, “Oh, I could have done this better, could have done this better,” or whatever. I looked at it and I was like, “That was perfect.” I loved it. I loved me in it. (Laughter) And I think the audience will, too.

And hopefully in the third movie, you’ll see more of him.

TrunkSpace: Is it difficult promoting a project in this spoiler alert age and worrying about what you can and cannot say leading up to a launch date?
Tarabay: Yes and no, I guess. It all depends. I have a couple of other projects that I’m working on that I cannot say anything about, and I’m dying to tell. When people ask, I’m like, “Yeah, I’m working on something, I just can’t tell you what it is!” And I mean, I get it. Look, as artistic as it is, it’s also a business, and I can see why the studios and the production houses are saying, “Let’s keep it so the audience will be enticed more and they wanna see it more and spend more money,” and all this stuff. It’s also advertisements. We love what we can’t have. We want it all, what we cannot and what we don’t know. So it’s all part of the advertising. If I tell you, “Hey, there’s a big movie coming up, it’s gonna be spectacular, and I’m in it,” now you’re really curious. If I tell you what the movie’s all about, now you might be like, “Yeah, I’m not sure if this is my genre,” or, “I’m not sure if this is it,” or, “I’m not sure if I like this,” and right away you’re out. But if I leave you in the dark a little bit, now you wanna know, and now you wanna go see it, and now you investigate more. So it makes sense.

TrunkSpace: The breadcrumbs that lead us into the theater!
Tarabay: Absolutely, man! But in this case, you’re not gonna regret it. You’re gonna go there, you’re gonna watch a movie, you’re gonna leave feeling good.

TrunkSpace: You’re no stranger to characters and worlds that have big, passionate fan bases, from “The Expanse” to Captain Boomerang in “Arrow,” and even “Longmire.” Was that by design or has it been luck that you’ve landed in these projects that have such passionate fandoms?
Tarabay: You know, it’s a little bit of both. I think luck has a lot to do with it, obviously, but also hard work and having the right people around. Look, if you work, if you keep that dream of yours alive every day… which is probably one of the hardest things to do – just keeping it alive through the ups and the downs that we go through, especially as an actor  ’cause most actors, we have more down than up, and more down time than the times that we’re working. For example, for me I always go back and do theater, just to keep that instrument sharp, to keep that dream alive, to have that faith going to stay positive. I think that plays a big part into bringing these elements into your path. And also, obviously having the right people around you – from agent, manager, publicist – that help you realize that dream, also plays a part of it. But I think luck has something to do with it as well. And then obviously you have to deliver once you get it, so I’ve been lucky enough that a lot of the jobs that I’ve been getting have been through relationships that I’ve made, like Captain Boomerang was a straight offer because the showrunner, Marc Guggenheim, such a wonderful man, I’ve auditioned for him a couple times a year, and he liked my work, so he gave me the role. And there’s a show that I’m doing, “Taken,” now, which came out of nowhere, and it was the showrunner from “Person of Interest” that offered me the role, just straightaway. So, good people like that are all around, and good work, I think, it is appreciated. I’ve been lucky. Even “Spartacus,” I did with Steven DeKnight, and now Steven DeKnight is directing this, so if you’re having these kinds of relationships, delivering, and having the right people, it all plays a big part of it.

I think the hardest part is this: trying to stay positive throughout the whole journey. That’s the hardest part of it all, trying to stay positive, trying to stay sharp, trying to stay focused.

TrunkSpace: We know that the latest season of “The Expanse” kicks off in a few weeks. What are you most excited for in terms of your character’s journey in Season 3?
Tarabay: Oh, dude! I don’t know what happened in Season 3, they just… it’s way bigger! It’s just way bigger! The first episode is so grand, it’s gonna feel like a finale. It’s so big, and there’s so many things going on, and you’re like, “Wow, what just happened?”

“Pacific Rim: Uprising” opens today.

Season 3 of “The Expanse” kicks off April 11 on SyFy.

Joshua Leonard is no stranger to innovative films. As one of the stars of the original “The Blair Witch Project,” the Texas native had a hand in revolutionizing not only how people make movies, but how they market them. Now, nearly 20 years later, he’s at it again, portraying a can’t-take-no-for-an-answer stalker in Steven Soderbergh’s new thriller “Unsane,” which was shot almost entirely on the iPhone 7 Plus.

Although the process of how the movie was made is an interesting story, it’s not nearly as compelling as the movie itself, which follows a preyed upon woman named Sawyer (Claire Foy) who is involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital and soon discovers that she is now locked inside with the man who has been tormenting her. Leonard shines as the obsessed suitor David Strine, straddling the line between sympathetic shut-in and frightening madman. It’s the kind of performance that stays with you well after you leave the theater, which is unsettling given the character’s motivation. (Is he following us?)

We recently sat down with Leonard to discuss how little the iPhone aspect plays into the experience of watching the film, why he needed to step away from the character when not in scene, and how inhabiting a successful “bad guy” means not portraying him as one.

(And just in case we spoiled any alerts in our chat… SPOILER ALERT WARNING!)

TrunkSpace: We caught the movie earlier this week and really enjoyed it. Our hope now is that how the film was made does not overshadow the film itself.
Leonard: I hope not as well. It seems to me that the only reason that we’re discussing it is because it’s still a bit of a novelty that a big director made a film on an iPhone. I think aesthetically, if nobody told you, you’d see it in the theater and you’d go, “This is weird… this is interesting,” but it wouldn’t call that much attention to itself after a couple of minutes.

TrunkSpace: The real novelty is that it was an hour and a half, which nowadays, is a throwback!
Leonard: I’m a big believer in the 75 to 95 minute movie unless you’ve got big historical things to say. I think we’ve got enough unconscious knowledge as a filmmaking audience that we can make quicker movies and get more out of them. I was watching that Netflix series, “The End of the F***ing World,” and just thinking how much story they’re telling in these 17 to 18 minute episodes, and wondering to myself if that was because they were just really good at telling a story in an efficient manner, or whether they’re just playing on our collective knowledge of storytelling and that there’s no need to add some of the shoe leather that there probably was 20 years ago – because we know what that shoe leather is without even thinking about it.

TrunkSpace: And a movie like “Unsane” takes a similar approach where, in many ways, the performers are telling the story through their performance. There’s no need for anything else.
Leonard: The one thing I will say about the iPhone is, as a performer, it’s such a fun way to make a movie because you really do feel like the scene work itself is the focus. Real estate-wise the camera takes up so much less space in the room that the self-consciousness drops away and you feel like you have the space to play with your scene partner because it’s smaller and it’s really just about the moment. There’s very little time between setups so you spend more time making the movie than waiting to make the movie, which is often the case.

TrunkSpace: How did you handle the off-screen relationship between yourself and costar Claire Foy because, with so much tension between the two of you in the movie itself, did you have to maintain your distance when you weren’t rolling in order to stay in that David Strine mindset?
Leonard: God, no. I would never want to stay in the David mindset apart from what I’m professionally obliged to. (Laughter) Look, method actors throughout history would disagree with me, but to me what’s so important in a film like this where there is real threat, and real danger, and real animosity and stunt work between us – between the characters – that there’s also a sense of safety between the actors to know that everybody knows that you’re still doing a job, and if things get uncomfortable or dangerous that we’ve got safe words so we can pop out at any time. And Claire, I mean you saw her performance. Her performance is extraordinary, and she’s somebody who’s showing pictures of her kids and making jokes up until 20 seconds before the camera rolls, and then Steven calls, “Action!” she is completely present, and completely in the moment and utterly transformed into that character.

TrunkSpace: While at the screening, we didn’t only watch the movie, but the audience as well. One of the things that seemed pretty consistent is that, at times, people felt sympathetic for David, which is a big testament to you as an actor given all of the horrible things he’s capable of (and does) in the film.
Leonard: Yeah, David does some horrible, horrible things in this film, but hopefully what I tried to get across was his firm and steadfast belief that he is trying to give Sawyer this gift of their love. When I was prepping the role I did a lot of thinking about young, teenage obsessive love – when you’ve just got your blinders on and you can’t see anything past this person who is everything to you, and is going to complete you and fix you in all ways. And what would you ever do without them? And I think if you’ve got somebody who has that version of love, who hasn’t necessarily been socialized, who doesn’t have a real emotional maturity, and then you add 20 years and 100 pounds – that character becomes really dangerous. It’s not because there’s any mustache twirling going on. Think about Lenny in “Of Mice and Men,” like this kind of lumbering person who’s inadvertently hurting people and really doesn’t mean to be doing it. He’s just in love with Sawyer and doesn’t understand the rules of society…. that just being in love with somebody doesn’t mean that they have to love you back, or that they have to be with you.

TrunkSpace: He does have those teenage blinders on, and in many ways, has that teenage manipulation aspect of his personality as well.
Leonard: Yeah, I think he’s a crafty motherfucker. He’s not a dumb guy, but he is a guy who probably hasn’t availed himself of much talk therapy, and probably spent way too much time, well into his 30s, in his parent’s basement.

