When you hear the last name Groening, most people think of Matt Groening (which I have recently learned). I think of Amy Groening and all of the Hallmark movies that she’s been in and the roles that she’s taken on. Countdown to Christmas is my thing – as we all know – and I have seen all of those that she’s been in. But now, I will think of her role in Because of Cupid.
Now I am a cynic and love isn’t something that I believe in (or I say I don’t), so celebrating Valentines Day is not high on my list of holidays. As a matter-of-fact I have a tendency to hide in my room, singing all by myself and crying over all the men (and I use the term loosely as most of them a man childs) that have broken my heart. I don’t cry over the ones I have broken though – they deserved it.
Cupid never shot an arrow for me that ended up hitting the right man. But Cupid was definitely shooting his shot in Because of Cupid for Naomi (Groening) and Marcus (Evan Roderick).
The movie follows Naomi and Marcus, best friends and bartenders in Buffalo, New York, who enter a Valentine’s Day mocktail contest to kickstart their dream business. After unknowingly adding a real love potion to their mocktail, they win the competition but spark chaos when judges-and Marcus-fall under its spell. As media attention grows, they race to find an antidote, questioning whether their own feelings are real. Ultimately, they discover their love is genuine, secure a career-making deal, and realize that the true magic was between them all along.
I was blessed to sit and talk with Groening about the movie and why I loved it so much. My inner fangirl came to the surface as I spent the first two minutes telling her why it is that Because of Cupid was so pleasantly surprising to me and how I could not figure out the twists and turns.
Erin: What made you want to do Because of Cupid?
Amy: What made me want to do the movie was just this wild script. It’s exactly what you said. It changes, and it evolves. There are so many different storylines going on. It’s so much fun. I think it’s really fresh. I loved the magic and I loved the romance. The friends-to-lovers dynamic between Naomi and Marcus. I really loved how Naomi’s character was a little bit more guarded than I sometimes see with these characters. She needed a little bit more warming up. She has that really soft inside. There was just something about her that really intrigued me. For all of those reasons, I was just like, “Ooh, I want to do that movie.”
Erin: At the beginning, when you guys are discussing love and magic and all that, I’m like, “Okay, I am such a Marcus here.” Then by the end, I’m like, “I’m such a Naomi.” It’s not really often that Hallmark movies get me to do that, but I loved that it did. I am not the biggest fan of Valentine’s Day. I don’t believe in magic or believe in love. I’m a total cynic. I have to ask, are you a fan of the holiday? What are your feelings on magic and love?
Amy: I love magic. If only, just like the “Whaaa,” the magic of it all. I’m a sucker for all that stuff. That’s pretty cool. I can’t do any magic, but I like it. I love the Harry Potter books, magical realism, other worlds, imagination. Do I believe in love? Of course, I do. I’m a romantic, but I’m also cynical because I think that love takes work and effort.
I think I’m maybe a Naomi also in the way that I think that real love is about time and dedication and all those boring other elements that she learned from her grandparents, the character Naomi, and she has these deeper ideas. I guess what I’m trying to say is I’m really both. I’m really both Naomi and Marcus. As for Valentine’s Day, I don’t necessarily celebrate it in a specific way, but I would make sure to– I like making Valentine cards, actually.
Erin: I think that the characters that you’ve played and the things that you’ve done, I relate to a lot of them. I’ve walked away from your Hallmark Christmas movies and now this one, and I’m thinking, “Wow, she really knows how to bring a character to life.” I really loved that about you. When I’m watching this whole relationship come alive between Marcus and Naomi, and the chemistry that is going on on the screen, there’s a song by Taylor Swift, it’s called Ruin the Friendship.
Marcus and Naomi are so close. Then I’m screaming at the TV, and I’m going, “Don’t ruin the friendship, don’t do it.” I can relate to Naomi that way. Also, the love potion compartment, I believe in love potions in the sense that it’s not necessarily a drink. If something makes me fall in love with somebody, if you open doors, that could be the love potion for somebody, per se. This is a long way. Do you believe in love potions, and do you think, without the love potion, even with the twist at the end, that Marcus would’ve ever told the truth or that Naomi ever would’ve?
Amy: I think that’s a fun thing to think about with this movie. Not to give anything away, but I wonder, right? I think that something had to happen. Here’s what I think. I think Naomi would say no, it wouldn’t, nothing would’ve ever happened. I think Marcus would say, yes, he had to. These were the feelings that they had anyway. I think that they both needed the other person to be brave and take an outside source, but it ultimately accomplished the goal. I don’t know. They’re just both so scared of ruining the friendship. I should listen to this Taylor Swift song, by the way. What is it called?
