Alison Sweeney is pulling double duty for Hallmark, leading two new films over consecutive weekends that highlight her range in front of and behind the camera.
The first, Romance at Hope Ranch, is especially close to Sweeney’s heart. Not only does the movie feature her 17-year-old daughter, Megan Sweeney, playing her character’s child, but it also incorporates one of their favorite pastimes: horseback riding.
“I have been developing Hope Ranch for about two years,” Sweeney begins. “I was working on the concept with the writer, and it had come up in conversation that I had never been in a horse movie. Every time a great horse-themed movie comes out on Hallmark, I’m always like, ‘Why isn’t that me?’”
Hallmark Media/Photographer: Courtesy Vault Entertainment
Inspired by that idea, Sweeney took the reins and tapped her Hannah Swensen Mysteries’ costar, Gabriel Hogan, to collaborate on the story and star as her love interest.
“He does a series called Heartland, and he has lots of experience working with horses, so he had the interest, and he developed an idea,” she explains. “We sort of married that all together, and came up with the concept of Hope Ranch, which is, in some ways, themed after my family. My character’s name is Hope, my mother’s birth name was Hope, and my grandmother’s name was Hope, so that was a little tribute to my mom and the fact that she brought being obsessed with horses into my family, and my daughter and I both carry that on. I have a dream of wanting to own a ranch, so bringing that to life in this role and this character was super fun.”
The project became even more personal during a conversation with her producing partner, Craig Baumgarten, about casting Hope’s daughter. He suggested hiring Megan. “There was an awkward silence on the phone where I just was so stunned,” Sweeney admits. “It literally had not ever occurred to me. I kind of stammered a bit, and then was like, ‘I mean, yes, of course, that would be amazing.’”
Hallmark Media/Photographer: Courtesy Vault Entertainment
Although Megan isn’t currently planning to pursue an acting career, she was eager to take on the role. “Megan was so excited when I asked her if she would be interested in doing it,” Sweeney relays. “And she took it really seriously and worked really hard and did a lot of prep in the memorizing and understanding how to do on-camera acting. She’s done theater at school, but performing on a stage is extremely different from how to perform in front on camera. She did a great job, and I am so proud of her.”
Still, Sweeney made sure to establish boundaries before stepping on set. “We had a little chat before I officially offered her the job,” she shares. “I said, ‘So, when we’re on set, I’m your producer. This is a different relationship, and when I am being a professional at work, you have to take it seriously.’ She agreed, and we shook hands on it, and she did take it very seriously. When Tailiah [Breon], our director, was giving her notes, I became a total mom and was taking photos behind the scenes of Megan getting directed and working with the camera person, for example. And then I would immediately put down the phone and get invested as the actor or the producer, whatever my responsibility was at the time.”
Hallmark Media/Photographer: Courtesy Vault Entertainment
Beyond the family connection, the movie also allowed Sweeney to lean into her longtime love of horses, a skill she had already put to use professionally. “I had recently done a guest spot on Jonathan Bennett‘s show, Finding Mr. Christmas, where there was horseback riding,” she says. “I had to have the horse and then do the scene and then get on a horse and ride away with each contestant. I did it about eight times, and it was a perfect warm-up for me to do this movie, because I got really used to navigating horseback riding and dealing with horses while acting at the same time.”
After pouring her heart into Romance at Hope Ranch, Sweeney’s next film is a return to the world of Hannah Swensen Mysteries. Sugar & Vice, premiering March 7, unfolds at a masquerade ball, where a murder and a storm trap everyone inside, leaving the baking sleuth to identify the culprit.
“I thought that a masquerade would be a really fun way to do an Agatha Christie-style idea where it all happens in one night and someone inside the building did it,” Sweeney notes. “It was a fun twist for us.”
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Bringing the concept to life required careful planning, particularly when it came to wardrobe, a key element in striking the right tone for the masquerade setting. “The costumes were big undertaking for our costume designer,” Sweeney says. “Once you say masquerade, it can fall into Halloween very easily and we didn’t want that and neither did she. We had meetings about how the main characters should be dressed, and it was just really fun coming up with ideas.”
The film marks the fourth movie Sweeney has written for the franchise, in addition to starring and serving as an executive producer, a creative role she continues to embrace. “It’s different and challenging each time, and I think that’s partially to do with me, because I’m always looking for new ideas,” she explains. “You want to just keep it fresh and keep the audience surprised and keep the characters challenged in the format. These characters are already so well developed, and I know the actors who play them so well that I can play out the scene in my head of each of them.”
Hallmark Media/Photographer: David Astorga
Her approach to writing is rooted in advice she received early in her career. “When I started on Days of our Lives [as Sami Brady] in 1993, Deidre Hall [Marlena Evans] said to me, ‘The script is a skeleton for the actors to hang their ideas and their character and their performance on,’” Sweeney recalls. “I feel like my favorite moments when we’re filming is when an actor gets a really good idea based on what I wrote and they make it better, like, ‘What if I do it this way?’ or, ‘What if I change the line?’ And I’m like, ‘Yes! I love it!’ It makes me feel proud that I created an opportunity so they could be creative, too. It brings me a lot of joy to be a part of the process in that way.”
Of course, crafting murder mysteries does come with one occupational hazard. “I spend a lot of time Googling,” Sweeney quips. “I mean, I hope nothing bad ever happens to anyone I know, because my search prompts are definitely questionable!”
Romance at Hope Ranch, Movie Premiere, Saturday, February 28, 8/7c, Hallmark Channel
Sugar & Vice: A Hannah Swensen Mystery, Movie Premiere, Saturday, March 7, 8/7c, Hallmark Channel
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