Hallmark/Heavy "Branching Out"
The Hallmark Channel’s newest movie, “Branching Out,” premieres on Saturday, April 27, at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central. The movie stars Sarah Drew and Juan Pablo Di Pace. Read on to learn all about where the movie was filmed and see some behind-the-scenes cast stories.
‘Branching Out’ Was Filmed in Utah
Hallmark“Branching Out”
Hallmark’s Spring Into Love event continues with “Branching Out,” which was filmed in Utah. According to the Utah Film Commission, this movie, along with a thriller that was filmed around the same time, brought about $5.3 million and more than 875 fresh job opportunities to the state.
Utah News Dispatch reported that “Branching Out” was approved under Utah’s Motion Picture Incentive Program, and was expected to earn $200,000 in tax credits and bring $2.3 million to the state.
Local filmmakers Maclain Nelson and David Wulf, known for their work on “Haul Out the Holly,” are collaborating once more on “Branching Out.” The project was slated to start filming in February.
The Utah Film Commission, part of the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, is all about putting Utah on the map for movies, TV shows, and ads. They look for local talent, crews, and all the cool spots Utah has to offer, while making sure everyone knows about the Motion Picture Incentive Program. The commission has been operating since 1974. Utah’s seen its fair share of famous movies and TV shows, like “Yellowstone,” “Westworld,” “Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid,” “Thelma & Louise,” and “Forrest Gump.”
Behind-the-Scenes Moments from Filming
Actress Sarah Drew is excited about the movie, commenting: “The whole team was magic. The story is so moving. This one will make you feel all the feels.”
She also posted this video from her trailer while filming.
The final week of shooting started February 18, she shared.
She also posted a few selfies with her co-workers
Di Pace made a single post on his Instagram account with a few pictures about the filming experience, commenting: “Only thing I can say is I’m shooting a thing in Utah… with amazing people I love.”
Mia Marina shared that this is Cora Bella’s Hallmark debut. She stars as the daughter, Ruby.
In a different post, she wrote: “We are still processing the magical whirlwind of the last 3 weeks, but feeling incredibly grateful to have met and worked with such beautiful souls (cast and crew!) with so much talent and heart. Thank you to ALL. 🥹🙏🏽 We love you so so much and miss you even more. Thanks Sarah for the perfect recap video! ✨♥️✨”
She also shared the cute moment when Cora Bella found out she got the role.
Meet the Cast
Hallmark’s synopsis reads: “To help build a family tree, single mom Amelia tracks down her daughter’s biological father. It becomes a journey of trust, love, and discovering the meaning of family.”
Sarah Drew plays Amelia. According to her bio, viewers might recognize her as Hannah Rogers from the WB’s family drama series “Everwood,” or as Dr. April Kepner from ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy.” She also starred in “Mom’s Night Out,” and has a recurring role on Freeform’s “Cruel Summer.”
According to her IMDb bio, she’s married to Peter Lanfer and they have two kids: Hannah and Micah.
Juan Pablo Di Pace plays T.J. According to his bios, he’s orginally from Argentina, now living in Los Angeles, and is both an actor and a singer. He’s starred in Grease, Saturday Night Fever, and performed concerts around the world. Di Pace gained a lot of attention when he landed the role of Nicolas Treviño in the TNT drama series “Dallas” in 2014. He then starred as Fernando, Kimmy Gibbler’s estranged husband, on “Fuller House,” the spin-off series of “Full House,” from 2016 to 2020. He also played Jesus in “A.D. The Bible Continues.”
In June 2019, Di Pace publicly shared that he is gay, People reported. He had already been out for 20 years, he said, so it wasn’t a secret. But he wanted to be more open about it in terms of his career too.
“In the work life, public life, it just felt like I was still omitting a piece of information because there was some kind of shame or fear there, and so, I saw this as an opportunity to also heal myself,” he said.
Also starring in the movie, according to Hallmark’s press release, are:
- Cora Bella (Ruby)
- Kaley McCormack (Maura)
- Candace Kirkpatrick (Sofia)
- Andrew Diaz (Tomas)
- Mia Marina (Bianca)
- Karina Segura Gale (Elena)
- Janis Guzman (Camila)
- Gabe Baker (Trey)
- Stephen Rodrick Miranda (Mateo)
- Quintin Mims (Jon)
- Nikki SooHoo (Miss Weaver)
- Lewis Cummins (Oliver)
- Sergio Amaya (Arthur)
- Adam Johnson (Producer 1)
- Alanna Vicente (Producer 2)
- Daniel Link (Developer 1)
- Kylie Rohead (Developer 2)
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