For the past decade, Niall Matter has been a familiar face to viewers of the Hallmark Channel.
Starting with his first film in 2016, he’s appeared in numerous Hallmark movies. In fact, he’s becoming something of a Hallmark MVP, having co-starred with Candace Cameron Bure in several “Aurora Teagarden Mysteries” features, guest-starred in Hallmark series “Providence Falls” and played a recurring character in “When Calls the Heart.”
As the Canadian actor explains, his long association with Hallmark has been far more than just a job.
A Life-Changing Relationship
Matter was one of several Hallmark Channel stars to appear on a panel hosted by the Television Critics Association on Wednesday, August 5, to mark Hallmark’s 25th anniversary
During the discussion, he was asked whether he had any apprehensions about appearing in Hallmark projects.
“I had absolutely zero apprehensions,” he shared, opening up about hitting a low point in his acting career.
“It was at a time in my life when I had actually lost everything and I was driving a Lyft car,” Matter continued.
“At the time, I was driving for Lyft because I couldn’t drive for Uber because of my driving record. Yeah, apparently Lyft, they don’t mind when you speed,” he joked.
“But yeah, I remember seeing the call from my manager … while I was actually taking an actor to the airport. I dropped him off, he got out, I call my manager back. And then I found out I had an offer for a movie called ‘Stop the Wedding.’ So it, like…”
Also on the panel was Matter’s fellow Hallmark star, Tyler Hynes, who chimed in. “Awww …” he said.
At that point, Matter became visibly emotional as he seemed to tear up.
“Working for Hallmark changed my life,” he said. “It’s been a 10-year run.”
“Wow!” Hynes exclaimed.
From Oil Rigs to Hallmark
Growing up in a small town in the Canadian province of Alberta, a career as an actor seemed far-fetched for Matter.
Speaking with My Devotional Thoughts, Matter recalled first being bitten by the acting bug when he was just 13, when he appeared in a school play.
“I was approached by the drama instructor because he had seen me do an air band competition,” he said. “I was doing a Nirvana air band, and I was the frontman, Kurt Cobain, because he was one of my idols when I was growing up. That’s the first live performance I ever did. And after the drama teacher saw me, he came and pulled me out of mechanics ’cause I was a farm boy and I was taking mechanics. He pulled me out of that elective course and asked me about pursuing the arts–drama. I was like, “I don’t know about that.” It wasn’t something that really interested me. He asked me to come and sit in on a couple of his classes, and I did. He got the bug in me, and I’ve been hooked ever since.”
Before following his dream, Matter worked at a whole other vocation, a world away from acting.
“Yes, “I’m a third-generation oil rigger,” he said.
“I worked at the oil rigs from 17 until I had a really bad accident the year I turned 26 — I was twenty-five when I had the accident. My grandfather took me out to the rigs when I was 17. I was a little bit of a wild child, and my parents said, ‘You either move out of the house or you go work on the rigs with your grandfather.’ So I was sent out to work on the rigs with my grandfather.”
