There are three things that you can count on from me when I interview someone. The first thing is that I am always going to be nervous. The second thing is that I am going to keep telling myself to relax and not be so uptight and inevitably call someone uptight because the words will keep repeating in my head. The last? I’m going to hit that leave button as quickly as possible when my time is up.
Interviewing people is not easy. Some may say it is, but you have a set amount of time to get all of the questions in and sometimes you’re not going to get everything asked. You have to worry about what you say and how you say it and you have to worry about making sure that your questions aren’t intrusive, but are intrusive enough that you get answers that no one else has.
These are the things I thought I knew, and how I felt. But sometimes things change. People change. And hey – that’s not a bad thing.
My latest interview, everything that I knew and tell myself went out the window as I entered the zoom room to chants of Erin filling my ears. I was so thankful to be off camera for a second, as Tyler Hynes, Jonathan Bennett, and BJ Britt chanted my name. It put me at ease after a long week.
It also made me turn every shade of red in the color palette.
The three are the stars of Hallmark+’s movie trilogy, The Groomsmen. They play Pete, Danny, and Jackson – three best friends who are all in the stage of their life of finding love and getting married. Just seeing them on the screen in front of me, I could see their bond. They weren’t even in the same room, but it was this feeling.
This feeling of them just knowing each other so well, the specialness of what they were promoting, and the way that each one of them is so important to the other is something that bounces off the screen.
There is a few moments of jokes and a lot of laughter when Britt says, “Look Erin, I apologize in advance for Johnny and Tyler right now, I promise you.”
Britt makes me laugh, and yet I know that I am running out of time. 10 minutes isn’t a lot, but part of me has settled that in my head. I don’t care what I do or don’t get from this interview, because these three make me feel like I am the only person that matters in the world at that moment. That takes a lot for an actor to do – but I am running with it.
I think any of us would.
I laugh and sarcastically say, “I mean, I’ve had experience with both of them. So I really do appreciate that.”
They all laugh at me and Britt replies, “Oh, wow! Wow! I just want to give you the biggest hug right now.”
I have interviewed Tyler and Jonathan before. Both are extremely charming, charismatic, and fun. I love speaking with them and I love the way that they don’t take themselves too seriously. I have nothing but love for each one of them.
Tyler asks me if this is the first time that I have met Britt, and it is. I didn’t expect Jonathan to put me on the spot at that moment, but he did and asks, “What’s your initial reaction to BJ?”
It’s at this point that I realize that I am off center and I am not sure what to say. I tell myself over and over in my head that I need to not be uptight and I find myself saying, “Well, he’s charming. He’s got a good smile.”
Tyler says, “Yeah, he does the one of the best.”
And then I add, “And he’s funnier than both of you.”
The three start to laugh, but Jonathan and Tyler both agree with me. Britt says, “I’m gonna give you the biggest hug ever right there. That’s my girl.”
We both hug the screen and move on to why I am there. To talk about The Groomsmen. But I want to know Jonathan Bennett’s eyebrow routine because he has the best brows ever. Turns out that is what the look like naturally and he only has to pluck a hair in the middle.
We start to talk about the films, where I admit that the second movie is my favorite.
Britt looks at me and says, “I’m sorry which one was your favorite.”
I am a little intimidated but I am also loving the way Britt moves a little forward and looks at me with a smile.
Earlier in the interview, Britt and Tyler had offered me gummy bears (don’t ask me why they have a huge bucket of them) but they were jokingly taking them back. They were okay and I think that they know that each movie is going to appeal to people differently. I do love all three of the movies, don’t get me wrong.
I ask, “Fans’ response has been overwhelmingly positive to the series. What is the response meant to each one of you? And what do you hope that people take from each one of your movies?”
We retreat back for a second to me liking the second one the best and I am trying to think of words, as I have seen all three at this point, and I am not sure what to say, but I stumble over my words, say the wrong things, and the word “uptight” comes out of my mouth, because I was telling myself not to be uptight.
The three of them help me get past my words and my nerves. I don’t think that the three of them realize their allure, charisma, and looks that can throw anyone off. I am a little intimidated, but in the best way.
I say, “Jonathan, you made Danny’s story, I loved it because it’s just – everybody, falls in love with their best friend at some point in their lives.”
“True,” he says before going back to my question and saying, “The response from the movies, from the fans, and from the people that are watching them has been so overwhelmingly beautiful and positive and wonderful. Especially when we’re telling movies like this, where this was the 1st of its kind. Not only the first male trilogy male led trilogy of movies at Hallmark, but also we had the first same sex wedding in a movie at Hallmark. We were able to be outside the box and outside the norm and do new inventive ways of storytelling. It is risky, and there is a feeling that I think this is right. I think they’re going to like it.”
He continued, “But we don’t know, and then to have it pay off. Everyone’s response has been exactly what we wanted. We wanted everyone to fall in love with the boys and that group of friends, and say, ‘What are the boys going to get up to next like?’”