TrunkSpace: Is he a character where, as you were preparing to become him, you felt people might see the performance and say, “Wow, I didn’t expect and to see him go there?”
Leonard: It’s definitely something that’s different from a character that I’ve ever played before. In fact, the first time that I talked to Steven about it I was so over the moon to get offered a role in a Steven Soderbergh movie, who’s been a filmmaking hero of mine my entire career, that I didn’t want to scare him off, but I said as much. I said, “You know, I don’t want to convince you otherwise, but what is it that makes you think that I can do this role?” And it was Steven who originally said, “You know, I think you have a real earnestness onscreen, and I think that’s actually kind of the primary component that we need in David is this sense of earnestness towards his mission in the film.”

TrunkSpace: Well that definitely plays off in the film. Had the character been handled differently, even slightly in one direction, he could have come off as that mustache twirling type of “bad guy” that you mentioned.
Leonard: Yeah, which I think every actor who’s ever played a bad guy in a movie will say the same thing, that it’s a futile journey to try to play somebody as a bad guy because you just can’t find any truth or dimension when you’re doing that because nobody sits around thinking about how to be evil. Or at least, I tend to believe most people don’t. It makes the world a safer place for me to live in.

I think that was in the script. I think the mere fact that the writers set up a situation where David’s father has just died and he met Sawyer in the context of being the caretaker for his dying father, I think you can see how there might be some emotional transference there.

TrunkSpace: And he wouldn’t (or couldn’t) speak to his father, but he can talk with Sawyer. There’s something telling about that with him, personality-wise.
Leonard: Yeah, I think that’s very true. Part of what I find interesting about the film is that David is not all bad and Sawyer is not all good. She’s a complicated character as well, and not always the nicest person and has her own damage, a lot of which I think has been inflicted by this situation with David, but I think also probably has some stuff that was a preexisting condition before she even met David.

TrunkSpace: And then on top of all of that, the hospital itself is also a “bad guy” in the film.
Leonard: Absolutely. Those are always my favorite thrillers, the ones that play as a thriller on the surface without ever getting too heavy handed, but can also avail themselves of the opportunity to Trojan Horse their way into some larger issue, the American healthcare system being one of them.

TrunkSpace: We know that you’re a filmmaker as well. Knowing that you were a fan of Steven’s work, did you try to learn from him as a filmmaker as well as an actor?
Leonard: I tried to be behind the monitor and watching the action whether I was in the scene or not, just because it was such a rare and exciting opportunity to watch him work. He is as much of a savant on set as you would assume that he would be, just in the sense of the clarity of his vision for what he’s making. This was obviously an experiment for all of us, and it’s one of the things that is so inspirational to me about his career is that I feel like he’s a guy who’s never stopped experimenting, whether it be with genre or technique, or the jobs that he’s serving on set. He’s really somebody who continues to push his own boundaries and it was really an honor to play a small part in the latest Steven Soderbergh experiment.

“Unsane” arrives in theaters today.

If you’re like our staff here at TrunkSpace, you have the squishiest of soft spots in your heart for any non-human species, especially those in need of a helping human hand. Many of us have fur families that include pooch pals and cat companions adopted from shelters around the country, and we have wept as our BAFFs (Best Animal Friends Forever) have grown old and left their bodies while simultaneously leaving their marks. Some of us have nursed feathered friends with injured wings back to health, while others have made it a habit to stop traffic for cold-blooded street crossers. We do all of this to assist the animals, even in our own small way, but we’re continuously inspired to do so by those individuals who make it their full-time mission to rescue and defend the mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and yes, even insects, of our interwoven world.

We encourage anyone to adopt not shop because there are so many pets out there that need your help. Just the other day, one of our staff adopted a new dog, making it the second pooch he owns. He was worried that the kennel dog wouldn’t be good with his first dog but he looked up some tips on handling two dogs in the home and they’re getting along like a house on fire! If you’ve got room in your house and heart, we encourage anyone to adopt a pet and fill their life with character!

One of those inspirations is Dr. Michelle Oakley. As star of Nat Geo WILDs “Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet” and the NBC Saturday morning series “Wilderness Vet,” the all-species veterinarian has seen it all, from a rampaging muskox to a grizzly bear unhappy with receiving a dental examination. Through her work, which she has shared alongside of her three daughters, she is encouraging a new generation of conservationists and empathetic animal lovers.

We recently sat down with Dr. Oakley to discuss hedgehog protocol, the bittersweet aspects of her work, and how a single offer of motivation from Jane Goodall at age 11 made her believe in herself enough to pursue her dreams.

TrunkSpace: For those of us who love animals and think we’re doing good by stepping in to help them, are we sometimes part of the problem as opposed to the solution? Is it best that we animal loving outsiders leave the saving to the professionals? (That being said, we can still keep stopping to help turtles to the other side of the road, right, because that’s kind of our thing?)
Dr. Oakley: Animals need our help. Period. Wild animals near urban or suburban areas with few places left to hide, marine animals swimming through garbage, even some remote ‘pristine’ wild species are in crisis – they are short on space, chronically on the run, and just trying to eek out a living in a place that is changing way too fast for them to adapt. But luckily so many people want to help. It’s just connecting all the helpers with the best facilities and professionals who can ensure we are putting our resources into what’s needed most.

Really that applies to everything from an abandoned pet in a shelter to an owl with the broken wing on the side of the road – so many ways we can support these places with our time, of course money for food or supplies, and getting at the root causes.

But hell yeah, stop to help turtles across the road, be a volunteer dog walker at the shelter, and maybe most important, think about the choices you make every day in terms of products – and what they mean to our environment or do they support these bigger wildlife centers or shelters? You can’t always do the best thing, but even setting examples of doing the little things… I’m always trying to bank spider-karma, scoop them out of harms way, and back outside – not easy for an arachnophobe, but just trying to do my part.

TrunkSpace: You are an all-species veterinarian. Does that mean your education never really stops? Are you constantly having to bring yourself up to speed on species you encounter, but have yet to treat in the past?
Dr. Oakley: YES, that is exactly what that means. Lifelong learning…which sounds exhausting and it can be, but is also actually really fun and rewarding. It can also be kind of terrifying and the source of guilt. What I mean is, I don’t do a dozen canine C-sections a month like most clinics… I do one a year, so I never get really good at it. But I’m the only vet around and there often isn’t time for the animal to get to a more experienced vet. And the next patient is a hedgehog with an abscess and although I know a lot about hedgehogs, I only have two clients in my area that have them, so every time I have to read up on it and remind myself the best protocol for the animal, sometimes contacting colleagues who are more experienced. It’s the whole jack of all trades, master of none problem. I love the variety and I will do my best to help whatever comes my way, but it’s a lot of triage and cracking the books or researching the best thing to do. That makes it hard to run an efficient business as well, but that’s a whole other problem. I am really lucky to have a solid training in zoo and wildlife medicine, because so much of that is adapting what we know about domestic species – dogs, cats cows, pet birds – to the hundreds of species you can see in a zoo. Even most of the instruments and medical supplies and splints and equipment I use was never designed for use on a muskox or a wolverine or a bear, but a lot of zoo medicine is learning to adapt what you have to help the animal even if it’s not designed for them. For example, because I have a good knowledge of Dog UTI Treatment, I can apply this understanding to other four-legged animals experiencing urinary issues. It’s so challenging, but so rewarding when you come up with some cool fix and it works and you are like. “Oh yeah, uh-huh, McGuyver’d the H-E-double toothpicks out of that!”

TrunkSpace: Many of the animals that we have seen you give assistance to are predators, and often, the kind that the rest of us run away from. Has there ever been an instance where you felt your own life was in danger while trying to save the life of another?
Dr. Oakley: Yes, several times. In fact, probably more than just several. And it’s not just the predators, it’s the big prey species that are most dangerous – probably on account of the everything-wants-to-eat-me mentality. I had to claw my way up a birch tree to get away from a charging (and thankless) bison I had just treated. I had to hang on in a car that was being rammed by an angry (and also thankless) muskox. I had a mountain goat corner me in a pen and try to gore me. I had to run from a 1200 lb grizzly bear that stood up as I was doing a dental exam. (Wasn’t as anesthetized as I thought!) And I didn’t really think a lot about these, until my daughters started working with me more in the field. In the case of the bear, one of my assistants was my oldest daughter Sierra, who is 20 (and an extremely accomplished and experienced vet assistant for 20!) and for the first time in one of these situations, I felt fear like I had never felt it. I am definitely more careful as I get older and see all the things that can go wrong. And I am very picky about how and when the girls help me in the field. It can really be distracting if I am trying to mom them and do my job.

Really, I have had more close calls with horses than with any wild species. I love horses, but they have a way of getting your guard down, and then they explode.

TrunkSpace: What motivates you to do the job and has that motivation changed from when you first began your career?
Dr. Oakley: YES, great question! I started out really wanting to do wildlife work – I was a bit snobby about how great or important the conservation applications of vet med are, and what they can do for wildlife. I still believe that, but I find more and more I have come to appreciate the importance of the human animal bond – it took getting to really know some of my clients, and their stories, and to know how badly they needed that pet to love and support. I have a therapy dog that goes with his boy to four or five surgeries a year, and alerts when that boy is in pain, and most importantly that dog is ALWAYS there for that kid to depend on and focus on and take care of. Yes, it really helps for that little boy to care for something else and not always be the one looked after.

Putting old or injured pets to sleep is so hard, and I never wanted to do it obviously, but it has also become a bittersweet part of what I do. Ending suffering is such a relief and the last kindness we do for animals that are so loyal to us, and just want love, and to be let go painlessly when it’s the end. I always knew I loved animals, but I am more and more surprised as I get older at how much I love their people, and how much of my job I know is to help those people, as well.

