Kat Harlton
Photos: Hallmark Media
Based on the Audible global hit podcast of the same name and created by Ken Cuperus, Mistletoe Murders was filmed in Toronto, and follows Sarah Drew (Grey’s Anatomy) as Emily Lane, the outwardly friendly, and optimistic shop owner of a charming year-round Christmas-themed store, Under the Mistletoe.
However, her inner voice reveals a sardonic sense of humor, cunning intellect, and keen eye for details most people would miss…because Emily has a big secret. Residing in the quaint tourist town of Fletcher’s Grove, Emily finds herself compelled to investigate not-so-quaint local murders. And when Emily begins her personal investigations, Detective Sam Wilner (Peter Mooney, Rookie Blue, Saving Hope), a smart and attractive local cop – with a crush on Emily that is not completely unrequited – begins to wonder if there’s more to Emily than meets the eye.
Season 2 features more small-town intrigue and a glimpse into Emily’s life before coming to Fletcher’s Grove.
Mistletoe Murders, Season 2 will premiere Friday, November 7 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on W Network and STACKTV as a part of Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas.
I had the opportunity to chat with Sarah about her role, what she hopes the audience connects with and what’s next.
Kat: Your character, Emily Lane is charming on the outside but razor-sharp underneath. What drew you most to her in Mistletoe Murders?
Sarah: I love her duality. The moment at the end of episode 1 when we see her in the flashback and the building explodes behind her was the scene that made me say “YES! I want to do this!”. I love the mystery surrounding her. I love that there’s a past that she’s not proud of but she is relentlessly in pursuit of doing the right thing. I love that she can seamlessly embody whomever she needs to embody in order to get the answers she needs. She’s a very layered and complicated character and I love digging into roles like that.
Kat: Without spoiling too much, what surprised you most about exploring her life before Fletcher’s Grove?
Sarah: I think embodying her younger self was a very surprising and exciting process. When I got into hair and makeup for her younger self, and started playing the scenes, I found that she moved and spoke and processed things differently than current Emily does. I didn’t realize until I was in the wardrobe and on set just how different she would feel, and it opened up a world of development for her that was really exciting to explore.
Kat: You’ve played beloved characters like April Kepner in Grey’s Anatomy, how does Emily challenge you in new ways as an actor?
Sarah: I think the way Emily adapts herself to whoever she needs to be in order to get the information she needs is a really fun and challenging aspect of playing her. I have to lie without being unlikable. We have to continue to root for Emily even when she’s not doing exactly the right thing and that’s a tough line to walk.
Kat: There’s a darkly comedic undertone to Mistletoe Murders. How do you strike that balance between cozy holiday mystery and true crime suspense?
Sarah: Emily’s store “under the mistletoe” and her cozy home really do a lot to bring the audience into the cozy Christmas feel of it all. Emily’s love for Christmas doesn’t stem
from more surface aspects of the holiday season. It stems from missing the family she lost and longing to find her home in this new place, and that brings the audience into the longing and the joy of the holidays. I love that all of our mysteries take place around the holidays, and are always connected to the season. The greatest Christmas story of all time is “A Christmas Carol” and that story is full of ghosts and mystery. Mistletoe Murders plays with that theme as well.
Kat: The chemistry between Emily and Detective Sam Wilner is a big part of the series’ charm. How did you and Peter Mooney build that dynamic?
Sarah: Peter and I hit it off right away from the moment we met on the zoom chemistry read. He’s so talented and such a wonderful leader on set as well. Both of us are very silly and keep each other laughing. We are also both enthusiastic and positive and hard working and also care very much about creating a warm and welcoming environment on set. Sharing a similar vision for our work on the show together helps us work pretty seamlessly. Also, he’s just hilarious and makes me laugh so hard every day. It’s easy to find chemistry when you trust someone so much!!
Kat: The show was filmed in Toronto, what was it like shooting a Christmas series there, and how did the setting shape the tone of the story?
Sarah: We shot season 2 during the spring in Toronto which was a heck of a lot easier than shooting in the summer, which is what we did for season 1. Spring in Toronto is so confusing. You can experience all four seasons within the span of an hour. I remember walking onto the stages in a blizzard, and then walking out after a few hours with the sun beating down on me. I really love my time in Toronto when I’m there.
Kat: The show began as an Audible podcast, did you listen to the original before filming? If so, how did it influence your take on Emily?
Sarah: After I was offered the role, I listened to the first two episodes of the podcast just to get a feel for the storytelling, but I chose not to listen to any more because I wanted to create an Emily that was unique and authentic to me, and I didn’t want to be influenced by Cobie’s version of the character. She is AMAZING and has a very different energy to me, so I was really excited to create my own interpretation of Emily Lane.
Kat: If you owned a real “Under the Mistletoe” shop, what would your top-selling holiday item be?
Sarah: Beautiful unique wreaths that are made specifically for the person ordering them. I would love to sell a wreath that tells a story about the person who lives in the house.
Kat: Mistletoe Murders plays with the idea that even the most idyllic places can hide secrets. What do you think that says about human nature, or small towns in general?
Sarah: One of the greatest themes of the show is the duality of community and humanity. We see it in Emily and we see it in this seemingly perfect little Christmas town where murders keep happening. I love that Emily has secrets, just like the town has secrets. No one is perfect, and there’s always more than meets the eye to a situation. It’s human to be complicated— to do things you don’t want to do, and to mess up and have to find a way to repair. In many ways, Emily is on a journey to repair the mess she made of her earlier life. Though she is often hard on herself, I think the greatest gift she begins to receive over the course of these first two seasons, is that she can be accepted for exactly who she is. That’s one of the hardest lessons to learn for anyone, I think, and I love that we get to explore that on this show. Kindness and grace matter, and they have the power to transform someone’s life.
Kat: What can fans expect emotionally from Emily this season, more mystery, more mischief, or maybe even more romance?
Sarah: All of the above. The mysteries are more weighty because we really care about the victims. There’s a lot more mischief from Emily and even Sam. And the romance is so much more layered this season, because even when Emily and Sam are fighting, there’s heat that is there. They clearly have feelings for each other but have a giant impenetrable wall keeping them apart. It was really fun to play those beats throughout season two.
Connect with Sarah on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesarahdrew