James Trevena‘s longtime fiancée might want a word with him. The New Zealand-born actor called fellow actress Ivana Baquero the love of his life when he announced their engagement in 2020. But in a new interview, the “A Knight to Remember” star called longtime Hallmark fan-favorite Niall Matter the same thing.
On October 12, 2026, Pop Culture Planet posted separate interviews with Trevena, a new face at Hallmark who appears in three Hallmark movies this year. He was one of the pilots in January’s “Lost in Paradise” with Lacey Chabert and Ian Harding, and he has a role alongside Matter in “A Grand Biltmore Christmas,” a sequel to the first movie filmed at Asheville’s famed Biltmore Estate, premiering in December. The two actors adorably gushed about each other, leading to Trevana’s declaration of love for the actor.
James Trevena Says He’ll Never Reach Niall Matter’s Level of ‘Hallmark Leading Man’ Success
Pop Culture Planet’s Kristen Maldonado first shared an interview excerpt with Matter at Hallmark Channel’s 25th birthday Q&A panel in New York City, held in early August, where Matter told her that Trevena is the “next Hallmark leading man to watch for.”
Matter, who’s been a Hallmark fan-favorite for the last decade, said of working with Trevena in Asheville, “He’s incredible. He’s amazing in this movie.”
When Maldonado passed along the compliment to Trevena, he said, “So, Niall is one of the great loves of my life. And we could talk about him all day, because he’s just the best. I will never be a leading man like Niall. He is the go-to-guy and, yeah, love him very much.”
When asked to describe his experience filming “A Grand Biltmore Christmas” with an all-star cast that includes Matter, Holland Roden, Andie MacDowell, and Jonathan Frakes (who also appeared 2023’s “A Biltmore Christmas”), Trevena sighed, “Oh, it was amazing. I loved it.”
“Working with Niall, Holland, and obviously the crew (at) Synthetic Cinema,” he said of director Dustin Reikert and the production company behind the movie, “I’ve worked with them before on my first (Hallmark movie), and it’s like coming back to family. Yeah, it was awesome.”
Who is James Trevena’s True Love, Ivana Baquero?
While Trevena may love Matter like a brother, he is head over heels for Baquero, a Spanish actress he met in 2015 while filming the MTV fantasy drama “The Shannara Chronicles” in New Zealand. Trevena proposed in 2020, though it’s not clear if the two have ever officially tied the knot.
Baquero’s breakthrough role came at age 11, when Guillermo Del Toro cast her as the lead in his 2006 fantasy thriller “Pan’s Labyrinth.” Her first American feature film was starring opposite Kevin Costner in 2009’s “The New Daughter.”
Most recently, Baquero played Messia in the Starz miniseries “Spartacus: House of Ashur,” but according to IMDb, she’s also working toward her law degree.
Trevena’s first two Hallmark movies, “Lost in Paradise” and “A Knight to Remember,” are both available to stream via Hallmark+. “A Grand Biltmore Christmas” premieres on December 5 at 8 p.m. Eastern time on Hallmark Channel, and will also be available via Hallmark+ the following day.
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James Trevena Calls Fellow Hallmark Star One of the ‘Great Loves’ of His Life