Autumn Reeser Shares Her Special Bond With Hallmark Co-Star Niall Matter (EXCLUSIVE)

When longtime Hallmark fan-favorites Autumn Reeser and Niall Matter co-star in “We Met in December” on Thanksgiving night, the actress won’t be surprised if viewers notice a rich connection between them.

Their onscreen chemistry, she told EntertainmentNow, is the result of a meaningful bond they forged offscreen.

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Autumn Reeser Says She & Niall Matter Bonded Over Their ‘Transformational’ Journeys

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In “We Met in December,” Reeser and Matter play strangers who meet while on an unexpected layover in mid-December, staying at a beautiful hotel decked out for the holidays. Per Hallmark’s logline, “it’s love at first sight, and they end up having a magical night of sharing hopes, dreams…and a perfect kiss.” But when another twist keeps them from exchanging info, they both embark on separate quests to find each other.

Establishing their onscreen chemistry was no problem, Reeser told EntertainmentNow, sharing how she and Matter enjoyed a meaningful conversation at the Hallmark Christmas Experience in 2024.

Reeser, who’s been open about her own spiritual journey over the last decade, said, “I love Niall. He’s really gone on a deep, transformational journey, as well. And those are the people I connect with very
deeply.”

The “Junebug” star said former Hallmark creative executive Bart Fisher noticed their connection from across the room, and realized they’d make a great pairing onscreen. Matter told a similar story on the Heart in Motion podcast, noting that “it was really nice to actually have that experience in real life with Autumn.”

“We work really well together,” she said. “He’s really awakened and just a sovereign being. I really, really like working with him.”

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Autumn Reeser Says Connecting Offscreen With a Co-Star Always Helps the Onscreen Chemistry

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Coming to the set of “We Met in December” with a shared understanding and interest in each other’s journeys made Reeser and Matter’s on-screen connection that much sweeter, she told EntertainmentNow.

“I think a connection off-screen always helps,” she said, “because you’re seeing the pure truth of your enjoyment of being around this person. And when you’re telling a love story, that is a benefit. I genuinely like this person.”

“It makes it a lot easier to tell the story that you’re telling,” Reeser continued, “and then it makes all of the, you know, in-between moments so much more fun as well, because you’re like, ‘This is an interesting person with an interesting story.’ I mean, he was on the oil rigs in Canada for a long time, and just has this fascinating life journey.”

Because of their personal growth journeys, Reeser also said she thinks she and Matter brought “a lot of truth and a lot of maturity” to the movie’s script, noting, “These are mature adults, and we were able to put that in there.”

“I think sometimes in these movies, like my last movie that I did, ‘Junebug,’ (the main character) was stunted in her growth. And that’s fun in a lot of ways, too. But (screenwriter) Nina Weinman really wrote full-grown adults for Niall and I to play and that was fun in its own way.”

“We Met in December” premieres on Thanksgiving Night, November 26, at 8 p.m. Eastern time and will be available to stream via Hallmark+ the following day.