Odette Annable had only ever watched the Kentucky Derby on TV, but there was enough about Hallmark Channel’s new Louisville-set romance, Kentucky Roses, to convince her to sign on.
“I didn’t know any of the backstory, how much of a community it is. I knew nothing going in,” she shared while stopping by DECIDER’s studio last month. “All I knew is that I loved the script, I love riding horses, I love the fashion and the whole story behind Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby, and Hallmark, of course.”
Kentucky Roses marks Annable’s first Hallmark project, though she said she was set up for success after being teamed up with network mainstay Andrew Walker.
“I couldn’t have had a better time. I was welcomed with warm arms,” she recalled. “I had Andrew Walker as my co-star, and he’s such a pro. He knows all the ins and outs. He knows the whole deal. So I felt very safe. I had a great safety net and I just had a really wonderful experience.”
Outside of the “multi-generational love story” she got to be a part of onscreen in Hallmark’s latest venture, Annable teased that she and her husband and fellow actor Dave Annable, “have actually talked about starring in [their] own rom-com.”
“Maybe we can talk to Hallmark and see if we can make it happen because we do have a few ideas,” she proposed.
In light of her husband working on Taylor Sheridan‘s Yellowstone and Lioness, DECIDER asked Annable is fans can anticipate her popping up in the Sheridan-verse.
“Taylor is one of my mentors and we have talked briefly about potentially that happening,” she revealed. “I would be so lucky and all that I would want to do is make him proud because he holds a very, very special place in my heart. And we’re so grateful that Dave gets to do Lioness. It’s such a badass show. And obviously Yellowstone.”
For more on Annable’s experience shooting at Churchill Downs, what she’s most excited for ahead of attending the Kentucky Derby, and whether she’s Team Dean, Jess, or Logan when it comes to Gilmore Girls, check out our full conversation below.
DECIDER: How familiar were you with the Kentucky Derby before signing onto this film?
ODETTE ANNABLE: I have never been to the Derby. I’ve only ever watched it on TV. I didn’t know any of the backstory, how much of a community it is. I knew nothing going in. All I knew is that I loved the script, I love riding horses, I love the fashion and the whole story behind Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby, and Hallmark, of course.
You mentioned fashion. I’m fascinated by the fashion. The fascinators, everything. What was it like getting to embrace this on this project? Did you get to keep any piece of wardrobe?
I wanted to keep everything because our wardrobe designer just did such a beautiful job. Every piece was so different from the next. And I think that’s the fun thing about going to the Derby. You can really own your own style and be bold or minimal, or whatever you want. Anything really goes and it’s just a time to really just explore your fashion. And that’s what you’ll see in our movie. I would say it’s another character in the movie, the fashion behind everybody’s choices and also dating back to the fashion back in the 1930s. Our movie also shows this multi-generational love story. So you see different kinds of fashion throughout the film, which I think is really beautiful.
I love that. And this is your first Hallmark movie. What was your experience like working with the network?
It’s my first Hallmark movie. I couldn’t have had a better time. I was welcomed with warm arms. I had Andrew Walker as my co-star, and he’s such a pro. He knows all the ins and outs. He knows the whole deal. So I felt very safe. I had a great safety net and I just had a really wonderful experience.
What did you learn from him while working on this movie?
So many things. I mean, he’s just such a pro and he’s also so fun to work with. I was a little worried that he was going to, you know, be one of those guys that took himself too seriously. But thankfully he’s not. And, we really just had great banter from the beginning. So it was smooth cruising, I would say.
Tell me more about shooting at Churchill Downs. What was it like getting this behind-the scenes-access of such an iconic venue?
