Andrew Walker‘s ties to the Kentucky Derby prior to leading Hallmark Channel’s Kentucky Roses were closer than you might think.
The Montreal native told DECIDER that he “grew up with the Derby” on in his house, as he “always would sit down” with his father and watch the annual horse race “from beginning to end” with him. So when the opportunity presented itself, he jumped at the chance to not only star in the new film shot on location in Louisville, but to executive produce it, as well.
“My best friend, godmother to our kids, her cousin is the CEO of Churchill Downs, and he had brought it up to her as a potential opportunity to partner with Hallmark,” he recalled. “And she brought it to me. And here we are today.”
However, he did need to learn one key thing ahead of working on Kentucky Roses: how to pronounce Louisvile.
“It’s funny, I show up as a Canadian from Montreal with my French influence, and not that I was a French-Canadian. I grew up as an
English-speaking Canadian and proud Canadian living in a French province. But I have to speak French in Montreal growing up as a as a kid. Any job you do, you have to speak French at. So I was walking around Louisville saying, ‘Oh my gosh, I love being in Lou-ee-ville. Lou-ee-ville.’ And the people were like, ‘Why are you butchering our name? It’s Louisville. Just get that straight. If you’re going to be in the movie and you’re going to play a character that is from Louisville, just say it how it should be, you know?”
For more from Walker on welcoming Odette Annable into the Hallmark universe, working alongside Gregg Henry, whether or not fans will see him in a Christmas movie this year, give our chat a read.
DECIDER: How familiar were you with the Kentucky Derby before signing onto this film?
ANDREW WALKER: Funny question. You know, as a Canadian, I grew up with the the Derby in my house. My dad’s a very traditional guy. He loves Big Bend, he loves the Rose Bowl Parade. But the Derby is like his thing. So I always would sit down and watch from the beginning to the end on Derby Day with him. So it was very special for me to be there to shoot this movie.
Not only do you star in this movie, but you are also an executive producer. How were you pitched this project and what excited you most about it?
My best friend, godmother to our kids. Her cousin is the CEO of Churchill Downs, and he had brought it up to her as a potential opportunity to partner with Hallmark. And she brought it to me. And here we are today.
In the movie, your onscreen father is the CEO of Churchill Downs, played by Gregg Henry. I immediately recognized him from Gilmore Girls, playing Mitchum Huntzberger.
Of course.
Were you a Gilmore Girls fan?
No, but I have seen him on everything else that he’s done. The guy’s been around forever, and he’s such a professional. He was a big get for us because he got cast about a week before we started shooting, and it was just a moment where he had a gap in his schedule that he could do this. So it was great to work with him.
This was your co-star, Odette Annable’s first Hallmark movie. Did you have any tips for her? What was your biggest piece of advice for her on this project?
Odette doesn’t need any tips. Don’t tell her I said that. But she doesn’t need any tips. She’s fantastic. She’s amazing. I know that her name has been circulating in the Hallmark world for a long time. For years. And this, we were just fortunate to have her on this one. It could have been one that I wasn’t on, but I’m so happy that she became my my costar on this one.
Tell me more about your experience shooting at Churchill Downs. Do you get any kind of behind the scenes access? What was it like to shoot at this iconic venue?
Oh my gosh, yeah. We saw every nook and cranny of that place, and all outside of working hours. We shot until 2:00 in the morning a couple days actually. And to be there at night. [In the] morning, [at] dawn. showing up to to Churchill Downs when the horses were warming up. And you just hear the breathing of them running around the track. And the dew was coming off the track early morning and the sun is just coming up, and they run them out up until about 6:30, 7:00 in the morning. Then they take them off the track. That was, for me, the most magical hour to see the horses and to see the track and to see the the sheer size of the place. It fits close to 200,000 people. So there’s no real stadium, football stadium or, you know, sports arena in the world that fits this many people. So for me, that was incredible.
Were you shooting at last year’s Derby? When were you shooting for this movie?
Yeah, we shot B-roll last year. But it’s NBC‘s thing, you know, so we did everything we could do on our own without interfering with what NBC owns. But a lot of stuff for the advertising of the movie and marketing of the movie, that’s a lot of the stuff you saw. Like on my social media, I posted about the movie when we first were announcing it, that we shot last year at the Derby.
And I hear you’ll be at this year’s Derby. What are you most looking forward to?
Oh my gosh. Well, you know, it’s great to see something for the first time because everything is new. But to know what to expect and to be there in conjunction with this movie airing is just going to be incredible. I feel like I can kind of sit in it now and enjoy it as opposed to, like, I was really soaking up a lot of what I was seeing and kind of making mental notes of potential character things. But now I’m going to be there with my wife. I’ll be there with her best friend Kelly and a bunch of folks from Hallmark. So we’re just going to go have a great time and go to some parties and and enjoy ourselves.
That sounds like so much fun. And this movie also talks about some of the traditions leading up to the Derby. What was your favorite part of about all these traditions and the event itself throughout the process of filming?
Well, the traditions are parties [laughs]. You know, I like that tradition. But no, there’s so many events. It’s a week leading up to the Derby and it is really just so much about the community. It’s funny, I show up as a Canadian from Montreal with my French influence, and not that I was a French-Canadian. I grew up as an
English-speaking Canadian and proud Canadian living in a French province. But I have to speak French in Montreal growing up as a as a kid. Any job you do, you have to speak French at. So I was walking around Louisville saying, “Oh my gosh, I love being in Lou-ee-ville. Lou-ee-ville.” And the people were like, “Why are you butchering our name? It’s Louisville. Just get that straight. If you’re going to be in the movie and you’re going to play a character that is from Louisville, just say it how it should be, you know?” But no, it’s all about the community, and what you quickly get to know or realize when you’re there is that everybody in Louisville is connected in some way to Churchill Downs. And that’s really what I began to realize when I was there.