TrunkSpace: In terms of the work you have done, what is a memory, captured on film or not, that will stay with you for the rest of your life?
Dr. Oakley: Well, the one of the bear standing up and having my daughter in close proximity is unfortunately one I will never get out of my head. But I have a few good ones, too. An eagle flying away after months of healing, and looking so strong. I swear I could feel it’s excitement as it left. A one-eyed seal pup grubbing his chubby body toward the surf to freedom. Pretty much every time I see an animal going back to the wild, I choke up and feel this amazement that it all worked out. They are finally going back to the wilderness; their home. It’s hard to find something that can beat this feeling. I just hope that they are able to stay safe. I know that during hunting season, many animals such as deers are targeted in these activities, and if people don’t use the equipment that is recommended to them, like the best bow sight for the money, these animals could become even more seriously injured. And as someone who helps these animals, it is simply heartbreaking to see. But when you have healed them, it makes all these difficult times worth it.

Another one, when I was giving really difficult news to an older friend (recently widowed) about his dog, that it had cancer we couldn’t stop. I know of some people who would want to try different dog CBD products to see if this could help to slow down its growth, but unfortunately for this dog, it was just too advanced. I was crying, he was crying and when I looked up I could see tears running down the face of our main cameraman Dallas Childers while he filmed, and many of the crew nearby were so choked up. I am so lucky to have got into this TV thing with Nat Geo WILD and Lucky Dog Films – our core crew are so professional and kind and such major animal lovers, and many of them have become like family. They have watched me at my best and worst, and watched our kids grow up the last six years. It’s really been cool sharing so much of our life and favorite places and people with them. (And with so many people because of them!)

OH! And meeting Jane Goodall, for the second time (first time I was 11), with my daughter at my side a few months ago. It was amazing. Jane is a pioneer in so many ways, an absolute tireless conservationist, and like, exudes this aura of calm-inspiration.

TrunkSpace: You don’t have to tell us that saving animals, particularly in the wilderness as you do, is compelling television, but does it surprise you that people tune in to watch you do what you love? Do you still experience those “pinch me” moments?
Dr. Oakley: Yes, the things people love about what I share sometimes totally shocks me. You expect the wild things and places are going to be cool, but I love that it’s often the little pet that a kid loves so much that people really love. It kind of follows my own life, love the wildlife, love that work, but that human animal connection is real and so resonant across cultures and ages. I have been pleasantly surprised to hear so many families watch our show together, and feel it’s one of the few shows everyone wants to watch together. That really means a lot. And as much as I love where I live, you still get used to certain things that are extreme elsewhere but your norm… like I Tweeted a vid the other day of Willow walking to the bus stop, cause I thought it was so cool that her dog Bindi runs and herds her to the bus stop 50 yards from the house, waits for her to get on and then rips home all excited like she did her job. I kinda didn’t even clue in that it was the middle of a blizzard and snow blowing sideways, and as usual, Willow was only in a sweatshirt and no hat. People were losing it about her going to school in that weather, and wondered why school wasn’t canceled! (Laughter) I had to laugh. If we canceled over little squalls like that, the kids would never go to school. Really cracked me up. And yeah, Willow is a typical teenager, and we tell her, “There is no bad weather, only bad clothing choices.” But she continues to choose to dress for school as if looks and appearances matter more.

OK, I guess I remember those days. (Laughter)

TrunkSpace: We read that you watched Nat Geo programs throughout your formative years. What is it like for you personally to now be inspiring future Dr. Oakleys?
Dr. Oakley: YES, see Jane Goodall above. I grew up watching her and Dian Fossey on these Nat Geo specials and I was like, “I am going to do THAT!” So I totally identify with all the kids who write and tell me that, and it feels SO GOOD to be giving that back, to maybe be inspiring others to do this kind of work. Wow, cant even describe how that feels. We are all becoming so much more aware of the importance of having so many kinds of role models that all different kinds of kids, boys AND girls can identify with and emulate. I watched “Wonder Woman” a few months ago on an airplane, and I had no interest in most of those comics when I was a kid, or superheroes… and I couldn’t look away, and I felt inspired to help people more and do my thing more. It’s funny how important that is for all of us, at any age.

When I met Jane when I was 11, I got to talk to her for a few minutes at a book signing at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. I told her I was going to work like her in the wilderness, helping wildlife, and she said, without batting an eye, “I believe you will.” And that was it. Jane said it and I knew it to be true. Others teased me or thought it was weird, but that didn’t matter anymore.

TrunkSpace: As you mentioned, your three daughters often work alongside of you. Does that make the job even more special, being able to share it with family?
Dr. Oakley: Yes, it has. It was initially out of necessity. My husband is a firefighter (wildfire), so he can be gone weeks at a time on a big fire. And I still had a practice to run, and I wanted to be with my kids as much as possible. So they had things to do in the car, and they loved to help on the farm and run around and see the animals, and they often felt great about the small ways they could help when they were little… a lot of our memories are helping animals together, which is kinda cool. I remember Maya helping me pull out porcupine quills form the face of a big rottweiler when she was just tiny, and she flinched with every last pull – and there were hundreds. She has such empathy for animals and their pain. And Willow has mothered and raised so many little creatures. Sierra, I have a memory of her shivering at -40 holding a horse for an owner who had to wait inside because she just had surgery. I was trying to suture up a large laceration on the horse’s leg and the instruments were freezing to my gloves, and Sierra was absolutely frozen herself but never complained.

Willow has mothered and helped raise every little creature you can think of – the kid is always out in the bush and mountains, and is completely feral, our little WillowWild. But it has been hard too in terms of making sure their little hearts can take it. It’s a very emotional job and a lot of the wildlife work is difficult and heartbreaking, and a few times, I wished I had not had the girls there. One in particular was the golden eagle found in tar and brought to us. The girls were so excited to help, and we all got so hopeful as we got the tar off and then suddenly I could see there was no hope, flesh missing from bone and no skin left over 2/3 of the poor creature’s body. I can still see Sierra carrying Willow away as she sobbed into her shoulder, and I stayed behind to put the eagle out of its misery. I noticed since then her being more reluctant to help for awhile, and it’s so understandable, but made me so sad that I hadn’t protected her little heart.

TrunkSpace: We’re watching habitats disappear around the world at an alarming rate. Is the Yukon Territory and Alaska headed in that direction as well or will they remain relatively safe from human destruction due to their location and climate?
Dr. Oakley: Unfortunately huge parts of the Yukon and Alaska are more affected by climate change than most other parts of the world – there is a lot of information out there about the degree in temperature change is twice as high here than elsewhere, and the weather patterns are so different now. The problem with this is all the animals and their habitats are SO cold adapted and actually need cold to survive. As much I love a good day or two above freezing mid January, I know that will likely lead to the deaths of a number of hibernating animals – bears, marmots and other species need that insulating snow cover to stay warm underneath it. When high temps in winter and rain take away the snow, and we get cold temps the next week, the animals can freeze to death in their den. We hear a lot about polar bears and lack of ice to hunt on, but there are so many other ways that a rapidly changing climate is leading to loss of plants and animals, even in remote, seemingly untouched ecosystems of the north.

TrunkSpace: For those reading this interview who don’t want to see any of that happen, what can people do to help those species and habitats in danger of disappearing? If we all put in a spoonful of water, we’d have an ocean, and yet, many species are still endangered and may never be seen again. Where is the disconnect?
Dr. Oakley: The disconnect is, it’s a huge, complex problem and if it was as easy as do this one thing, we could do it. But we are still learning what we can do, and the bigger solutions are tied up in big business or in the hands of many people of different cultures and motivations. It’s not as easy as a spoonful of water each, but it’s not impossible either. I have a lot of hope actually – it seems like the alternate sources of energy and technology was slow to get started, but it feels like it’s gaining momentum and becoming more accessible, maybe in a less organized way that we expected, but that was the only way around the big blockers. People are becoming more connected to animals, not less, and we are able to share more about the risks and plights to wildlife, and people genuinely care.

Help the turtle across the road… then go home and Google how you can help endangered sea turtles. Gotta start somewhere.

TrunkSpace: We’re about a quarter of the way into 2018. Did you make any New Year’s resolutions for yourself and if so, how are you doing sticking with them thus far?
Dr. Oakley: Yes, to floss and I did that – blood everywhere, mission accomplished. Just kidding. I’m a huge fan of “The Office” and spent the holiday binge watching it.

I had two resolutions… one I have every year, and it’s find ways to get more family time. That gets harder every year as Sierra and Maya are away at school, and Willow is less (never) interested in hanging out with us, but it’s finding even small ways to connect and stay current in each others lives. We FaceTime several times a week. We also have a group chat, Fam Jam 3.0, that we check in and tease each other and stay in touch.

