He started on When Calls the Heart and has starred in numerous Hallmark films, and now Marcus Rosner has become of of Hallmark Media's leading men.
He already starred in one Hallmark holiday film this season, Flipping for Christmas, and is starring in another December 14 on Hallmark Movies Now called An Ice Palace Romance.
As a Michigan native, the film is relatabel. As a figure skating fan, it's easy to understand how an ice arena is such a staple of a small Michigan town. Marcus Rosner and Celeste Desjardins have a natural chemistry, and it's fun to see their skating skills on the ice.
It's surprising TV Fanatic hadn’t talked to Rosner before, and it was a delightful conversation as he previewed the movie, discussed his sadness over Ride’s cancellation, and spoke about his future projects.
Check out the interview below:
Hi, Marcus. So, you have become one of Hallmark’s leading men. How did this film compare to some of your other projects?
I had the opportunity to work with an actress I wanted to work with for a while, Celeste Desjardins, who is like an adoptive daughter of my hometown of Edmonton, where I have a production company.
I’ve wanted to work with her for a while because she’s dating my favorite hockey team, the Edmonton Oilers.
She does the kinds of movies I do, and we were looking to cross paths for a while, which presented that opportunity.
It’s also my first time shooting in Ottawa, which was excellent, and I’ve’ worked with Muse Productions, a fantastic company I’ve worked with. For many reasons, this film stood out.
Was there anything else that appealed to you about An Ice Palace Romance?
I was excited to get back on some skates. It’s been several years. Growing up, I played a lot of hockey and did a lot of skating, as is the requisite for any young Canadian boy. However, it had been a long time, so I could buy some new skates and, uh, see if I still knew how to do it.
Canada and Michigan are definitely the figure skating capitals of the USA. I’m a huge figure skating fan.
I remember watching figure skating with my mom growing up. We’d watch the Olympics, and I didn’t figure skate or anything, but I greatly admired the sport.
You said it was filmed in Ottawa. Are there any particular landmarks or anything fans will recognize?
I don’t believe so in the actual film. We were shooting at some neighboring towns just outside of Ottawa. But when I was in Ottawa, it was my first time in our nation’s capital.
I had the opportunity to see Parliament Hill, which I’d seen on TV my entire life, and I felt like a bad Canadian for never having visited. But I got the opportunity to when I was shooting this. So, it was nice to explore that town.
What was your favorite part about your character?
I like that he was going against the grain in this particular movie. Usually, everyone’s against the big evil business, but they don’t have any power to do anything about it.
This time, the entire town approves of tearing down the Ice Palace, and my character begrudgingly stands firm, believing that it shouldn’t be torn down.
There’s an excellent moment in the film where my judgment becomes clouded, and I’m not seeing things correctly. And so I like that aspect.
Tell me more about working with Celeste and the actress who played your daughter, Acacia Hanvelt. They both seemed very charming and like they both had some skating skills.
The young actress Acacia, who played my daughter, was incredible at figure skating. She had been explicitly cast because she was a great actress and had tons of experience with figure skating.
She could easily pull off these long, elaborate figure skating routines. Amongst this group of kids that were regular figure skaters, she really stood out, and she was incredible.
Celeste, my costar in this, was lovely. We had a lot to talk about, such as our favorite hockey team, the Edmonton Oilers, who were in the playoffs then.
So, we’d talk about the games, and we had the opportunity to watch one of the games together. It was fun to bond over that.
Would you want to work with her again?
I hope to be cast alongside her again or hire her as an actor in one of my productions.
You have such a varied career. Do you want to keep being a part of the Hallmark family?
Absolutely. As long as they’ll have me. I look at the Hallmark Channel as the organization that got me out of bartending and helped make my dream come true as an actor, in that I wanted to feed myself, house myself, and clothe myself as an actor.
The Hallmark Channel put me on When Calls the Heart, to begin with, and then put me in countless movies since then.
If the day came when we weren’t even working together, I would always be grateful. But I don’t see it ending any time soon.
An Ice Palace romance featured many holiday traditions. What were some of your favorites in the movie, and what are your family’s holiday traditions?
In the movie, we have a great festival at the Ice Palace, and my character is obsessed with planning it and executing it well for the community. It brings people of all ages together. It’s an excellent way for the people of this town to celebrate the holidays.
I come from a small town called Sherwood Park, Alberta, just outside of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and we have a similar thing. We have this beautiful lake down in the center of town called Broadmoor Lake Park.
They do a very similar thing at Christmas with the lights, and everybody comes down and drinks hot cocoa, and it feels like Christmas. And so that was easy to relate to.
I also enjoyed watching you on Ride and was sorry to hear about its cancellation. Do you know where they would have taken Austin’s secrets if there had been a Season 2?
If I had it my way, they’d take us back in time before my character’s death. No, I have no idea. Unfortunately, it won’t continue, but everybody had a great time in that first season. I sure did.
Austin McMurray was the lead character, and if I ever play him again, it’ll be a continued dream. That show felt very close to home. It was filmed here in Alberta, where I’m from, and took place on a ranch. I grew up in and around ranches, which felt like a natural fit.
What is your next project after this holiday movie?
The next one airing is called Love on the Right Course and will be on January 6, 2024, on the Hallmark Channel. I filmed it in July 2023 in Budapest, Hungary.
My costar is Ashley Newbrough, and we play a couple of professional golfers. That was a wild, crazy, fantastic experience. I love to travel for work.
I’ve worked with Ashley before. We just had a Christmas movie on the Hallmark Channel called Flipping for Christmas.
It was a complete coincidence that we were cast together again so suddenly, but we made a great pair and had great chemistry; everything about that movie was another dream come true.
An Ice Palace Romance drops on Hallmark Movies Now on Thursday, December 14 at 7 am/6 c. You can access Hallmark Movies NOW directly or through Amazon or Apple TV Channels.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDy3ZwfYluM
