It never fails, the moment that I see a celebrity, I forget their name and for the life of; I start to shake and I wonder – how corny does it sound to say to this person that they have made a difference in my life? I don’t interview anyone that I don’t like, though if I did, I probably wouldn’t blubber on so much and make a fool of myself. Just like I did when sitting here and talking to some of the cast of Haul Out The Halloween.
When you enter a zoom for an interview, it never fails. No matter that you are warned, you will jump when you hear your name. One thing that I have always loved about interviewing Hallmark stars is that they are always kind and say your name first in order to put you at ease. As I heard Erin, I jumped.
But Melissa Peterman, Wes Brown, and Stephen Tobolowsky all said my name in unison. First thoughts? Stephen Tobolowsky has better lighting than all of us put together, Wes Brown never has a hair out of place, and Melissa Peterman is stunning. She may almost be one of the funniest people I have ever had the pleasure of interviewing.
I went to email for my interview the other day, because I hadn’t gotten it. Email issues. Found it in spam and sat down to transcribe it and figure out what even after the movie has already been out, what is left to say.
But there is always something more to say. The truth is fandom doesn’t just die. Sometime you need to look a little harder, but it’s there.
Hallmark stars making movies for all holidays, it is just that Christmas is what they are known for. Turning one of their franchises into something that can span across all holidays is an intriguing concept – one that the “Haul Out the…” movies can definitely do. But being as they are different, I wanted to know if their was a difference.
Wes Brown was the first to answer if there was a difference between them, “I think the only difference really is just the holiday. I think the story revolves around the relationships between all of the neighbors, and it shows that we can seamlessly shift from one holiday into another one, keeping the same humor, joy, friendships”
But I had to laugh when both Melissa and Stephen said it was, “Competiveness.”
If you’ve watched the franchise, you know that Brown plays Jared, who is wound a little tight and loves to write a home owners association ticket. The Home Owner’s Association is a big part of this franchise.
So I asked about different types of rules for each holiday. Keep in mind that at this point, I hadn’t seen the movie and I definitely let them know that. Brown said, “Yes, but that’s actually a little bit of a gray area, too. We juggle on– yes, there’s quite a few scenes in there where I think that’s part of the humor is him trying to struggle about to figure out what the rules for Halloween really are.”
Peterman chimed in, “Because there was some rules before, and then things changed, and they went away from it, so they’re trying to figure it out on its feet, so to speak.”
I reiterated that I hadn’t seen the movie, but that I wanted haunted houses, skeletons, and scary things.
Peterman continued, “Yes, yes, and yes. We have such an amazing crew that have done all of these movies, from hair and makeup, to costumes, to the set decorating, to everything. What they did with Everscream Lane, driving up when we would come to work at night, it was the neighborhood that I wished I’d lived in as a kid. It is amazing what they did. I can’t wait for people to see that because Hallmark makes Christmas big. We’re going to do Halloween big, and it looks spectacular.”
One thing that I instantly loved about the three of them is that they are very conscious of the cast, crew, and the community that they film in.
“It’s also funny that they take the cul-de-sac, and the real neighbors are there. The real people are there. You go out at midnight, and Maclain, our director, has asked the real people to be in the movie. Everybody is thrilled, and you have all these children out at 1:00 in the morning dressed like hobgoblins and witches because we have to shoot late at night, and everybody is just having the best time in the world. I just felt it was a very especially inclusive Halloween because we had all these strange people in our movie that were having more fun than they probably ever had had in their life, knowing that they were going to be in a movie on Hallmark,” Tobolowsky said.
The community loves the franchise so much, that the house that doubles as Pamela’s house, “had a plaque that said, the first movie with all of our names was shot here in this house, and it was the house of Pamela Hughes.”
I’ve been around this industry long enough to know that not every community embraces actors and productions like this.
What I absolutely love is that this cast gets how they grow together. Emily and Jared get married at the beginning of the movie and embrace each other for who they are. They are very different people.
“It’s very fast, but it’s beautiful. Truly, it is spectacular, and what a wonderful way to start it off. I don’t know. I don’t think the dynamic of Jared and Emily– there is some that I think mostly between you two when you guys are like, who’s going to be in charge of– there’s a little bit of a power struggle, I think, between you guys now that you’re married, who’s really–”
Wes added, “she hit the nail on the head. That’s the only thing that’s changed, just like who takes the first step into because she’s– as Emily was never really on board with the HOA stuff, now she’s full steam ahead. We get to see the little– I guess, a little bit of a power struggle between the two, but it’s kept pretty light.”
The group goes on to discuss the dynamics of Jared and Emily’s relationship, even stating that “Emily has to sort of step in and take the reins of the HOA” because Jared gets himself into a “trouble.”
Melissa said, “ This is what I love is that, Wes, that you’re so funny, and you don’t have to be because you’re handsome. You’re hilarious. I’m joking, of course, but there’s something about. I look, he’s so handsome, he can sing, he’s a triple threat, and then he happens to have impeccable comedic timing and is hilarious. There’s nothing more attractive, I think, to an audience is that a handsome guy who’s willing to be silly. When he used Jared, he is silly.”
Wes responded, “Here’s my credit card. Thank you for saving me.”
The dynamics between all of them work. This cast sheds light on joy no matter the season or the timing. We’re lucky to have them.
We talk a little more and I tell them how I am as old as dirt, that my little niece said that to me and I keep repeating it.
Wes says, “Everything grows from dirt.”
Peterman echos his words and then says, “Erin, and you and I are growing, and we’re planting seeds.”
She laughs and then says, “I’m going to embrace the dirt.”
Same Melissa. Same.
