It’s A Medieval Meet-Cute As Julie Gonzalo and James Trevena Star In Hallmark Channel’s A Knight To Remember!
What happens when a medieval statue comes to life in modern day? That’s the question Julie Gonzalo and James Trevena uncover in their new Hallmark Channel film A Knight To Remember. Gonzalo plays museum conservator Emily who is closed off to love. While cleaning the statue of an English knight that has arrived for an art exhibit, she impulsively kisses the statue, bringing him to life. The film is part of Hallmark’s Fall Into Love slate that centers around romance during the spooky autumn season. Speaking with Pop Culture Planet’s Kristen Maldonado, Gonzalo and Trevena open up about creating the statue, lessons in life and love, and all the fun they had together on set.
As we started the interview, Trevena brought out a miniature replica of his character Sir Griffin de Beauford’s larger statue. “I had to go in and get scanned,” he told me. “They had like hundreds of cameras and I stood in the middle and they took a photo. Then Ellie, the production designer, got it designed. A full life-size statue, which was pretty amazing.”
“I think Julie said some of the best acting she did was with my statue because he had way more life in him,” he laughed. “You could see it in the eyes, right?”
Trevena joked that his miniature’s name was Chris McNally, a nod to Gonzalo’s husband and fellow actor, who makes a cameo in the film. “This was completely a misunderstanding, by the way. Let's just start with that,” explained Gonzalo. “Chris came to visit and then they were like, ‘Let's put you to work.’ It was a day that we planned that he was going to bring our kids to set and meet everyone and have fun. He has worked with the director and the producers before. It was supposed to be a fun thing that kind of now is a big joke. It turned out [to be] a good little cameo. Don’t blink and that’s kind of the cameo.”
“It was a lot of fun and Chris honestly is such a nice guy. I got to do a scene with him, which was awesome,” said Trevena. “We appreciated him having him there.”
One of the biggest lesson’s Gonzalo took away from A Knight To Remember is how to trust again. “This unplanned situation taught her the most because she was so guarded in her life and worked in a field that is all about facts and truth and explanations,” she shared. “Then something like this, that has no explanation and it's not based on something that could happen, teaches her how to live life and to let your guard down and begin to trust again. I think that's a beautiful lesson where you have been hurt before to learn how to trust again. And he really brings that in her.”
Trevena highlighted the second chance at romance in the film. “True love is something worth waiting for. I think just a genuine connection. At the start, he's sort of bound out of duty to marry someone he knows he doesn't love nor does she love him. To put it all on the line and wait for a second chance is pretty awesome. Patience is key.”
During Hallmark Channel’s 25th Birthday red carpet, A Grand Biltmore Christmas star Niall Matter told Pop Culture Planet that Trevena was “quickly becoming a Hallmark leading man” to watch. “Niall is one of the great loves of my life and we could talk about him all day ‘cause he's just the best. I will never be a leading man like Niall,” said Trevena about the kind sentiment from his friend. “He is the go-to guy and, yeah, love him very much.”
After working with the Synthetic Cinema crew on Lost In Paradise, he called it “coming back to family” to work with them as James, Elizabeth’s suitor, in A Grand Biltmore Christmas. “Honestly, it was just amazing. I loved working with Niall [and] Holland,” he said, adding: “But I made a new family as well with my mate Julie.”
Gonzalo agreed that Hallmark has a talent for hiring “nice people.” “They have a really good eye on matching people that are easy and lovely to work with,” she said. “You're working 12-hour days every day, but you're really laughing all day long. I mean, I think we laughed all day long. It was kind of hard to do serious stuff.”
“When you watch the film, I guarantee you before the shooting, during the shooting, and after the shooting, every single time, we just could not stop laughing,” confirmed Trevena. “I don't know how we got through scenes. It was awesome. I loved it so much.”
Catch A Knight To Remember airing October 3 on Hallmark Channel and streaming the next day on Hallmark+.
