Hallmark Media Luke Macfarlane
Luke Macfarlane has recently starred in Hallmark Christmas movies with a strong musical focus. Last year he starred in “Chateau Christmas,” where he played the role of a musician. This year in “Christmas in My Heart,” he’s playing the role of a country singer. But Macfarlane isn’t just a musician on TV — he’s a musician in real life too. He once even had a script changed to reflect his musical background.
Macfarlane Had the Script to ‘Chateau Christmas’ Changed to Reflect His Musical Training
Macfarlane is a classically trained cellist, and he played his cello a lot during his 14-day quarantine before filming last year’s movie, TV Goodness reported. In fact, he had the original script for “Chateau Christmas” changed to reflect his musical background.
“The original script was having him play the violin, and I said, ‘Let’s change it,'” he told TV Goodness. He had brought his cello with him so he’d have something to do while in quarantine, and realized that having his character play a cello rather than a violin would be much more authentic.
“It was really fun to practice every day for 14 days. I cannot remember the last time [I did that],” he shared.
He said his background in music also helped him appreciate the concert finale in “Chateau Christmas” even more.
“I love music,” he said. “I really do. I’ve played the cello since I was a little kid. There was one moment when Merritt’s character is playing the piano. I remember they had this wonderful pianist, Karen Allred. She had written all the music and recorded this beautiful Christmas-themed [composition]… I was listening to her play at the concert and it just hit me. I felt myself tearing up. Just that amazing moment where you [feel the] music. That was really maybe one of my favorite things. It was just also fun [to] sit around between takes and play cello and people [realized I could] actually play.”
He Was Once in a Band
Macfarlane told the Hartford Courant that he was a member of a boys choir in school and in eighth grade, he formed a band with some friends called Fellow Nameless. He was the band’s lead singer and songwriter. He ended up leaving the band to pursue acting at Juilliard.
Macfarlane told Rage Monthly that everyone in his family had an academic-focused career and he was “terrified that I would end up in that field and be unhappy.” He decided to audition for Juilliard because he played a cello.
“I knew I wasn’t a good enough cello player to make it,” he admitted. “So instead, I thought I would trick them into believing that I am a good enough actor. I was very lucky and got into Juilliard. I was not a theatre kid, but this became my escape plan.”
Macfarlane is starring opposite Heather Hemmens in the new movie “Christmas in My Heart.” The movie premieres on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries on Saturday, October 23 at 10 p.m. Eastern/9 p.m. Central.
The synopsis reads: “Concert violinist Beth tutors the daughter of reclusive Country music star Sean to prep her for the holiday concert. They are joined through the connective power of music.”
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