In 2019, Hallmark’s “Love in the Sun” was part of its Countdown to Summer series. The special Memorial Day movie starred Emeraude Toubia and Tom Maden. Read on to learn all about the movie, including the cast, where it was filmed, and see photos.
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The synopsis for the movie reads: “A dating app creator finds her views on love challenged when she returns home to Florida and reconnects with her high school sweetheart.”
‘Love in the Sun’ Was Filmed in Florida, Not Hawaii
Love in the Sun was not filmed in Canada like so many Hallmark movies. This one was filmed on location in Florida in April in Pinellas County.
One of the locations is Fort De Soto Park in Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay Times reported. This was the second movie filmed in Tampa Bay in two months (the first was True Love Blooms.) Elayne Schmidt produced both movies and said she hopes to film more in Tampa Bay.
Locations in the movie included real-life Safety Harbor and Treasure Island, ABC Action News shared. Safety Harbor is a city in Tampa Bay with a population of 16,884 as of 2010. They’re so proud of the movie that they’re offering a free live watch party in the Safety Harbor Waterfront Park the same night the movie premieres. A Q&A with Shawn Christian takes place one hour before. You can see the Facebook invitation here.
And here’s Shawn Christian’s post about it:
Interestingly, Love in the Sun was supposed to film in Hawaii. But Shawn Christian, who plays the father, told Tampa Bay Times that the location they ended up in was perfect. “This has such a local vibe. It has the charm, the sense of community, and the people, the crew, some of the cast members are from here”
You might also be interested to know that Pinellas County and Hillsborough County offer great incentives to film in the area, making it more likely for Hallmark to come again, Tampa Bay Times shared.
Here are some more behind-the-scenes photos and videos.
And here’s a local news story from when it was filmed:
Shawn Christian told Soaps She Knows: “The Floridians welcomed us with open arms. The community of St. Petersburg, Safety Harbor, Treasure Island, and the whole Tampa area were not only excited that we were there, but many got a chance to participate in helping us on both sides of the camera. I actually ran into a wonderful lady who designs Hallmark cards while living in Florida! When I wasn’t on set filming I was exploring the beaches, local restaurants, rooftop lounges, and happened to stumble upon an amazing luxury auto show right along the waterfront in St. Petes.”
The Cast for ‘Love in the Sun’
Emeraude Toubia stars as Alana. She’s a Mexican-Lebanese actress who was raised in Brownsville, Texas. She’s currently starring as Isabelle on Shadowhunters. Other credits include Voltea Pa’Que Te Enamores (Stephanie), Tattooed Love, Cosita Linda, 11-11, Aurora, and more.
Tom Maden stars as Kai. His credits include Famous in Love (Adam), All Night (Nino), Lifeline (Tom), 13 Reasons Why (Robert Wells), Scream: The TV Series (Jake), Killer Coach, A Housekeeper’s Revenge, Switched at Birth, Mission Air, Caper, Parenthood, and more.
Shawn Christian stars as Micah. He’s well known for playing Dr. Daniel Jonas on Days of Our Lives from 2008 to 2016. Christian also wrote Love in the Sun, Soaps She Knows shared. His other acting credits include Ruby Herring Mysteries, Famous in Love (Alan Mills), UZLA, Instakiller, Mommy Be Mine, Last Seen in Idaho, Unwritten Obsession, Venice the Series, Savannah Sunrise, Addicts Anonymous, Hidden Truth, Spanners, Ghost Whisperer, Last Chance, Shark, Runaway (Dr. Fisher), Las Vegas (Dr. Derek Stephenson), CSI Miami, CSI, Boston Legal (Tim Bauer), Summerland (Johnny Durant), Birds of Prey (Wade), Crossing Jordan, Beverly Hills 90210 (Wayne), Wind on Water, As the World Turns (Mike Kasnoff), and much more.
Also starring in the movie are:
- Betsy Graver (Leigha)
- John W Wright (Evan)
- Ashley Jones (Renee)
- Diana Garle (Sam)
- Frank Oakley III (James)
- Cindy Karr (Beth)
- Demi Castro (Owner)
Here are some more photos from the movie:
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Hallmark’s ‘Love in the Sun’: Learn About Where It Was Filmed, the Cast & See Photos