My second resolution is to make better use of the notoriety I have from the show, to do something really useful and good to help animals and inspire/train/involve people who really want to help. It’s early yet, but I am working with an amazing environmentalist (Lisa Bicker) and some cutting edge biologists and projects and facilities to see how we can make this work. I get so many messages from people who love the show, especially young students who want to do more and learn how and work with me. My daughters have written those same letters to people they were inspired by and I want them to hear back and be encouraged. And I want to find a way to do that too! Part of that is through our show, and getting more cool science in the episodes and more learning right there each case, but part of it is pulling in students and mentors and getting everyone out on projects doing some real good together. It might take more than 2018 to get that one done, but I’m excited to just get it started. I really loved the hashtag #inspire for 2017… it was about being inspired myself and sharing that with others. I think for 2018, I need something more like #LiveUp. (Laughter) Inspire, but follow through and make a difference. Find a way to pull people together. Don’t just share your story, pull in others to help you make more chapters. (Laughter) That sounds super corny, but that’s OK, as long as it keeps me moving in the right direction.

Catch up on “Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet” at Nat Geo WILD.

“Wilderness Vet” airs Saturday mornings on NBC.

It’s hard to fathom that it’s been over 20 years since the untimely deaths of Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. Their artistic contributions, now considered “classic” by the young whipper snappers who consume pop culture today, changed the musical landscape back when the East Coast/West Coast rap rivalries dominated a forgotten version of MTV that still focused on videos. Now, two decades after they met their fate, the hip hop icons are having the last chapter of their stories told in “Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac & The Notorious B.I.G.,” a dramatized crime series airing Tuesdays on USA Network.

Brian Guest will join the “Unsolved” cast as U.S. Attorney Tim Searight starting on April 10. We recently sat down with Guest to discuss door-to-door Spielberg’ing, how he approached getting Searight right, and why he may (but probably not) have been attacked by a great white shark.

TrunkSpace: You’re currently starring in “Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac & The Notorious B.I.G.,” which is the largest title ever to fit on a resume. As far as your career is concerned, is taking on the role of U.S. Attorney Tim Searight as big as the name of the series itself?
Guest: Bigger. Much Bigger. I expect Steven Spielberg to come knocking on my door any day now. That’s actually a little known fact about Spielberg… he refuses to use email and cell phones. He always knocks on doors. Always.

TrunkSpace: Joking aside, do you see this project as a possible game changer for you, particularly as it relates to dramatic acting?
Guest: Are ya sure you want to stop the jokes after that Spielberg one? That one was solid!

Acting for me is a process. I don’t think I will ever feel like I “made it.” I’m not even sure what that means, to “make it.” I’m always humbled and surprised when people want to see me for an audition, call me back, or offer me a job. I just like doing good work with good people, and it’s just nice to have others appreciate having me around to play some fun pretend for a little while.

TrunkSpace: One has to really watch the series to see how your character ties back into the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Tupac and Biggie, but unlike many of the names involved in those two cases, Searight’s wasn’t someone many people knew about. When you’re stepping in to play a character in a series that is based on actual people/events, do you think it makes your job easier or more difficult when there isn’t as much information available on the person you’re set to inhabit?
Guest: There wasn’t a ton of info on Tim Searight available. There was some stuff in the media about the cases he worked, but not enough to develop an understanding of the relationship he had with the detectives on the Biggie/Tupac cases. That’s where Greg Kading (producer) was so helpful. Greg was the lead on the Biggie task force, so he was invaluable to talk to regarding their relationship.

TrunkSpace: As far as performance is concerned, what was a highlight for you in terms of getting to play this particular character? Was there a scene or moment where, even in the act of doing it, you said to yourself, “Oh yeah, this is going on the reel!”?
Guest: Um, the highlight? I get to work on a show about Biggie and Tupac! That’s insane. I was big fans of both of their music. I remember when all this East Coast/West Coast stuff was going on. It was crazy! When I first moved to LA, I lived very close to the Petersen Automotive Museum. I don’t think of cars when I think of that place, I think of Biggie. And I think it’s like that for a lot of people. Also, the people that worked on “Unsolved” are the best. I’ve known Anthony Hemingway (director/producer) for a long time. I will literally act in anything that he does. Every production he is a part of is special, mostly because of his talent and kindness. The cast and crew that worked on “Unsolved” were a dream – it all was pretty much a highlight! Nothing will go on my reel, because Josh Duhamel is embarrassingly handsome and will make me look like a garbage person.

TrunkSpace: As you mentioned, you were a big fan of Tupac and Biggie. Life has a strange way of bringing things full circle. Is it odd going from listening to an artist in your bedroom as a kid, to then winding up in the dramatic retelling of the circumstances surrounding their deaths many years later?
Guest: It’s surreal. The thing that really hits home though is the fact that these are real people. So many people’s lives have been affected by their tragic deaths. It’s strange to play a role on TV about something that affected so many people in a real way. I think when the stakes are that high, everyone involved raises their game to give it some sort of justice. Bokeem Woodbine, who plays Detective Daryn Dupree, actually knew Tupac! Everyone that worked on “Unsolved” was extremely invested in telling this story.

TrunkSpace: You also guested in “Narcos” as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in 2017. That’s an awesomely strange coincidence. It’s almost like you got promoted to full U.S. Attorney for this latest project!
Guest: I’m climbing that ladder! The criminal justice ladder, baby!

TrunkSpace: Sticking on the guesting topic for a moment, was there a character that you guested as over the course of your career that you really dug and wished you had more time to explore and see expanded upon, and if so, why?
Guest: I played Gym Dude on “Workaholics.” I mean, what was going on with that guy? What made him tick? What kept him up at night? Also, the “Workaholics” guys could have really used another guy in their group – they missed out on having Gym Dude a part of their tight knit unit.

In all seriousness, that was a super fun role that I got to play, and being on a set that fun is what I gravitate towards. I love comedy, and their humor is sort of in my sweet spot. I did get to play a role on the American version of “Torchwood” which was an amazing acting experience that I wish I had more time with. I played a character opposite Bill Pullman, who played an intense murderer who possessed supernatural powers.

TrunkSpace: You have the movie “The Oath” due up later this year, which is probably about as timely of a topic as you could get right now. Is the film heavy on the current real-life political climate that we’re all experiencing or is it handled in more of a fictional way?
Guest: All I can say is that it is definitely a satirical film with heavy political overtones. It’s dark. It’s funny. It’s from Ike Barinholtz’s mind, so ya know it’s gonna be a wild trip.

TrunkSpace: Where does your character Avery fall into things and what was fun about inhabiting him?
Guest: I play Ike’s neighbor friend. My character got to wear pajamas. If I had my way, all of my characters would always wear pajamas.

TrunkSpace: You have developed and set up projects of your own. Is that an area where you hope to expand upon your career even further? Is the “Created By” path just as exciting to you as acting?
Guest: One of the things I love about being an actor is the creative process with other people. It is such a collaboration. Creating my own projects is just another way to be able to do that. When I write, it’s just another opportunity for me to get my creative voice out into the world. I’m constantly working on a few different projects at the same time. I like that, because I can get a weird flow of ideas cooking that help elevate each individual project.

TrunkSpace: In doing research for this interview we came across an article about a man named Brian Guest who was attacked by a great white shark back in 2008. In the internet age, it seems really easy for people to be mistaken for others who share the same namesake, particularly in circumstances where employers are searching up would-be hires. Have you ever had a doppelgänger experience where you were mistaken for someone else or, had another Brian Guest infiltrate your life?
Guest: How do you know I wasn’t attacked by a shark? Maybe I was. Or maybe I was attacked by a fresh water rainbow trout. I guess you’ll never know.

I don’t think I’ve had a doppelgänger scenario. But my two-year-old daughter’s name is Ryan. So anytime I am at Starbucks now and they inevitably call out “Ryan” for my triple espresso, I don’t throw the napkin dispenser anymore. I just graciously take my drink with a smile.

“Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac & The Notorious B.I.G.” airs Tuesdays on USA.

If you have an insatiable entertainment sweet tooth that craves sustenance, we have just the movie for you!

Starring Julie Gonzalo and Chris McNally, “The Sweetest Heart” premieres this Saturday on Hallmark Channel, serving as the delicious kick off to the network’s annual Spring Fever programming event. The story focuses on Maddie (Gonzalo), a cupcake shop owner who reconnects with her first love, Nate (McNally), and discovers that there is a future to be had in the past.

We recently sat down with Gonzalo to discuss seasonal displacement, what she found refreshing about the storytelling in “The Sweetest Heart,” and why having an endless supply of cupcakes on set isn’t necessarily a good thing.

TrunkSpace: “The Sweetest Heart” is kicking off Hallmark Channel’s Spring Fever programming event. That has to be a cool feeling when your movie is basically serving as the springboard for a big event like that.
Gonzalo: Yeah, it makes me feel so great. I tend to do a Hallmark movie yearly, ‘cause they’re so much fun to work with, you meet such great people and it’s so quick. These projects are always just so happy and fulfilling that you’re like, “Why wouldn’t I want to be laughing all day?” The last one I did, it opened the fall, so it’s kind of awesome that I did one last fall, opened the fall premiere, and then it’s the spring premiere. I’m all, “That’s pretty cool!” I kind of like that.