Erin: It’s called Ruin the Friendship.
Amy: Oh, it’s just that. Oh, okay, great.
Erin: Speaking of music, how much courage did it take for you to get up and sing, to sing at the end? I was going, “Oh my God, girl, that is a moment. That is a declaration if I’ve ever heard one.”
Amy: It’s a moment, yes. Yes, it was very quiet in there. There was no music playing. It was just me alone singing. I think I sounded good.
Erin: You did.
Amy: I think I sounded good. It’s embarrassing, but you sing it enough times in front of a crowd.
Erin: I love. I could never be an actress in any way, shape, or form because I get nervous enough just doing this kind of stuff. Beforehand, I’m just sitting here shaking, but then I calm down a little bit. Anyhow, I couldn’t do it. Hats off to you. I thought you did an amazing job.
Amy: Also, at that time, you’re in the character, and it’s like, “Ah, who cares?” I don’t really get too nervous about that kind of thing. It’s more like, I think if Naomi had to be a really good singer, if that was part of the story, that it was important that she was a really phenomenal singer, it might be an issue for me because I don’t know if I would accomplish that goal. For her to just sing her heart out and be a bit flat, which is what the goal was, then I can do that.
Erin: One of my favorite characters in this movie was Uncle Richard. I loved Uncle Richard, and I loved the scene at the beginning when you can see how Marcus and him are basically the same person. I was like, “That is so yay.” Loved that Naomi seemed to trust more in Uncle Richard than Marcus did. Then, why do you think that he was the person that could push you two? I feel like he was the person that could push you two forward, besides Cupid. I think if Naomi and Marcus hadn’t had that meeting with Uncle Richard, they would’ve never pushed past their fear.
Amy: That’s a really, really good point, Erin. It’s something maybe I hadn’t thought about. It’s like Uncle Richard is an extremely important figure in the plot of pushing this forward. Aside from just being a funny actor and a great character, he was also essential. I think he’s just an experienced– he’s the wisdom, the guiding wisdom in the movie that we need. He’s our elder. He’s opened a restaurant before and he’s experienced.
Naomi was raised by her grandparents. I think he’s just a very trusted figure. It’s also something Marcus, or Evan, and I talked about when we were filming, is like, I wonder why it’s not his dad, why it’s Uncle Richard, why it was written like that. Neither of us have parent figures that are in the movie. Uncle Richard is like our grumpy dad. I think we just really, really both trust him.
It also speaks to the fact that Marcus and Naomi are really, really close outside of the bar, the fact that I already know his Uncle Richard and that I already know his best friend Sandra, or Sandra’s her real name, sorry, Lucy. It’s just like, I think he’s just like our grumpy best friend dad.
Erin: I loved it. I really loved it. My time is coming to a close, so I will ask. This will be my last question. The whole thing of Cupid, when you guys figured that part out, honestly, I thought I knew it, and then I knew nothing. I was like, “Wait, what Greek mythology? Wait, hold on.” I had to rewind three times to really be like, “Wait a second.” Then, when you guys are at the museum or the art exhibit, I forgot which one it was, and you see him in that picture, I had to stop and look and really look close, and I was like, “Oh my God. Really, that’s so amazing.” Were you familiar with this Greek mythology story? Because I had to look it up and read it.
Amy: Oh, no. I also had to look it up to read it. Yes, it was not in my wheelhouse prior, but it is fascinating. I love how the writers drew on this, really interesting old myths and poetry. There’s so much drawn into this script that I’ve never seen in a Hallmark movie. It makes it so fun and fresh and unique. Yes. No, I didn’t know any of that mythology. I was about to say mythology is how you say that word. That’s how you say it.
Erin: To be very honest with you, I really loved the ending, but I was also like, “I’m going to need a sequel because I’m going to need to see what them buying it in two years looks like. I’m going to need to see them get together. I’m going to need to see if they get married, if there’s children involved.” I don’t walk away from every movie this way, but I just walked away going, “All right, I need the answers to all these questions because this movie is so good.” For a smidget, my cynic self went, “I really want to love like that.”
Amy: Aw, that’s really nice, Erin.
Erin: It’s the biggest praise I can give. I really walked away from this going, “I really want to love like that. I want a sequel, but I really want to love like that.”
Amy: That’s, I think, the best compliment. It is the best compliment I’ve gotten, but it’s definitely what I want everyone to feel. That is exactly it.
