Hallmark "Sweeter than Chocolate"
The Hallmark Channel’s newest “Loveuary” movie, “Sweeter Than Chocolate,” premieres on Saturday, February 4, at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central. The movie stars Eloise Mumford, Brenda Strong, and Dan Jeannotte. Read on to learn all about where the movie was filmed and the cast involved.
‘Sweeter Than Chocolate’ Was Filmed in the Vancouver Region of Canada
Hallmark“Sweeter Than Chocolate”
Based on the book of the same title by Lizzie Shane, “Sweeter than Chocolate” was filmed around the Vancouver, British Columbia, region of Canada. This is the fourth book that has been published by Hallmark Publishing that has been converted into an original movie for the channel. (Hallmark Publishing has since shut down.)
According to UBCP/ACTRA, the movie was filmed from November 14 through December 2, 2022.
On-set pictures shared by Mumford on Instagram show the actors with a crew based in Vancouver. The movie is also a Front Street Pictures production, which is based in Vancouver.
This Instagram picture also shows Mumford’s trailer.
One of the filming locations appears to be the Fort Langley Community Hall, according to this selfie by Jeannotte.
“Stairways, doors, lights, mirrors, fingers (trying to load up my selfies with as much unclear symbolism as possible) #meaning,” Jeannotte wrote.
While he was in Vancouver, he posted these pictures on his Instagram account.
Nik Andrews, who is also in the movie, shared this post from late November when they were filming “Sweeter than Chocolate” in Vancouver. He wrote: “Can’t wait to bring y’all some entertainment this Valentine’s Day!”
Writer Lizzie Shane shared her excitement about the movie on her Instagram account as well.
“Counting down the days until I can watch these two banter it out over the Cupid chocolates! 💘 SWEETER THAN CHOCOLATE is coming to the Hallmark Channel this Saturday!” she wrote.
She also mentioned the chocolates featured in the movie, which you can order.
“If reading SWEETER THAN CHOCOLATE has left you craving Cupid Chocolates, you can still order your very own from @bissingers! 💘🍫 Order now to get them in time to eat while watching the movie this Saturday! Or in time for Valentine’s Day if you want to see if the magic really works!” she wrote.
Meet the Cast
HallmarkA recipe from “Sweeter Than Chocolate”
Hallmark’s synopsis reads:
Lucy Sweet’s (Mumford) chocolate shop has become a Valentine’s Day mecca ever since the rumor spread that eating one of her special Cupid chocolates on February 14th leads to finding true love. This rumor is exactly what intrigues local TV reporter Dean Chase (Jeannotte) who is determined to debunk the local legend. The last thing Lucy wants is to let anything threaten her shop, so she reluctantly agrees to take part in his investigative research, joining him in interviewing key couples who swear they have fallen in love thanks to Lucy’s confections. As Dean interviews couple after couple, he gets to know Lucy better. Although they both have experienced broken hearts, Lucy still believes in the power of love while Dean has lost faith in it. However, being around Lucy forces Dean to wonder if his take on romance is completely wrong. When Dean’s boss gets excited by the developing story, she insists Dean do a live feed from the chocolate shop on Valentine’s Day while trying one of the infamous Cupid chocolates himself. Interest builds in what is being hyped as the truth about Lucy’s store. Meanwhile, one of Lucy’s happy couples ends in disaster, and Lucy begins to wonder if Dean hasn’t been right all along. Is she really misleading everyone with naïve faith? When the chocolatier is ready to wave the white flag and admit defeat, Dean comes to the rescue, convincing her that putting more love into the world is a good thing even if there might be some heartaches along the way.
Eloise Mumford plays Lucy Sweet. According to her bio, Mumford, who graduated from the NYU Tisch School of the Arts in 2009, worked as an understudy for Elisabeth Moss in the Broadway production of “Speed-the-Plow” when she was still a student. She eventually played the role alongside William H. Macy and Raul Esparza. She made her debut on TV in “Lone Star.”
In all three installments of the “50 Shades of Grey” film trilogy, Mumford portrayed Dakota Johnson’s closest friend. Mumford also starred with Billy Crystal in the indie film “Standing Up, Falling Down.”
Mumford has also starred in the NBC series “Chicago Fire,” “The Right Stuff” on Disney+ (executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company,) and in “The Presence of Love” and “A Veteran’s Christmas” for Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, as well as “One December Night” and “The Baker’s Son” for Hallmark Channel.
Brenda Strong plays Helen. According to her bio, some of her recent work includes recurring roles as Lillian Luthor on The CW’s “Supergirl” and as Nora Walker on all four seasons of “13 Reasons Why.” During the show’s final season, she directed two episodes. Strong is widely known for her roles as Mary-Alice Young, the recently departed narrator of ABC’s “Desperate Housewives,” as Ann Ewing on TNT’s reboot of “Dallas,” and as Sue Ellen Mischke on “Seinfeld.” She also has credits on “Scandal,” “Fear the Walking Dead,” “The 100,” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
This next spring, Strong will have recurring roles on the TV shows “61st Street” on AMC and “Unprisoned” on Hulu.
Dan Jeannotte is cast as Dean. According to his bio, he portrays Sam Kirk in “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” and James Stuart in “Reign.” His role as Brandon Russell in “The Good Witch” series on Hallmark Channel will be familiar to fans of that network. His most recent appearance on the network was in “The Royal Nanny.” In addition, he had a significant recurring part in the Freeform series “The Bold Type” as Pinstripe Guy.
Also starring in the movie are:
- Christin Park (Serena)
- Robert Underwood (Gary)
- Jordana Summer (Georgie)
- Linda Ko (Nora)
- Alexander Zonjic (Tyler)
- Tosca Baggoo (Claire)
- Bobby L. Stewart (Malcolm)
- Zack Currie (Mark)
- Eduardo Britto (Pablo)
- Jillian Knowles (Young Helen)
- Liam Boland (Scott Sweet)
- Nik Andrews (Wyatt)
- Ron Holmes (Lucy’s Opa)
- Cadence Compton (Young Lucy)
- Frank Rukundo (Bald Guy)
- Kynan Foster (Customer #1)
- Lesley Mirza (Female Customer)
- Austin Burn (Jalen)
- Shayna Virginillo (Receptionist)
- Shiraine Haas (Alice Phillips)
- Makailla Palliyaguru (Young Claire)
- Henry King (Young Malcolm)
- Kaietan Mac (Uber-Hot Guy)
- Kuba Oms (Calvin)
- Michele Tredger (Anna)
- Olivia Iatridis (Sadie)
- Jonas Janz (Jorge)
- Eleanor Walker (Edith)
- Susan Bell-Irving (Judy)
- Dwayne Bishop (Alex)
- Wonser De-Gabon (Janice)
- Lance Birley (Various Customer #1)
- Amy McInnes (Various Customer #2)
- Elizabeth Blanco (Various Customer #3)