Hallmark star Alison Sweeney traded the Los Angeles grind for a quieter life in Arizona, and she has not looked back once. The actress and producer, 49, opened up about the move in a recent interview with Fox News Digital, saying the decision came down to one thing above everything else — her children.
Getty“One of the first things I noticed about myself was how less stressed out I was,” she said.
“They don’t call it a rat race for nothing, right? Like when you’re in those big cities and there’s always this energy and lots of people thrive on it, but I had reached my max capacity, and it was starting to really like weigh on me and be a source of real stress to me all the time.”
Sweeney says she does not “regret it for a second.”
A Slower Life That She and Her Family Are Fully Embracing
GettyLife in Arizona looks very different from her years on the “Days of Our Lives” set in Los Angeles, and Sweeney says that is exactly the point.
The pace is slower, the schedule is more flexible, and the family is more present. She described their current lifestyle as “a lot more laid back,” with far more time spent working from home rather than commuting to a studio every day.
Getty“Now we’re here, and our kids go to school, and we go to the school events, and we are learning to play golf, and we’re enjoying a lot of trips and travel, and I go up to Canada to work, but there is a peaceful net,” she said.
She and her husband make a deliberate effort to appreciate what they have built in their new home state, choosing intention over inertia.
Her 14th Hannah Swensen Film Is Her Most Personal Yet
While life at home has slowed down, Sweeney’s creative output has only grown stronger.
Her latest project, “Best Served Cold: A Hannah Swensen Mystery,” marks the 14th installment in her beloved Hallmark franchise and the fourth film she has written and executive produced.
HallmarkThe movie follows Hannah, a baker-turned-amateur sleuth, as she investigates the murder of a key witness in a forgery case and the disappearance of the lead prosecutor.
Hannah and prosecutor Chad work together to crack the case before the killer strikes again.
Sweeney said she wanted this entry to be a departure from the franchise’s usual formula. “I wanted this movie to be about Chad,” she explained, pulling the story into courtroom drama territory and giving the lead characters room to grow. She also teased “a bit of growth in the relationship” between the two leads.
The film premieres Saturday, May 16, at 8 p.m. on Hallmark Channel, with streaming available the following day on Hallmark+.
It also stars Victor Webster and Barbara Niven, and was produced by Sweeney alongside Craig Baumgarten and Lighthouse Pictures.
Why Hallmark Movies Keep Finding Their Audience Year After Year
HallmarkSweeney has watched the Hannah Swensen franchise grow into something she calls “lightning in a bottle,” and she has a clear sense of why Hallmark movies continue to resonate with viewers long after they first air.
The formula, she says, is simple. These are feel-good stories that let the audience relax.
“You probably know it’s going to be okay at the end,” she said, adding that for viewers who want something lighter, the alternative is always available. “If you want to watch bloodshed, it’s out there, it’s happening.”
What keeps her most connected to the work is the fans themselves.
Hallmark“When I meet people about these movies, I love hearing them say, ‘ Ohh, that scene,’ and then they can quote little sections of it or little funny lines that are their favorite moments,” she said.
That longevity is something she does not take for granted.
“That to me is like the most satisfying thing about being a part of a franchise like this is the longevity that allows people to approach you about a movie four years ago, five years ago, and they can just rattle off their favorite moments along the way, and then you feel like, oh, we’re really doing this together.”
Two of her previous films in the franchise have hit No. 1 on the cable entertainment charts.