TrunkSpace: Is it fun getting to play in those seasonal sandboxes, especially when you’re shooting them out of season?
Gonzalo: Yes and no. Last summer I did a film that was the fall, but we were shooting in the summer, so we were literally dying of heat. “Okay, now comes the sweater and the jackets.” (Laughter) So you’re literally shooting a film in pretty hot weather and yet you’re still wearing all these different layers because it’s the fall. And the same thing happened in this one. It’s kind of like, now it’s springtime, but it was freezing. (Laughter) And for me, having grown up in Miami, the cold weather is nice to see from a window while you’re sitting next to a fireplace. (Laughter) But it was interesting to hear, “Okay, now you gotta take this coat off…” and I was like, “No, I don’t want to!” And also, I didn’t realize how much it rained in Vancouver. At first, I’m like, “This is beautiful. We don’t get rain in LA all the time, it’s pretty great.” And then by like day 10, they’re like, “Do you still like it?” And I’m like, “I’m over it. I can’t. I’m just over everything right now.” (Laughter) Once we wrapped, I started seeing sunshine. I’m like, “Great, now you’re coming!”

TrunkSpace: You mentioned your past experience with Hallmark Channel. How did your experience on “The Sweetest Heart” differ from the other movies you worked on?
Gonzalo: The director, I had worked with before – we had done a film before – so I already kind of got excited to work with Steven (Monroe), because I really love how he works. We really work well together. He knows his stuff, he knows what he wants, and I’m such a perfectionist when it comes to my work that I don’t ever… like, I have nightmares about showing up to work not prepared, and I literally panic and I wake up. So I knew how it was going to go, because of my relationship with him.

I’ve only done two other Hallmark films before, but they’re such the love story, and the romance, and you know, obviously the empowerment of a woman, which I love playing. I love that Hallmark does that. I love that Hallmark has women protagonists. They’re following her. You’re really caring for this woman, and that to me is so empowering, especially in these times, right? And what I really liked was the fact that there are three different love stories in this film. You had the main love story, which is my character and Chris McNally’s character. Then you have the Clayton (Chitty) and Tammy (Gillis) love story, and then you have the Andrea (Brooks) and Jordan (Burtchett) love story. So, it was really nice and I like how they all kind of intertwined with each other. I found that to be very refreshingly new.

TrunkSpace: A lot of Hallmark Channel movies focus on would-be couples who are just meeting for the first time and discovering each other, but in this one, your character Nate and Julie’s character Maddie had a past. Did that lend for a different layer of backstory to what you two did from a performance standpoint?
Gonzalo: Yeah. There was a lot of pain there that came from them not being able to work it out when they were 18 and 19. And then in a way it’s like, when you’re 18 and 19, what do you know? It was really nice to have that backstory, but it also made it a little hard because you don’t really have a lot of time to spend with your co-star to kind of create that chemistry, and create that history. But I was very lucky with Chris, ’cause we met before we started shooting and we kind of talked about things, and it’s mostly just getting to know each other, because it’s like testing the reality of it all. How do you convince people that these two characters have known each other and have loved each other for so long? It was very easy with him. He’s such a wonderful human being that it was very comfortable to get to that place, sooner rather than later in a sense. It’s always such a weird thing that that’s what you do for work. “I have to go fall in love with you, cool? I have to find chemistry with a really good looking guy. Oh good.” (Sarcastically) “Work sucks.” (Laughter)

TrunkSpace: Did having an existing relationship with the director enable you to arrive on set and just hit the ground running, because from what we understand, these shoots move very quickly?
Gonzalo: Yes, cause we literally shot in 14 days. You’re shooting essentially a feature film. 110 to 120 pages in 14 days is pretty ambitious and we were shooting six day weeks, so we only had one day off, so I already knew coming in that I was like, “Oh man, I’m gonna be so tired.” But, knowing how Steven operates and knowing how he knows his stuff, and knowing that he prepares himself so well the day before… you’re not overly creating things, you already know what you want, you already know how you’re going to edit it… and that’s always the key to me, cause there’s no reason to waste time. Everybody is here for a job, let’s get it done.

TrunkSpace: By the time that you arrive on set, is your dialogue pretty much locked in or is that still getting massaged on the fly as well?
Gonzalo: Oh God, I wish! (Laughter) No, it’s always like you’re a work in progress in a sense. If you’re lucky, you have a week to prepare. Some of these films come on so quickly, so it’s very much, “Just hang on!” You’re going for ride in a sense.

I don’t ever want to lock myself into dialogue because when you get to set, you play. I don’t know what the other actor is going to do. I don’t know what the room is going to look like. I don’t know what the energy in the environment is going to be like. So I prepare my stuff – I prepare my character, my dialogue, or my intentions rather, of what the scene entails, and then show up to work and just kind of be in the moment and be organic. Everybody has their own process, but to me, it’s like I know what my character wants, where she’s starting, where she’s going, what the intentions are, and then just show up and play. When you show up you just kind of want to keep loose. You want to keep fresh. I feel like sometimes when I lock myself into a way of doing, or saying, or preparing, then I get myself in trouble.

TrunkSpace: That makes complete sense. Just like in life, when you put expectations on things, it’s easy to get let down.
Gonzalo: Oh yeah. Expectations are the worst thing that ever happened to us. I mean, I’m sure there’s worse things, but it’s true – you’re right. When you expect something, it never turns out that way, ever, so you’re literally just setting yourself up for disappointment each time.

TrunkSpace: We talked about how quickly a shoot like this can happen, and how much work you do within that time frame, so is it a bit of a culture shock when you call wrap and suddenly it’s all gone?
Gonzalo: Oh yeah, big time. I’ve had this conversation with so many actors before, where you’re like, you fall into this weird depression thing. I shouldn’t use that word loosely because it’s a very serious thing, but you kind of have that feeling of like, “Wait, what happened to my life?” You kind of just turn the world off. Your world, your friends, your family – you’re kind of like, “Okay, I’ll come back in two or three weeks,” cause you submerge yourself into that world and that’s who you are. Your crew members become your family, your co-stars become your best friends and your director becomes your leader. Once you kind of get out of that head space, you’re kind of like, “Wait, who was I? What was I doing? What was I doing in life before this?” But that’s the thrill of it, I think. I love doing that. I love packing my bags and being like, “Where are we going and what are we doing and who am I meeting?” And I’ll talk to anyone who wants to talk to me. I just enjoy meeting people and knowing their stories and kind of learning, “What brought you here? How did we get to meet?” I take everything in and I make the most of every day.

TrunkSpace: One of the things that must also be interesting is that not only are you inhabiting this person, but you’re also inhabiting their career. In this case, Maddie is a cupcake maker. As an actress, you’re sort of taking in these other vocations, too.
Gonzalo: Yeah, totally. You definitely realize, “How do I know this? Oh, cause I learned it at work.” Granted, I never really learned how to make cupcakes this time around, but you kind of just… you do in a way, like the concept of it. We pick things up through the process.

TrunkSpace: Hopefully you picked up a few cupcakes because there must have been plenty around the set.
Gonzalo: (Laughter) At first I was like, “Oh my God, this is going to be amazing! I’m going to eat all of them!” And then you’re like, “Wait, this doesn’t fit. Shit. Nope, no more. No more sugar.” And then you do, and then you have that sugar rush, and you’re like, “Okay, now I’m just annoying myself.” (Laughter)

“The Sweetest Heart” airs this Saturday (9 p.m. ET/PT) on Hallmark Channel.

If you have an insatiable entertainment sweet tooth that craves sustenance, we have just the movie for you!

Starring Julie Gonzalo and Chris McNally, “The Sweetest Heart” premieres this Saturday on Hallmark Channel, serving as the delicious kick off to the network’s annual Spring Fever programming event. The story focuses on Maddie (Gonzalo), a cupcake shop owner who reconnects with her first love, Nate (McNally), and discovers that there is a future to be had in the past.

We recently sat down with McNally to discuss hair commitments, why he loves working for Hallmark Channel, and the fun in getting to play a cardiologist knowing that the doctor ship has already sailed in real life.

TrunkSpace: Something we couldn’t help but notice with “The Sweetest Heart” is… you cut your hair!
McNally: (Laughter) Yeah, I did. I had to cut it for a movie of the week about three years ago, and I was really sad about it actually.

TrunkSpace: It’s tough. It’s like you’re losing a piece of yourself.
McNally: I know, right? It takes so long to get there, and you have to go through such an awkward stage.

TrunkSpace: (Laughter) Yeah, the awkward stage is the worst. It’s like growing out a beard. It’s a commitment. When you shave it off, you’re shaving away that commitment.
McNally: I was really happy that they let me keep my beard for “The Sweetest Heart” because, originally, they were going to shave it, and I really don’t like being clean shaven. It was a big relief.

TrunkSpace: This isn’t your first time working with Hallmark Channel. What is it about the company that keeps you coming back?
McNally: It’s a great company to work for. I’ve always had a very pleasant experience every time I’ve worked on one. I did one in Victoria that was really, really enjoyable. It was a great cast and crew, and I really liked going away to Victoria. It’s not far from Vancouver, but it was a little getaway. That excursion to Victoria was my first time having a more substantial character with them, and everybody was really nice and it was just an awesome time. And then I did “Rocky Mountain Christmas” just before the holiday season. They’re just a pleasure to work for really.

TrunkSpace: It must be an interesting experience because you’re whisked away to these places, and then once you get there, it’s all work, right? There’s not a lot of time to take it all in.
McNally: Yeah. They have to shoot so much in so little time, so it is very crammed. For “The Sweetest Heart” though, I started off the shoot commuting from Vancouver. We were shooting mostly in Langley, which is about 45 minutes to an hour drive away, and then for the second week, I decided to stay in Langley, and that made the days a lot easier because I didn’t have a chance to really rehearse anything with Julie (Gonzalo) after the days were shot because she was staying in Langley throughout the whole shoot. I cleared a little bit more time for myself by staying near set for weeks two and three of “The Sweetest Heart.”

