By: Kat Harlton
All Media Courtesy of Crown Media United States LLC
Debbie Gibson (“Summer of Dreams,” “The Music in Me”) and Robert Gant (“Summer of Dreams,” “The Young and the Restless”) star in “Wedding of Dreams” a new, original movie premiering Saturday, September 8, (9 p.m. ET/PT) on Hallmark Channel. Joining Gibson and Gant is Pascale Hutton (“When Calls the Heart,” “Sanctuary”).
About The Movie:
Pop sensation Debbie Taylor (Gibson) left the glitz and glam of a singing career to teach music at an Ohio high school and she’s never been happier. Her passion for her students, and her boyfriend Noah (Gant), who just asked her to marry him, contribute to her joy, and now she’s been asked to sing her single “Wonderland” on primetime TV’s hit show “Platinum Star.” Nervous at first, she ends up wowing the audience and is then asked to sing in the show’s finale – just three days before her wedding. Seeing that Debbie is having trouble juggling her resurging career and planning the wedding, Noah asks Debbie if her heart is still with him or with her music. The answer is simple, yet complicated. Certainly, Debbie doesn’t want to risk losing Noah, the love of her life, but she also doesn’t want to give up her passion for performing. It could be that her heart is big enough to risk handling both.
We had the opportunity to catch up with star Robert Gant and discuss role models, his favorite scene and his favorite part of a wedding.
Kat: Is there a type of character you’d like to portray, that you haven’t had the chance to yet?
Robert: I’m really drawn to playing advocates of various sorts. So I’d love the chance to do more of that. Ideally in an ongoing role that would allow me to take the extended journey helping people and experiencing the challenges it involves. Maybe as an attorney of some sort, since I went to law school. That would be a cool opportunity to apply my background. But then there are also super hero roles, which call for being advocates on behalf of others in their own right. And having super powers would be a blast. Or maybe even a wizard in the Harry Potter universe. I’d totally geek out over that.
Kat: What was your favorite scene to shoot and why? (without giving away spoilers)
Robert: I think that the reception scenes were my favorite. In part because they happened on the last night of the shoot and filming them felt like a bit of a celebration of this journey we had all just taken. And, of course, receptions have a wonderful energy and are beautifully decorated and loaded with lots of wonderful food. And this one didn’t disappoint. Not to mention that I may have been serenaded by a pop star. But you’ll have to tune in Saturday night to see for sure.
Kat: Do you have any role models that particularly inspire you, either in your craft or personally?
Robert: I think I’m most inspired by those who strive to be the best versions of themselves. Because they reinforce my endeavoring always to do the same. We all have flaws and imperfections, which, by the way, are part of what make us unique and beautiful. But it’s the extent to which so many people push to rise above their own inner limitations or shortcomings, to be better versions of themselves, that lights me up at inspires me every day.
Kat: Was there anything particularly challenging about your role?
Robert: I think that the only challenging thing about taking on Noah in this second film was that the emotional arc he is on in “Wedding of Dreams” is a very nuanced one. And, because of the way we shoot films, with everything being out of order, I had to track the emotional journey I was taking very carefully to make sure that I was emotionally in the right place in the script relative to where he was in his journey.
Kat: Do you and your character Noah share any similarities or characteristics?
Robert: We do. I see a lot of Noah in myself and vice versa.
Kat: What’s your favorite part of a wedding?
Robert: My favorite part of a wedding is getting to experience so many different aspects of a couple’s lives coming together in the form of the guests who are attending. It’s this tapestry of folks who all join together, from their respective and separate lives, however similar or different, to support these two people in their journey ahead. And I find that to be a truly beautiful thing.
Kat: Do you have any advice for emerging actors/artists? Or were you ever given any advice that really made an impact on you?
Robert: I had a director tell me, many years ago, that “it’s about being the last one standing.“ And having been a full-time actor for almost 25 years, I find that to be very true. Acting is definitely a long game, and persistence is a vital tool in pursuing it. I also feel that it’s very important for an artist to do the work on themselves and their minds that will allow them to put the challenges (and the nay saying) that inevitably arise in pursuit of this career into proper perspective. Our minds, and the limiting believes they possess or are subjected to by those around us, can be some of our greatest obstacles. And doing that “work” on oneself makes all the difference.
“Wedding of Dreams” premieres Saturday, September 8, (9 p.m. ET/PT) on Hallmark Channel.