I had the same experience. I visited a couple years back… I didn’t know how to pronounce it.
Yeah, I had that same problem in New Orleans. I was saying “New Or-leens.”
Exactly. Something that fascinates me about the Derby and its culture is the wardrobe and the fashion behind it. I do have a fascinator here with me today.
Look at you! Quick on the draw.
What was your experience like with the wardrobe on this film? Did you get any say as an executive producer on that?
You let the professionals do what they’re good at. And so I wasn’t meddling in things that I— we hired Lorraine, who was the the costume designer, and she was incredible. And she had a lot on her plate. And these movies are relatively formulaic in what the budget is. This is what’s called a tentpole movie for Hallmark, so we had a little bit more to work with. But for what she was given, she did an unreal job, to put the wardrobe together like she did. The short end of the answer is no, I let Lorraine do what she does best.
And did you get to keep anything from set?
I kept a couple shirts, but no, not really. Because the wardrobe was so specific. And if for some reason they needed to do some reshoots they needed to keep the wardrobe on hand.
Or if they ever do a Derby spinoff.
When they do a Derby spinoff! The Preakness, Belmont Stakes. You know, who knows? There’s a lot we could do here.
Hallmark has had a really strong run recently, collaborating with different franchises and venues like the NFL, Disney World, and now Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby. Which franchise would you like to see Hallmark join forces with next?
Selfishly, if I could star in it, the NHL and potentially do it. No one in America cares about the Montreal Canadiens, but they are kind of the the Yankees of hockey, and they have arguably the best team in the league right now… But no, I would say, selfishly, the NHL and it would be great to do a movie with the Montreal Canadiens.
That would be really cool. I see it.
A historic brand. They’re like 125 years [old]. They’ve been around for almost the same amount of time as as Churchill Downs.
Completely. Outside of your onscreen work, you cofounded the skincare company, SkinMason, which I am a proud user of.
Thank you!
What’s your advice for budding Hallmark entrepreneurs like yourself? Any actors that you work with, or any that are a part of the network that are looking to also start their own ventures?
You have to find something you’re passionate about. And for me, it was finding a gap in the market. I created this brand with one of my best friends. He is a doctor, he’s a heart and lung surgeon in Vancouver. And we were trying to find something that was effective, simple. For me, I was using so many different products when I would wrap a movie or wrap my day. I was breaking out, rosacea, I was getting dry skin. So SkinMason, I just basically said, “What is exactly what I need at the end of wrap?” And we came up with these five products now and it’s been a year and a half. I can’t believe how it’s evolved and the response we’re getting from people. I think that, for me, is the best part of the business. Seeing people like you saying you’re a proud user of it, which thank you. And I can see in your skin! Your skin looks great.
Thank you.
But to see people’s reactions and reviews and hear people saying, “I’ve been trying to find a good skincare brand for 20 years, 30 years.” And people are afraid because your skin is what you present yourself with, you know? And not that it is everything, but it definitely brings a confidence about your day. And so I’m just happy we can make a few more people confident in their day to go out and execute their day.
Definitely. With Hallmark, it’s never too early to talk about Christmas. I have to ask, do you have any Christmas projects in the pipeline? Anything you can tease?
Well, I just got asked for my availability to do a Christmas movie. I have no idea what it is yet, but I know I’ll be doing a Christmas movie very, very soon. Very soon!
The Three Wise Men franchise had its third film come out last year. Just to make sure, was that truly the end, for now at least, of the franchise?
That’s a good question. I think it was the end of that franchise, but I know that there’s going to be more. I there’ll be more with all of us together, I think. And if the fans have anything to do with it, which they usually do at Hallmark, they do listen to the fans. So speak up. Yeah, I think we’ll be back on camera together again.
You mentioned when you’re going to the derby, you’ll be with your wife, Cassandra Troy. You’ve been married since 2012. If Hallmark was going to make a movie version of your romance, what would it be called?
Man. Well, I already did one called Adventures in Love and Birding… Adventures in Parenting and Building a Business? I don’t know [laughs]. Yeah, we’ve done so much together. I think that when I look back, I’ve been with my wife for 20 plus years, and we built a business together. We did it for ten years. We still stayed together. We’ve had two kids now together, two boys. To all those boy parents out there, I know what you’re going through. We’ve done so much, and she’s the the captain of the ship. I’m loading the steam engine with coal. We have a really good balance. She’s kind of my yin to my yang. I just want to continue to keep adventuring with her, and. I’m a transient person, and there’s certain people that wouldn’t deal with a person like me. I can’t stay in the same place for too long. I like moving around. I know I have to stay put with kids, but she definitely supports my decisions and lets me kind of, you know, be my ethereal, colorful self.
That’s awesome. Have either of your kids expressed an interest in acting at all?
Yes. My oldest is in a improv class now, which is how I started. But he does it in French, actually, in Vancouver. He goes to a French school. I don’t know how he does it, but yeah, he’s been in French school since kindergarten. He’s [been] in improv class for the past two years in French, and he keeps telling me that he’s training to be my son in a Hallmark movie. So yeah, we’ll see where that goes. But I told them the best man is going to get the job. He’s not just going to get given the job. He’s got to earn it.
No nepo baby status here.
No, no!
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Kentucky Roses premieres tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Channel, with next-day streaming available on Hallmark+.