Christopher Russell in ‘Warming Up To You.’ Photo Credit: Crown Media, Courtesy of Johnson Production Group.
Actor Christopher Russell chatted about his new Hallmark film “Warming Up To You.”
This new original Hallmark movie will premiere on Saturday, May 7, and Russell stars alongside Cindy Busby (“Supernatural” fame).
‘Warming Up To You’
The synopsis of the movie is as follows: Kate (Cindy Busby) is a fitness instructor who leaves Los Angeles to take a job at her best friend’s wellness retreat. To her surprise, the A-list actor Rick (Russell) is assigned by the studio to come and train with her to get ready for his new feature film.
“I got to play the fish out of water, so to speak, in this film,” he said. “Usually, I play the character that is guiding the other character to show them a different path. This time, I was the one that was guided to a different path.”
“As usual, working with Cindy and Christie Will, and the whole group was just so much fun,” he said. “Hopefully, that translates when people watch the final product. We got along great when we worked together.”
“Cindy Busby is the best,” he exclaimed. “We first worked together six years ago on ‘A Puppy for Christmas,’ where I played Todd, the mean ex-boyfriend. We clicked right away since we have very complementary personalities. It was lots of fun to do ‘Warming Up To You’ with her. She is a barrel of laughs, that’s for sure. This is our fourth movie together.”
Not only does the duo make a breakthrough athletically, but they equally breakthrough some personal walls and find an unexpected friendship that is put at risk when Rick’s co-star, Liza (Caitlin Stryker), is also sent to train with Kate.
Russell praised his co-star Delores Drake, who played Minnie, for being “so funny.” “It was a riot doing this film,” he said.
“Warming Up to You” is from the Johnson Production Group. Timothy O. Johnson and Dawn Wolfrom serve as the executive producers. Joseph Wilka is a co-executive producer. Navid Soofi is a producer of the film. Christie Will directed the movie from a story by Steven Kent and Pamela Rice with the script by W. Stewart.
‘Where Your Heart Belongs’
Russell shared that he did enjoy being a part of the Hallmark film “Where Your Heart Belongs,” which came out earlier this year, where he starred with Jen Lilley.
“Jen is another all-star,” he said. “Jen is so kind and caring when she is on set, and she makes the whole experience so much better for everyone involved. Jen is really easy to get along with. She has a huge heart and she is just great.”
“It feels good to work on these films especially due to the subject matter that we are presenting,” he said. “There is so much negativity going on in the world so it’s nice to present people with something that can help provide them with an escape and deliver a cathartic experience in a positive way.”
“Where Your Heart Belongs” earned a glowing review, where it was hailed as “delightful.”
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Russell stated “Fork in the Road.”
‘Day of the Dead’ series on Syfy
For Russell, being a part of the Syfy horror series “Day of the Dead” was “pretty good” and “a lot of fun.” “It was definitely a different genre, that’s for sure,” he said. “It was fun to do something with a different style and tone to the romance genre.”
Looking back in a rearview mirror over the last five years, he reflected, “I was going from a young man trying to find his way in the world to a father, who is trying to help his young ones find their way in the world.”
‘A Lot Like Christmas’ holiday fun
He noted that it was a lot of fun being a part of “A Lot Like Christmas.” “Working on these romantic comedies and family-friendly romance type of films is always the most pleasant experience. Everyone is just so great and easy to get along with, and everyone wants to make a good picture,” he said.
‘Reacher’
In the hit Amazon series “Reacher,” Russell played Joe Reacher, the older brother of the lead character Jack Reacher (played by protagonist Alan Ritchson). “It definitely put a smile on my face, for sure. It was also great to be a part of ‘Reacher’,” he said. “It was a different type of role for me, and I really enjoyed it. Alan Ritchson was really welcoming and a strong actor. I feel blessed to be able to have these opportunities, the big ones, and the small ones. Working as an actor is just wonderful.”
If he were to have any superpower, Russell revealed that it would be “the ability to deliver world peace.”
This past December, Russell was featured in “The Man Cave Chronicles” podcast, where he was interviewed by Greek-American host Elias Giannakopoulos.
Success
On his definition of the word success, Russell shared, “Watching my children flourish.”
For his dedicated Hallmark fans, Russell concluded about “Warming Up To You,” “I hope this movie gives people big smiles. We all love you and appreciate you. If you guys weren’t watching my movies, I would be out of a job. Thank you.”
Rapid Fire Questions
Russell also took some time to answer a few “Rapid Fire” questions.
Waffles or pancakes? Waffles
Flying or driving? Driving
City living or country living? “In the middle”
Summer or winter? Summer
Library or museum? Museum
Bath or shower? Shower, I’m 6 foot 2 inches (“very few baths I fit in”)
Pepsi or Coke? Pepsi
Texting or calling? Calling
Half-full or half-empty? Half-full
Curly fries or normal fries? Normal fries
Skydiving or scuba diving? Scuba diving
Indoor pool or outdoor pool? Outdoor pool
Tea or coffee? Coffee
Rain or snow? Snow
Singing or dancing? Dancing
Burgers or tacos? Burgers
Long course or short course pool? Short course pool
Money or fame? Money
To learn more about actor Christopher Russell, follow him on Instagram, and check out his IMDb page.