TrunkSpace: Obviously every project is different, but how did this particular experience working with Hallmark Channel differ from those previous movies you worked on?
McNally: I find the more material you have, the easier it is actually. Because you have structure, there’s more of an arc and your character has a journey. When you get to evolve and develop like that, it’s a more natural progression. I find it hard to come in and just hop into a scene. You kind of move the story forward with a little bit of expedition, and I struggle with that, so I was grateful to have more material to work with on this one.

TrunkSpace: A lot of Hallmark Channel movies focus on would-be couples who are just meeting for the first time and discovering each other, but in this one, your character Nate and Julie’s character Maddie had a past. Did that lend to a different layer of backstory in what you two did from a performance standpoint?
McNally: Yeah, definitely. Julie and I met up prior to shooting to spend some time together and get to know one another, just to try and get a little bit of history and backstory between ourselves as people that we could relay into the story with our characters. But, yeah, I like that extra layer of complexity.

TrunkSpace: It’s also something that everyone can relate to… running into an old flame.
McNally: Yeah, there’s that nostalgia, and I think there’s also, when you run into a past love, it’s like, “Oh, did I make the best decision, or did I not?” In this case, it was not a great decision to break up, but, then again, if they hadn’t gone through that, they might not have ended up together where they were at the end of the story.

TrunkSpace: In the social media age, it’s probably more difficult to lose complete touch with past loves because if you want to, you can always lurk and check in.
McNally: I know, it’s so hard. I’m really terrible at social media, and I try and stay off of it as much as a can. I don’t have Twitter. I’ve got Instagram, but I try to avoid swiping through the stories to see what people are doing.

TrunkSpace: Yeah, seeing what people are doing in that capacity removes the human element of learning about what they’ve been up to in person.
McNally: Yeah, absolutely. And I also feel like there’s always a filter put through on social media. You’re not getting the full story. It’s an idea that people are trying to project.

TrunkSpace: Yeah, it’s the best case scenario. So, in terms of the performance, Nate himself, what was it about him that you dug and you were interested in exploring?
McNally: I like playing characters who are smart and more intelligent than I am. (Laughter) Nate’s a cardiologist, and it’s great when somebody has written dialogue that is more than anything I could come up with in my own life. So, it was the fact that he’s a doctor, which is appealing to me, because I’ll never be a doctor. I don’t think that’s a possibility for me at this point. (Laughter) And he also likes to help people. He’s a cardiologist, but more focused on the research aspect, and he’s looking for ways to help the masses, as opposed to one surgery at a time. I also love the fact that he’s got this playfulness to him. It’s actually when he is around Maddie, I think that brings it out. They regress to their younger selves, and that is something that I register with, because I’m kind of a goofball myself. I feel like I’m 22 and always going to be 22, so playing into that playfulness was awesome.

TrunkSpace: You were based in Vancouver for many years. We’re big “Supernatural” fans here, and we know you’ve appeared on the show. For actors based in Vancouver, is guesting on that series a bit of a rite of passage?
McNally: Yeah. I love that you said that. It absolutely is a rite of passage. Buddies and I joke about that. “You have to work on ‘Supernatural’ before you can graduate from Vancouver.”

TrunkSpace: And in its 13th season, there’s been ample opportunity!
McNally: Yeah, they keep reusing us. It’s awesome. We grow a little older, we look a little different, and then we come back and play someone else.

“The Sweetest Heart” airs this Saturday (9 p.m. ET/PT) on Hallmark Channel.

With two long-running series up for discussion, the off-beat comedy original “Angie Tribeca” and the animated “Dragons: Race to the Edge,” Andrée Vermeulen is feeling fulfilled, but even if she wasn’t making a living doing what she loves, she’d still love doing it for a living. It’s part of who she is, and if that feeling of creative contentment no longer came from acting, she’d find something else to fill the void. It’s an outlook worth embracing, both in careers and in life. After all, sometimes the most elusive ingredient in the quest for personal fulfillment is happiness.

We recently sat down with Vermeulen to discuss how her career has defied the disbelievers, the “Yes, And” approach, and what we can expect from Season 4 of “Angie Tribeca,” premiering later this year on TBS.

TrunkSpace: You have been juggling two series these past few years, “Angie Tribeca” and “Dragons: Race to the Edge.” Is that a relatively new experience as far as the industry is concerned, performers having the freedom to work on multiple television/streaming projects at the same time?
Vermeulen: Thankfully, voice acting provides a sort of loophole where an actor can be a regular on two series at the same time because they are seen as completely different types of work. Because Dragons is animated, no one would even know I’m on the series unless they made a point to look up who voices Ruffnut, so it’s not a conflict. It’s funny, even in hearing “you’ve been juggling two series these past few years,” my initial reaction was, “I have?” I guess the rule is, as long as we can’t see your face, its not a conflict.

TrunkSpace: When you’re able to juggle two projects, especially when they’re both coming at performance from a different perspective, does that help to keep the work aspect of what you do exciting? Is variety the spice of life when it comes to acting/performing?
Vermeulen: I’ve been very lucky to play two characters who are so completely different from myself. Scholls is like a human robot. She’s deadpan, monotone, void of human emotion. Ruffnut is the complete opposite: loud, wild, aggressive, boisterous, and not the brightest. Scholls is a logical person. Ruffnut acts on emotion and goes with her gut. The contrast between these two definitely keeps things exciting, as well as the contrast in the work day. For “Angie Tribeca,” we shoot for 10 weeks, five days a week, and I have to get all done up in hair and makeup each day. I often wake up at 4 a.m. and get home at 8 p.m. For Dragons, I go in maybe once a month, in a window of time that I choose, and do three episodes in two hours and no one cares what I look like.

TrunkSpace: What is it about your current place in life… your career as it is today… that most excites you? What would 10-year-old Andrée be high-fiving you about?
Vermeulen: I guess the fact that I make a living doing what I love. That I don’t have to work in a restaurant anymore. That I figured it out. A lot of people didn’t believe in me, including most of my family. My mom and dad never doubted me, but the rest of the family thought I should be a business major.

TrunkSpace: Your background is in making people laugh. Is performing comedy something that always came natural to you or was it a love that you had to grow comfortable in performance-wise?
Vermeulen: Comedy has always been easiest for me. I’ve always been the “funny friend.” Growing up, I dreamed of being on SNL, I just didn’t know how to make that happen. Then I ended up going to college in NYC (Marymount Manhattan College) for theatre performance with a minor in musical theatre. My training, aside from the musical theatre classes, was all drama. At that point, I had forgotten the dream of doing comedy and was super intent on being a starving Shakespearean actor. But when my senior year rolled around, I finally got to do a comedic scene. It was in a “Dance for Actors” class, and I’ll never forget Professor Haila Strauss pulling me aside after my scene and saying, “You need to go do comedy.” I was so confused and annoyed at the time. I had plunged myself into massive college debt (no one paid for my college, and despite getting the Presidential Scholarship I still owed an astronomical amount of money when I graduated because a private college just can’t get the same funding that big schools get) for a degree in DRAMA and she was telling me to go do comedy?

Prof. Strauss told me to go to UCB, and thank God I listened. I started taking classes and performing with my indie improv team (No U Ki’in and As the Diamond Burns, an improvised Soap Opera) all around the city. Eventually I auditioned to be on a Maude Team (a UCB house sketch team) and immediately made the cut. It was interesting how much easier comedy felt to me. It felt like the amount of work I put into it was equal to the results I would get. And I hadn’t had that experience with drama. I was putting a lot of work into it and not being cast in any roles. I do think my dramatic training helped my comedy though. Nothing is a mistake. It helped to make my characters more grounded. So even if I was playing the most bizarre person ever written, I could play that person believably. So, I guess to answer that original question, I think comedy came natural to me but I had a round about way of realizing it.

TrunkSpace: You are a house performer with The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles. Does working in that environment prepare you for an “anything can happen” mindset as it relates to other aspects of your career? Are you better equipped on the set of “Angie Tribeca” for example because of your time with UCB?
Vermeulen: Absolutely. The overall mindset that is taught at UCB is “Yes, And.” Someone presents something, you say YES to it, AND you add to it, validating what they have brought to the table. Not only is that agreement so helpful in comedy, but it’s extremely helpful in life. When our gut instinct is to say “no” to everything, we limit our relationships with people, we limit our perspective, we limit our joy and our experiences in life, and ultimately we limit our ability for growth as a person.

In terms of “Angie Tribeca,” this “Yes, And” mindset is extremely helpful. We have such silly, nonsensical things happen on the show. We just have to say “Yes, And” to them. I think our show can be challenging because in order to play this type of comedy, we approach it like it’s a drama. We play the most ridiculous scenes like they are dead serious, high stakes scenes and that’s what makes them even more funny. But sometimes that can be tricky because if we analyze the scene like a drama and ask, “Why is my character doing this? What is the motivation?” It gets confusing. The character is doing that certain thing because IT’S FUNNY. The motivation is what’s FUNNY, and sometimes what’s funny is illogical. That’s where we have to let logic go and just say, “Yes, And.”

