Even though Ben Rosenbaum has portrayed Mike Hickam on When Calls the Heart for years, he’s never led a Hallmark film.
He seamlessly stepped into The Christmas Cup, playing a fire chief, Captain Quinn Stanton. He and Rhiannon Fish (Kelly Brandt) had fantastic chemistry, as their characters understood the challenges of starting over after being medically discharged.
The Christmas Cup highlighted the importance of finding your purpose and your family, as two rival towns compete in a Winter Festival for the coveted trophy.
It’s an enchanting small town holiday fun, and you’ll see five other When Calls the Heart stars in the film, besides Rosenbaum.
I loved chatting with him to learn why The Christmas Cup appealed to him, his favorite parts of the film, and the teasers for When Calls the Heart.
So, Ben, this is your first time leading a Hallmark Christmas movie. What appealed to you about the Christmas Cup?
I felt like playing a firefighter would be a lot of fun and also satisfy a certain rom-com leading-man desire. Being a firefighter felt particularly romantic, and I was looking forward to playing Quinn for that reason alone.
When I found out that Rhiannon Fish was attached, I was over the moon because I think she’s terrific. She was every bit as amazing as you’d hope, both personally and professionally. The icing on the cake was working with director Robin Dunne, who was collaborative and wonderful from start to finish.
So that was a long answer to your initial question. I was excited to be part of a Hallmark Christmas movie. It feels iconic, uh, to be in that world and then, specifically, the firefighter aspect. And it only snowballed from there into an even more wonderful experience.
Yes, I was going to ask you what it was like working with Rhiannon because it looked like you guys had terrific chemistry.
Oh, thank you so much. It felt that way in our scene work. I found it really easy to work with her, standing across from her as I tried to deliver those lines. It didn’t take much acting to recognize the wonderful person standing before me.
Off camera, she’s very sweet and kind, and she leads by example as a really well-prepared, talented actor. On set, she takes time to acknowledge everyone’s hard work on the crew, and it was a delight to work with her on a movie she’s leading.
So, do you think you guys had one of those meet-cutes that a lot of the rom-coms have?
It’s an interesting one. We don’t have the sort of oops, we bumped into each other out in the world while both getting coffee, or our dogs’ leashes get tangled together, or anything like that.
So, it’s not like a happenstance that our characters meet, but I am the rival town’s fire captain.
I am invited to her welcome home party by her father, who is the mayor of Longleaf, the main town, the hero town. I have relationships with people in town. But Rhiannon’s character, Kelly, and my character Quinn had never met because he moved there after she had been deployed.
So that’s another long answer to a more straightforward question, which is we have a meet-cute in that we do meet, and it’s cute, but we don’t have like the accidental kind of bump-into-each-other romance moment. I’m invited to a party in Kelly’s honor, and I see the glory before me and obviously fall head over heels.
Obviously. And what do you think the central message of the film is?
There are a couple of great ones. At the heart of this movie is your sense of home. It highlights finding your sense of place, which doesn’t have to be literally where you’re from, but it’s how your community defines home.
The Christmas Cup also explores getting out of one’s own way to recognize that things don’t have to be so literal when it comes to serving your country or your community.
These things can be interpreted in different ways, and finding that sense of what service means to you. Where you find purpose is the most essential factor in moving forward.
That was a good one. And what were some of your favorite holiday moments from the film that you think your fans will like?
This is an easy one because every single frame of this movie is packed with Christmas holiday magic. We had an excellent executive producer on set, Amy Krell, who made sure we had lots of Christmas in every moment.
My personal favorite moment is when Kelly first arrives home, and it’s just her, standing in the quiet glow of a Christmas tree. It really touches on what home means to me during the holidays.
It’s just a soft warmth and coziness, and she plays it so beautifully. You see it, like, written all over her face as she’s staring into the ornaments of this tree.
That is so sweet. It was such a treat to see so many of the When Calls the Heart actors in this film. What was it like working with your coworkers in a different setting?
I filmed Christmas Cup right before the start of When Calls the Heart Season 13. So, it was a bit of a preview of the upcoming season of work I’d be doing with these actors.
Natasha Burnett and Jada Lily Miller played more principal roles than cameos. I got to work with them more on the movie than I typically do in a season of When Calls the Heart, because our characters don’t cross paths as often in Hope Valley.
So, it was really fun getting to work with them and see them do something a little different. They’re both so talented and so fun to be around, so I loved it.
In sports, you sometimes get a home-field advantage when you play at home. That’s what they made me feel like. I got home-court advantage by having castmates around.
Having Pascal Hutton, Kavan Smith, and Andrea Brooks pop in for cameos as well was an absolute delight. It just made those days on set a little more fun and memorable. It makes it feel easy, friendly, and comfortable to work with them.
I am sure the fans will love that.
I hope so. There are several One Calls the Heart Easter eggs throughout the movie.
I love that. Speaking of that, is there any way you could drop any hints of what’s coming with Mike and Mei in the upcoming season? We had to try.
Hey, you always have to ask. I always have to say, I can perhaps drop a hint. In When Calls the Heart Season 13, Mike and Mei will experience more comedic mishaps and grow closer to their family.
Oh, does that mean that the family may drop in again this year?
I can’t tease any more than that.
I had to try because we have lots of When Calls the Heart fans who are excited both about The Christmas Cup and the upcoming season.
I love these fans. They are so supportive, and I’ve felt them lifting me for years. I’m very excited to be able to share this movie with them, and delighted that we get to have so many When Calls the Heart friendly faces in the film as well.
Season 13 is now set to release on January 4. So, it’s going to be a fun few months coming up here.
So, let’s end with what are your favorite holiday traditions?
I know different families handle Christmas Eve versus Christmas morning differently. My family spends more time together on Christmas Eve.
Christmas morning has become special as my nieces have joined the family and started incorporating Santa Claus, waking up to presents, and other traditions. But for me, at least in my adult life, Christmas Eve is the one that touches the heart for sure.
The Christmas Cup premieres Sunday, November 30, at 6/5 p.m. on The Hallmark Channel and streams on Hallmark+ the next day.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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