By: Kat Harlton
All Media Courtesy of Crown Media United States LLC
Taylor Cole (“The Originals,” “Summerland”), Jack Turner (“Stitchers”), Rukiya Bernard (“Van Helsing”) and Dewshane Williams (“Backstage,” “Defiance”) star in “One Winter Weekend” a new, original movie premiering Saturday, January 20, (9 p.m. ET/PT) on Hallmark Channel. The movie is part of the network’s popular, annual “Winterfest” programming event.
About The Movie:
Cara (Cole), a relationship writer for a women’s magazine, has recently sworn off dating and joins her best girlfriend Megan (Bernard) for a snowboarding weekend in the mountains, when a reservation snafu forces them to share a chalet with a couple of guys they’ve never met, a doctor named Sean (Williams) and his pal, Ben (Turner). Ben is also lying low on the dating scene, due to a very public, recent breakup. However, once Ben and Cara get over their initial distaste for the other and get to know one another better they begin to wonder if perhaps they should rethink their whole “non-dating” status; that is, until each finds out what the other does for a living and Ben bolts after fearing he might be the subject of Cara’s next magazine story.
We had the opportunity to catch up with Rukiya Bernard to talk about her role, things she’s learned along the way, and her favorite winter sport.
Kat: Was there anything about your role that was particularly challenging?
RB: Playing Megan was really fun and uplifting. I think the biggest challenge of playing the role was actually trying to keep a straight face. Acting with Taylor and Dewshane and Jack was a lot of fun and we’d crack each other up all the time.
Kat: What was your favorite scene to shoot and why? (without giving away spoilers)
RB: My favourite scene to shoot, hands-down, was the cheese fondue scene. I loooove fondue. I was so full at the end of that scene having done it so many times from varying angles I barely ate lunch!
Kat: Were you able to relate to your character?
RB: I definitely related to Megan. She’s a woman whom career-wise has gotten trapped in the rat race of her day-to-day and has forgotten what she really wants. She journeys on rediscovering that and starts to push towards it. As a working mom of two, I definitely understand this struggle.
Kat: Are there any winter sports you enjoy?
RB: I’m actually an avid snowboarder. My family and I go whenever we can on the weekends and have an annual family and friends trip we do to Apex Mountain Resort in February.
Kat: Do you have any advice for emerging actors?
RB: My best advice is to always have fun and to find something that amuses you in every scene. It makes the experience good for you and enjoyable for the audience.
“One Winter Weekend” premieres Saturday, January 20, (9 p.m. ET/PT) on Hallmark Channel.
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