For Stephen Huszar and Katherine Barrell, the stars of Hallmark Channel’s newest Christmas in July movie, “O Little Christmas Market,” filming the sweet holiday story took them both down memory lane, reminding them where they’ve been and how far they’ve come.
In “O Little Christmas Market,” Barrell plays Olivia, an artist who’s taken over running her town’s beloved Christmas market started by her late father, while Huszar plays Grayson, a creatively stifled, corporate architect whose dad — the owner of the architecture firm — tasks him with purchasing the land where the market is held.
Playing Grayson was a full-circle moment for Huszar, who built his own successful corporate career before leaving it all behind to become an actor. And for Barrell, playing an artist on the verge of turning her hobby into her livelihood was deeply relatable, accentuated by the fact they filmed in the same home where she directed her first film for Hallmark.
Stephen Huszar Says His Love of Acting Goes All the Way Back to His First School Play
HallmarkIn “O Little Christmas Market,” Grayson is clearly tired of designing office buildings that look and feel the same, with no creative flair or innovative use of space, and longs for his work to feel more meaningful. Huszar could easily relate.
After graduating from business school, Huszar became a successful management consultant with condos in Toronto and Chicago, he told Authority Magazine in February, but eventually realized that making money for corporations wasn’t fulfilling or how he wanted to spend his life.
Joking that he “didn’t have to dig that deep” to play Grayson, Huszar told EntertainmentNow before the movie’s premiere that the role “brought back some great memories.” Recalling what inspired him to shift from his own corporate life to pursue an acting career, he said he thought it would provide him with a creative way to do more for “humanity.”
“I had actually performed in grade two, ‘Old MacDonald Had a Farm,'” Huszar smiled. “I remember that was my big debut into the world, playing Old MacDonald in a school play … and my buddy was the dog, and you know, it was great.”
“I think that sort of planted the seed, and just being able to step into people’s shoes, having empathy for others in the world, I just feel acting is a great avenue for that,” Huszar added. “So that’s how I decided to focus my attention when I did my 180.”
GettyNoting that he has also found fulfillment by producing projects with his partner, Katie Cassidy, whom he met while filming Hallmark’s “A Royal Christmas Crush” in early 2023, Huszar said, “It’s super exciting to see the beginning of the project to the very end.”
One of the reasons Huszar knows he made the right career choice is hearing from fans how much his movies mean to them. He told EntertainmentNow, “I had the good fortune of being at a Christmas convention last December, and it was just wonderful to hear these real heartfelt stories of our fans who watch these shows, these movies, and and really connect with these stories.”
Huszar continued, “They genuinely tell us that it’s either saved their life, or got someone inspired to change their life, or just really helped their family. So anything like that, I’m like, ‘Oh, this is so worth it!’ If I could just help one person and help inspire them and lift them up, I’ve done my job.”
Katherine Barrell Got to Return to the Spot Where She Directed Her First Hallmark Movie
HallmarkFilming “O Little Christmas Market” also caused Barrell to reflect on her creative path as an actor and director.
“One of the things I really liked about (the story) is that they’re really two artists,” she told EntertainmentNow. “You know, they are both artistic in different ways, but they understand the desire to make things and to be
creative, and how that feeds their souls and how necessary that is. And I thought that was really nice. We don’t see a lot of stories about two artists coming together and finding that happy medium, and I really liked that about it.”
In the movie, her character helps her mom run their family’s bed-and-breakfast while trying to save the Christmas market. For Barrell, a full-circle moment came when they filmed those scenes.
She told EntertainmentNow, “We shot in a house where I directed my first feature, that I directed for Hallmark, which is ‘Flipping for Christmas.’ So it was pretty special to go back to that house.”
Barrell also agreed with Huszar that knowing she’s making content that matters to people keeps her going — in addition to needing to “feed my kids and pay the mortgage,” she quipped.
“I think the love of it for me is really the connection to the viewers,” she said. “That’s always been a big thing for me. Getting to be online, see people’s responses, see how much these stories mean to them. I feel like a lot of Hallmark movies are very special because it’s a lot of family viewing or friend viewing … I think it marks a special time of the year, both in July and in December, when people are really intentionally sitting down, slowing down, and just being in joy together. And I think getting that feedback and getting to be a part of something that brings joy to people is very fulfilling.”
Barrell plans to be on Instagram Live while watching the premiere of “O Little Christmas Market” so she can interact with viewers in real time. You can see the movie’s Hallmark Channel debut on July 11 at 8 p.m. Eastern time, and it will be available to stream via Hallmark+ the following day.