It was so special. When I tell you we would roll up to set, you know, 5:00 in the morning, you can hear these horses breathing. You hear [them] just running on the padded fields. I mean, it was so iconic and I felt really, really grateful just to be there. But what I didn’t know was that it’s really kind of a city within itself. There’s the front side, and then there’s the back side where all of the workers, the horse trainers actually live. There’s a church there, there’s a school there. That’s where my character worked throughout the film, and that’s where her lineage comes from. She works at the greenhouse. She’s an aspiring florist, though, so she wanted to branch out a little bit. But we just learned so many different facts. There’s a bunch of speakeasies, little hidden gems all sprinkled throughout Churchill Downs, and we had the place to ourselves. So that was kind of surreal, just getting to walk and explore in kind of any way we wanted. We were very respectful. It’ll be different when we go to the Derby, though. There’s going to be, I’m assuming, hundreds and thousands of people. So it’ll be a different experience. But it was great.
What are you most looking forward to when going back for the Derby?
I could feel the energy even while we were shooting the horse race scenes, and the crowd, everybody just did such a wonderful job of kind of immersing themselves in it, and it wasn’t even there. So I can’t imagine how palpable it’s going to feel. What do they say? It’s the most exciting two minutes in sports, because it’s two minutes and you’re so engaged. It’s so exciting. I can’t wait to bet l[laughs]. I want a mint julep. I want to wear the whole thing. I’m just really excited to feel the spirit of it and see it in its full force.
Gregg Henry plays the CEO of Churchill Downs in this movie, and I immediately recognized him from Gilmore Girls as Logan’s father., Mitchum Huntzberger. He definitely gave that energy in this movie. Were you a Gilmore Girls fan?
Yes, absolutely. I also have another buddy that was on the show, Jared Padalecki. So I’m a big fan of the show, but Greg is lovely and such a pro. I mean, I don’t think the guy messed up his lines once. It was just really great to learn from him and watch him work alongside the rest of the cast. I mean, we just really had the A-Team on there, so I felt very, very lucky.
I have to ask, were you Team Logan, Jess or Dean?
Well, I’ll have to say Dean! [Laughs]. I might be biased, but that’s where I’m going to. But everybody, everybody on that show, gosh, it was just it was so iconic, right?
Completely. Something I love about this movie, other than the love story between Sadie and Ash, I also love the friendship between Sadie and Camila. What was it like developing that friendship chemistry on screen?
That was really, really great. It felt effortless right from the start. It was so well-written. Our director, Claire [Niederpruem], really gave us so much freedom to infuse our own personalities into these characters, which always really helps just bring the story to life. And we had a we had a great time. It felt very, very effortless, I would say. And also an important part of the story because I think, you know, my character Sadie isn’t in the place in her life where she was really looking for love. She has her eye on the prize on her career. She’s rebuilding her life in so many different ways. Looking for love wasn’t at the forefront. And so Camila, her best friend, really helps her kind of ease into the fact that maybe she can open herself to love if it’s the right thing. And obviously, in typical Hallmark rom-com fashion, it was.
We at DECIDER are huge fans of the Taylor Sheridan-verse, and with your husband, Dave Annable, working on both Lioness and Yellowstone, when will we see you on a Taylor Sheridan project?
Oh my gosh, it’s so funny. I was just with Taylor. We were at the celebrity horse cutting event, and Dave was able to ride a horse. We were with Nicole Sheridan, who’s raised so much money for UT Southwestern. They’re just such wonderful people. I’ve known them both for years and years and years. Taylor is one of my mentors and we have talked briefly about potentially that happening. I would be so lucky and all that I would want to do is make him proud because he holds a very, very special place in my heart. And we’re so grateful that Dave gets to do Lioness. It’s such a badass show. And obviously Yellowstone. He died in the first episode. Sorry. Spoiler alert!
It’s been long enough.
It’s been long enough. They had a “Save Dave” campaign going so that, you know, he could come back, but working on Lioness, I’ve just gotten so close with all of those guys. It’s such a wonderful cast and hopefully they’ll be back for another season. But Season 3 will be airing very soon.
If you and Dave’s love story were turned into a Hallmark movie, what would it be called?
Oh my gosh, Train Wrecks? [Laughs]. You know, Dave and I have actually talked about starring in our own rom com. Maybe we can talk to Hallmark and see if we can make it happen because we do have a few ideas. So [Hallmark VP of Development] Jess Callahan, let’s talk.
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