TrunkSpace: We mentioned “Dragons: Race to the Edge,” which is currently pushing almost 70 episodes. When you first decided to pursue a career in the arts, was voice acting ever in the plan or, as Dr. Ian Malcolm from “Jurassic Park” is prone to saying, has life found a way? Did your career zig when you expected it to zag?
Vermeulen: The series actually started on Cartoon Network, and was called “Dragons: Riders of Berk” so there are well over 100 episodes. Pretty crazy. I originally did not have voice acting in the plan, but as my career went on, it definitely became a wish. It became a “that would be cool” thought in the back of my head. I just didn’t know how to achieve it. I have had a lot of vocal training – I sing, but I had not had any voiceover training. I got extremely lucky, and when the role of Ruffnut was open for auditions, I was with ICM who had a partnership with DPN, a voiceover agency. I got the audition because they were specifically looking for someone with an improv background who could do a sort of voice match to the Ruffnut that Kristen Wiig had established in the movie. I was also very lucky to do the audition at DPN because they are the real deal when it comes to voice-over. The technicians who run the booths are very experienced in the industry, so recording with them means you’re working with a great director. So, I went into the booth with Juliet at DPN and I did my first take, and she leaned into the mic on the other side of the glass in the booth and said, “Well, that was boring. I’m falling asleep over here.” And THANK GOD she said that! I’m forever grateful that she wouldn’t let me get away with a mediocre take. She had me do several more takes until it was up to par. That was my first ever voiceover audition. I didn’t know what I was doing. And I booked the job. It’s pretty insane. Then I had this job and I had to sort of learn on my feet. Walking into DreamWorks pretending like I’ve done this a million times. “Right, right, I know where to stand. Yes. Oh, me? I actually like the headphones ON. Thankyousomuch.”

TrunkSpace: From a performance standpoint, do you approach voice acting differently than you do onscreen work, either consciously or subconsciously?
Vermeulen: I had to learn to be more animated (pun intended). I was so used to commercial acting where the delivery is sort of thrown away. I started in live theatre, where the performance is bigger, and then I had to learn how to tone it down for on-camera. But then came voiceover where I had to bring it back up again. Maybe not all the way up, but I had to find a happy medium. Thanks to my training and my experience, I had all the tools in my tool belt, I just needed to learn which ones to pull out when. And that’s why I think it’s so important to have training and to practice your craft constantly, whether it’s writing, vocal warm ups, improv classes, sketch, character pieces, etc. You just never know when something will come along and you have to be like, “Why yes, I DO tap dance.”

TrunkSpace: Season 4 of “Angie Tribeca” will premiere later this year. Is there anything about Scholls’ Season 4 journey that you can share with us this early in the game? What can fans expect?
Vermeulen: Season 4 is set 20 years in the future, but we of course have not aged. Everyone has left the police force and are now doing Special Ops. This season Scholls is a part of the team, whereas in the past she would stay in the lab, and occasionally show up at a crime scene. Being a part of the team means a lot more screen time for Scholls and a whole new arsenal of special skills up her sleeve.

TrunkSpace: Do you still love performing as much today as you did the first time you stepped foot on a stage or set and began your career?
Vermeulen: No, I hate it. Kidding, kidding. I love it! I think if you don’t love something, you shouldn’t do it. Performing should make you feel like you’re flying. It should make you feel fulfilled. And that fulfillment should be great enough that you would wait a million years for any sort of success, no matter how small it was. Actually, that fulfillment should be so great that even if you had zero monetary success, and zero recognition from it, you would still perform, because it makes you happy. I haven’t been performing live as much lately, and I definitely feel like there’s a little hole in my heart because of it. I need to fix that.

TrunkSpace: If someone came to you with a time machine and offered you a chance to have a glimpse at what your career will look like 10 years from now, would you take the futuristic peek?
Vermeulen: I don’t know. I think I would be very curious to take the peek, although I’m not sure I should. I try really hard to trust in myself and God, or the Universe, or whatever you’d like to call it. I work really hard to let go of outcomes and to create from a place of joy. Also, real talk: the few times I’ve talked to a psychic or spiritual medium, etc. and they tell me some sort of future prediction that is exciting and then it doesn’t come true, I’m so disappointed. So, that being said, no I would not take a peek. Final answer.

Season 6 of “Dragons: Race to the Edge” available now on Netflix.

Season 4 of “Angie Tribeca” premieres on TBS later this year.

As far as leading men go, Peter Porte is checking all of the boxes. He’s handsome, he’s charismatic on screen, and according to his costar Amanda Schull, he comes to set as prepared as any actor she has ever worked with. Oh, and based on our chat with him to discuss his new Hallmark Channel movie “Love, Once and Always,” which premieres tonight, he’s also ridiculously charming. He’s basically everything our wives wish we could be, and you know what, we’re okay with that because he happens to be about as down to earth of a guy as you could find.

Like we said, checking all of the boxes.

We recently sat down with Porte to find out what keeps him excited to be working with Hallmark Channel, how he’s always contending with dogs and sheep, and why a movie like “Love, Once and Always” is exactly what the country needs right now.

TrunkSpace: You’ve worked on a number of Hallmark Channel projects, including two last year. What is it about these particular jobs for this particular company that keeps you coming back?
Porte: It’s a wonderful company to work for, first of all. They really take care of us all. I also think that it’s quality entertainment that you can watch with your entire family, and that’s something that I definitely stand behind. And everyone I’ve worked with has always been a pleasure and they’re always shooting at amazing locations. We shot the first one out in Savannah and the last two out in Vancouver and I got to experience that city in both the summer and winter. I got to do some hiking over the summer and some skiing over the winter. The people I’ve met on those are still friends with me to this day. It’s always a pleasure to be working with Hallmark.

TrunkSpace: So how did your character on “Love, Once and Always” differ from those you played in your previous Hallmark Channel projects?
Porte: So, in this one, rather than having a dog, I had a sheep. We had a resident sheep that stole the scenes in basically the same way that all the dogs did, so I had a counterpart to contend with, per usual. (Laughter)

But as far as character goes, it was different from the last two because both of my last two characters were fairly earnest. The challenges were more situational than with my co-star. In this one, because we were ex-lovers, there was a lot more history and a lot more tension between the two of us. This character, I think, is really funny and a bit snarky, and fun. That’s a bit of departure for Hallmark. There’s a quippy banter between the two of them, and that was really fun for me.

TrunkSpace: Did the history between the two characters help to establish that banter?
Porte: I think that was it too. It’s because of that history, there was that comfort. The writers were allowing us to be a little bit more comfortable with each other – real, in a sense.

TrunkSpace: Hallmark Channel productions tend to move very quickly. When you spend so much time, in such a short period of time, on a character, does it feel like you’re abruptly pulled out of his skin when the project wraps, just because of the nature of how fast everything goes?
Porte: Yeah, in a way. This character was a lot like myself so it wasn’t as if it was a dramatic departure that I had suddenly completed and left behind. It wasn’t too much of a challenge, but I’ve been in those positions before. I’m trying to think of one right now that was jarring to get out of after spending so much time in it, but that wasn’t the case so much with this one.

TrunkSpace: What about seasonally? Often you’re working out-of-season on what is essentially seasonal movies, so you could be filming a Christmas movie at the tail end of summer. Is it odd to jump out of calendar time like that?
Porte: Oh, yeah. That is interesting. You know, when I was up there, we didn’t see sun for three weeks straight. Vancouver gets so cloudy. I’d never spent a winter there, but they had warned me that it was very similar to Seattle or Portland. When I got there, I understood exactly what they were talking about. I love Vancouver, but I was very happy at that point to… also, I had a low-key cold the entire time we were shooting, so I was very pleased to be back in sunshine after we wrapped. Although, it didn’t take much time before I was like, “Man, I miss mountains. I miss skiing.”

TrunkSpace: The air is so different up there too.
Porte: So different! Yeah, you can almost taste the air in Vancouver, it’s so rich. It’s so clean.

TrunkSpace: We spoke about what keeps you coming back to the Hallmark Channel fold, but in your opinion what keeps viewers tuning in week after week? What is the draw for all of those Hallmarkies out there?
Porte: I think no matter what your political affiliations or viewpoints on current topics are… I mean, they’re very polarized right now and I think it’s a lot on us as a nation, individually, as families, to cope with and to deal with… and I think that Hallmark offers a wonderful escape from that. It’s super important right now. I think that we are craving that kind of, not simplicity, but… I don’t know how to describe it…

TrunkSpace: It just feels wholesome.
Porte: Yes, that’s it! It’s wholesome. It is something you watch with your entire family. It’s something that will make you feel good, time and time and time again. I think that we’re, as a nation, craving that. It’s no surprise to me that it’s doing as well as it is, and I hope it continues to because I think that’s exactly what we need right now, when it comes to entertainment. It’s the same as all these incredible action, hero movies and why they are doing so well right now. We are craving heroes. We’re craving love stories. We’re craving that the good guy wins out in the end and they get married. It makes perfect sense to me.

TrunkSpace: There is incredible television out there, but a lot of it is heavy and you carry that with you.
Porte: You take it on! You take that stuff on. I was lying in bed yesterday and I had a long, hard day. I was about to start “Mudbound” on Netflix, and I’m like, “I don’t know if I can do this.” (Laughter) And so I put on some Bill Hader and I watched “Documentary Now!”

