If you’re a fan of Hallmark movies, you may have noticed that many of the top actors and actresses are Canadian. For example, Tyler Hynes was born in Toronto. Andrew Walker was born in Montreal. Luke Macfarlane hails from Ontario, and Brook D’Orsay is also from Toronto. Jessica Lowndes is from Canada.
There are exceptions; Hallmark staple Lacey Chabert was born in Mississippi, for example. But the pattern is noticeable, and there are many other examples. Chabert, one of the most prolific Hallmark stars, has spoken positively about the production and company.
“The way their company works is a family and it mirrors their product,” she told Business Insider. “They really care about what they’re putting out.”
The reason why so many stars are from Canada makes a lot of sense from Hallmark’s perspective. It’s clearly working as the channel has earned a large audience of devoted fans who look forward to its Christmas movies. And the Canadian connection allows the network to produce the high volume of movies that fans have come to expect.
Filming Hallmark Movies in British Columbia Is a ‘Cottage Industry’
For starters, many Hallmark movies are filmed in Canada.
Filming Hallmark movies in British Columbia has become a “cottage industry” in that area of Canada, according to Vancouver Magazine. In fact, from 2021 through 2024, the channel filmed more than 170 movies in British Columbia, the magazine reported, noting that production costs and budgets are kept relatively low, allowing the movies to make a profit.
According to Business Insider, “Hallmark typically shoots movies over about three weeks for $2 million.”
Hallmark Gets a ‘Full Tax Credit’ by Hiring Canadian Actors & Actresses, a Report Says
According to Vancouver Magazine, Hallmark hires so many Canadians because of how the Canadian government has set up the tax credit process. “If you want the full tax credit, you can only hire Canadian actors… which is why you see the same people in all the films.” Added Business Insider: “Hallmark gets tax breaks and other benefits from using local production crews.”
Most Hallmark movies are not set in Canada, they are just filmed there. According to The List, lower production costs are needed because of how many Christmas movies Hallmark churns out, some of which are filmed in the summer. Hallmark even uses white blankets and soapy bubbles to look like snow in movies, although another allure of Canada is how picturesque its landscape and towns are.
Business Insider reports that Vancouver is a popular filming destination because of its wintry look, but other Canadian cities have also been filming destinations, such as Montreal and Toronto. Occasionally, Hallmark has filmed its movies overseas, namely in Romania, Business Insider reported.
“The film and television tax credit is for eligible corporations that produce eligible film or video productions in B.C. The credits are for domestic productions with qualifying levels of Canadian content,” the Canadian government explains on its website. “The production corporation incurs B.C. labour expenditures in respect of services provided by B.C.-based individuals working in the physical office for at least 50% of their time spent working on the animation production for the tax year.”
Comments
Why Are So Many Hallmark Actors & Actresses Canadian?