Tamera Mowry-Housley is returning to one of her most beloved roles as she once again steps into the sleuthing shoes of Gethsemane Brown in the latest “Haunted Harmony Mysteries” film for Hallmark Channel.
The fourth film in the series, subtitled “Prelude to a Wedding,” finds Gethsemane invited to a wedding, where she and her ghostly partner Eamon (Risteard Cooper) must find the culprit when a murder takes place at the wedding.
As fans know, Gethsemane is a concert violinist and former orchestra conductor who takes a job teaching at a boarding school in a quaint Irish village that, fortunately for viewers, is also a hotbed of homicides.
Playing for Real
In a recent interview with Girls Gone Hallmark, Mowry-Housley discussed why she decided to learn how to play violin for this new film — which, for the first time ever, features her playing the instrument for real on camera.
Her initial attempts, she admitted, were not great.
“It was so scratchy when I did it,” she recalled.
“I was like, this is bad. This is, like, really bad,” she added.
When the films’ producer, Joel Rice, offered her violin lessons, he also warned that violin is among the most difficult musical instruments to master.
However, she was up for the challenge, telling him, “All right, let’s go.”
A Musical Challenge
As a result, when Gethsamane is seen playing violin during a scene set at the wedding, the music that’s generated actually comes courtesy of Mowry-Housley.
“In the beginning of ‘The Wedding Song’ — that’s me. I’m actually playing it,” she said. “And you can see, I’ve got the posture. It’s so much better than when I did the first one.”
She credits Hallmark Channel for providing the opportunity to add yet another shade of realism to her popular mystery franchise.
“Hallmark has been a place where I can continue to learn, grow, as a person and an actress,” she declared.
A Head-Scratching Whodunit
HallmarkUnlike the previous “Haunted Harmony Mystery” movies, which filmed in various locations, “Prelude to a Wedding” is far more insular, taking place almost entirely within the wedding venue.
That, she explained, was intentional. “Staying in one place feels more like a mystery. Like Clue,” she said, referencing the iconic board game. “Everyone’s all in the same place. A locked room. Who did it? Which one? Who?”
In addition, she points to another subtle difference from the earlier films, with different flourishes from lighting and cinematography.
“It felt a little eerie,” she said, “and the fact that this person died and everyone is amongst the killer, and you just don’t know who it is.”
Gethsemane’s Growing Confidence
Meanwhile, returning to the character for the fourth time, both the actress and the character she’s playing have become increasingly self-assured.
“She’s confident.” she said of Gethsemane. “She knows where she is. She knows what she does and she knows she’s good at it. She’s still gonna have fun with it. She doesn’t know these people, but she’s gonna pretend like she does.”
“Haunted Harmony Mysteries: Prelude to a Wedding” debuts Saturday, September 5 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Channel.