He ends the answer with, “That’s what we wanted, and that seems so far what the response has been. So we’ve been very grateful.”
He’s summing everything up so beautifully that even Tyler and Britt are nodding and agreeing with everything he says, and say as much. We all are staring at Bennett, who you can tell is so passionate about these movies and what they mean to the fans, as well as to the cast and crew.
I had read that at People magazines countdown to the Sexiest Man Alive, Hynes had said, “It’s not Sex in the City, but it kind of feels like Sex and City for dudes, which I realized watching Sex and the City when I was in Europe and I was going, ‘Oh, we’re making that.'”
I find myself asking, “So, Tyler, you said that the movies were like sex and the city for dudes. So one has to wonder like which sex and the city character are you? Jonathan? BJ?”
Without skipping a beat, he says, “We’re all Samantha.”
That was not something I was expecting, because of a lot of peoples idea of who Samantha represents. However I love the answer.
“Who wouldn’t want to watch Sex & The City with three Samantha’s,” Tyler says.
“That’s a good show.” Jonathan chimes in.
I admit to them I didn’t expect that answer, but Tyler says that he wasn’t expecting it either, but that’s where we landed. I can’t help but stare at the screen and see all three of them laughing and having a good time and remember that they are all human. Celebrities are intimidating, but they are human and they are just trying to live their lives. Acting is their job and these three are so humble that you know that they appreciate every moment that they are there.
They enjoy being able to bring characters alive that touch the viewer, that they are able to relate to, and that they are able to fall for. Each one has this presence that I can’t explain.
I say, circling back to questions, “So the movies like to me kind of felt invasive in a way like it. Felt like as if you were watching the behind the scenes of somebody’s wedding, and you’re seeing the vulnerable parts of them as well as the facade of who they feel like they have to be a public.”
I continue, “You’re seeing people fall in love, put up walls, challenge themselves. Did you intend for them to be that way? It’s as if people are set to fall in love with the characters you guys played, but to feel like you’re peeping in on them also?”
Tyler answers without missing a beat, “I mean, I think we wanted to try to reflect our experiences with our friends and our lives. It felt like you know, men, women, anybody of any kind could relate to these kinds of questions and concerns. And you know, in the safe world that is like the hallmark world trying to find relatable and grounded stories to tell within. A very fun circumstance, I think, was the goal. And so I think we just tried to ground it in some reality.”
He continues, “It’s lovely that you felt that way, that it felt sort of voyeuristic like peeking into these people’s lives. Cause I mean, if you’re trying to do anything with the movie or with characters, is to create that feeling where people are invited into something that feels somewhat personal even in these kinds of fun. You know, silly sort of circumstances that these genre movies are coming, you know, so lovely. Yeah, I’m glad you felt that way.”
Bennett added, “Me, too, and we’ve said that before. Tyler, you and I’ve talked about it. I think when we’re creating these together, it’s like it’s a double edged sword, because you get to have the female audience, kind of peek behind the veil, or the curtain of like what the guy group of friends does when they’re on their like boys camping trip. Or they’re like, what are the guys talking about when they’re like when they’re having boys weekends, or hanging out together like the female audience, is getting kind of a peek into that world. The male audience is able to identify with the group of friends and say, Oh, my gosh! That reminds me of you know me, Bill, and Dan, or whoever you know and reminds them of them and their friends. So it’s kind of like fun, because both sides of the audience get something different. But they’re both rewarding.”
I love both their answers and realize the whole time I’ve been listening to them, I am looking at Britt in the corner of my screen. He’s quiet, but he’s listening to every word his friends say.
“I just think you guys did, Pete dirty, though, because you made him seem like he can’t do any cardio to save his life.” I say referring to the first movie where Britt’s character of Pete was having to run after the cab.
Britt looks a little confused, but then smiles.
“He can,” Bennett says.
“The reality is, he’s the most jacked of all of.” Hynes added.
“Most in shape person here,” Bennett continues.
“My entire muscle mass is just located on one of his pecs. My entire body.” Hynes continues.
We’re all laughing and they continue on for about 45 seconds, but I don’t mind. I may not have gotten to all my questions, but I haven’t laughed this much in a hot minute, so I am not mad about it. I am thankful that I have been blessed with the time and opportunity to speak with them.
As I am about to wrap up, Jonathan chimes back in and says, “You should see BJ’s abs. They’re ridiculous.”
And Tyler goes, “Yeah, that’s why he ended up in a tank top in the gym, and I ended up nice and covered up.”
They are all laughing and not taking themselves too seriously. It’s something that I can definitely respect. We say our goodbyes and I know that these three will be the cause of the smile that comes to my face for the next few days.
So much respect for each of them and thankful for their hearts.
I’m also thankful that all of them took a chance on this trilogy, as it was something that I think we all needed.
The Groomsmen Trilogy is streaming on Hallmark+.