TrunkSpace: You’ve guested on some great shows over the years and we’re curious, which one would you have liked to have stuck around longer on? What was the show and character that you wished you had more time to spend with?
Porte: That’s a good question. I reoccurred on a show called “Baby Daddy” for quite a few years. It’s a sitcom, and I love the sitcom format because it’s the closest thing that we have, I think, in film and TV, to theater, which is a big love of mine. I think that there was a lot more to be had with my character having married Bonnie Wheeler, played by Melissa Peterman. I played the grandfather on the show because I married the mother of the baby daddy. In the years I worked on that show, I made such a strong bond with so many of the cast and crew, that that could have just gone on for the next 10 years and I would have been so happy. I love that show.

I also did a guest star last year, just one day, on “New Girl.” I think that entire cast is so brilliant and funny, I would love to just hang out and watch them do their shtick.

TrunkSpace: You mentioned your love for theater. Is that still a big part of your life today?
Porte: Oh yeah, absolutely. It’s very important to me. It’s probably my first love and why I got into this business. I don’t get as much of an opportunity to do it as I’d like, but last Christmas I got to do a show at the Annenberg in Beverly Hills, with the company that I’ve been working with for the last, I think, six years now, called For The Record. We did “Love Actually” live in concert. We performed the entire movie of “Love Actually,” but then all of the amazing songs that are within the movie, we also sang.

TrunkSpace: It’s a great soundtrack.
Porte: Oh, such a good soundtrack. We had 25 people in the cast, and I played Hugh Grant’s role, the prime minister. We had Steve Kazee, who won the Tony for “Once,” in it. It was amazing. It was six performances, and we’re hoping that it comes back next year in a larger capacity. But as long as I get in at least one or two of those in a year, I’m pretty satiated, I’m pretty happy. I love it, and I do miss it. I wish I could be doing more of it.

“Love, Once and Always” airs tonight (9 p.m. ET/PT) on Hallmark Channel.

Times change, and in certain fictional circumstances, Amanda Schull has had a hand in it. As Dr. Cassandra Railly in the SYFY series “12 Monkeys,” the Honolulu native has been traveling through time for three season (the fourth and final kicks off later this year), doing her very best to save humanity from its own premature swan song. It’s dramatic, mind-bending television, often dark and emotional, so it’s exciting to see Schull taking a break  from the future to live in the present with Hallmark Channel’s latest movie, “Love, Once and Always,” which premieres this Saturday.

Eager to take on a playful role and banter on screen with her costar Peter Porte, the actress stars as Lucy, a London transplant who must return home to Rhode Island after learning that her beloved great aunt has passed away. With half of the family estate left to her and the other half to Duncan (Porte), son of the estate’s caretakers, a forgotten romance springs anew and takes both of them by surprise.

We recently sat down with Schull to discuss if she’s living out her dream, the beautiful experience she had working with Hallmark Channel for the first time, and why her costars think she’s having too much fun on set.

TrunkSpace: Looking at the projects that you’ve been working on over the last year or so – “12 Monkeys,” “Suits” and “Love, Once and Always” – they’re all so different. Is getting to play with that kind of project diversity a component of living out the “dream” of being a professional actor?
Schull: It is. It is a dream. I think it’s really uncommon to have a character that you can play for years and years and years and love. I think it is sort of ideal to be able to slip into somebody else’s clothes and skin, and show a whole other part of life and humanity and existence that maybe you’ve never had the opportunity to try on before. And with those three productions that you just mentioned, I couldn’t ask for three different women to get to portray, so I am very, very lucky.

TrunkSpace: It definitely feels unique to the times, too, because even just 10 or 15 years ago, it didn’t seem like performers had the opportunity to juggle a handful of characters at the same time and show so many different sides of themselves.
Schull: That’s interesting. I never really thought about that. I do know that sometimes it is challenging if you’ve been a particular character; that sometimes people feel like that’s the only character you can be and that’s the only person they can see you as. And I’ve been really, really lucky to not have run up against that, knock on wood, because I do think there are a few common threads with those three particular women you just mentioned. I think they’re all smart and strong, and I’m okay with being that. But as far as being pigeonholed into any one particular thing, I think that is frustrating for an actor as I would assume it’s frustrating maybe for any profession to only be seen as one particular thing.

TrunkSpace: From what we understand, this is your first Hallmark Channel production, correct?
Schull: It is, yes.

TrunkSpace: What did you take from the experience? We’ve been told that they move pretty quickly, in an efficient way, but can still be a bit of a whirlwind.
Schull: It is a whirlwind, but it’s a very lovely whirlwind. I had a really, really beautiful experience with them. From the very beginning, from even just meeting the producers and director for dinner before we even started, it was a very open, communicative process from start to finish where everyone respected and admired everybody else’s work and ideas and concerns brought up so that it helped with the efficiency. It helped to make sure that things run smoothly and efficiently, like you said, because there isn’t a lot of time. You have three weeks to do a movie, and that can be really daunting and it can be really stressful unless everyone is really well prepared in advance. And I think that that’s something that they do well, is they prepare and then they also have people who know what they’re doing so there isn’t a lot of confusion on the day.

TrunkSpace: You probably have to be on the same page just to make it work successfully within that time frame?
Schull: Absolutely, and what was really striking to me was the script. Scripts obviously go through a lot of revisions and modifications, and my character just had a lot to say. So with each revision, I had a lot of new dialogue and it was really exciting in a daunting way. I love being presented with challenges, trying to work on all that. Just to give you an example, often men don’t always, necessarily… I don’t mean to bash men after all this. (Laughter) It sounds horrible. (Laughter) But sometimes men don’t always show up as prepared as women, and Peter Porte showed up more prepared and organized, with more ideas even with the revisions with my character, with the new notes and the new things she had to say that I had only gotten the night before. Things that would help me. If I were to say, “I’m unclear about how I’m supposed to feel about this. If you wouldn’t mind, I don’t know how she’d say this or do that.” And he had all kinds of wonderful ideas and thoughts. It was just so amazing. Talk about people showing up and being prepared and being on top of it… he was on top of it times 10, and that was just really nice to get that kind of partnership with somebody.

I’m looking at it from my own selfish perspective that he really helped me in my role because he was so amazingly prepared. (Laughter)

TrunkSpace: In terms of Lucy as a character, when you first took on the role, what was it that most excited you about getting to inhabit her?
Schull: I really liked being able to have the fun banter. I liked being able to play somebody who was smart and kind of quirky and playful, but also dug in her heels with things that she believed to be true and just. I hadn’t played somebody like that in awhile where it was just sort of playful, and that was really fun. And then the fact that I got to work with somebody who I had such admiration and such fun chemistry with off camera made it even more fun than I had envisioned it because getting something that’s supposed to be playful and fun could be a challenge if you don’t have that dynamic and it needs to be forced. And I can’t speak for Peter, but I loved every single second of getting to work with him. What I was excited about on the page ended up only being realized times 10 when I met and got to start working with him.

TrunkSpace: And that chemistry is such a huge factor in Hallmark Channel movies. If it’s not there, the audience can sense it.
Schull: Right. And I guess sometimes you don’t feel it. I guess there are probably ways to sneak that in. Maybe you could add music or something, but I was really lucky that I didn’t have to fake any of that with Peter, from my perspective. I can’t speak for him. (Laughter) Maybe Peter dreaded going to work every single day. (Laughter) I don’t know, but for me, I loved it.

TrunkSpace: A lot of times these types of movies focus on first loves, but in “Love, Once and Always,” the two characters already had a relationship, so that banter dynamic was probably able to thrive within the story itself because of that.
Schull: Yes, exactly. And that can be concerning that you need to establish the background in your own imagination and what their lives were like before getting on camera, and hopefully the other person has established something similar and that it’ll read similarly. From the first time I met Peter – we had dinner together before we started working and we walked back to our hotel together – and I thought, “Oh yeah, this will work! This will be great!” I was already having a ball with him.

TrunkSpace: Which kind of circles back to our first question about living out your dream. If you’re having a ball doing what you do in your career, then you’ve chosen wisely.
Schull: Yeah, that’s absolutely true. Most of the time what I do doesn’t feel like work. I do a lot of homework and I do a lot of preparation off camera and on my own time, and even that is sort of fun. It’s kind of detective work, where you’re sort of piecing things together to create a person and a human that seemed real and tangible on camera. And then you step on set so that you don’t have to work, or it doesn’t feel like work. Everything is kind of already built within you, and so it is true that it is a dream to be able to spend 12-plus hours on a set and go home and think, that didn’t feel like any time passed at all, and I enjoyed every single moment of it. And sometimes, I’ve even been told… for instance with “12 Monkeys,” Aaron Stanford, my co-star on the show, used to sometimes say to me, “Get a hold of yourself; you’re having too much fun.” And I’d love it. I really, really do enjoy what I get to do, and being surrounded by people who feel that way also is just, my God, it’s icing on the cake.

TrunkSpace: If something starts out as a love and then starts to feel like work, then it’s time to reassess things, but it sounds like you’re still enjoying yourself as much today as you were when you first started your career.
Schull: I guess there’s that really overused, lame-o expression where you find what you love and it will never feel like work, or whatever that horrible thing is. I’ve found it, I think.

“Love, Once and Always” airs this Saturday (9 p.m. ET/PT) on Hallmark Channel.

“12 Monkeys” returns to SYFY later this year.