Brennan Elliott Praises Hallmark’s Bold, Diverse Approach: ‘Really Out of the Box’

Brennan Elliott

Brennan Elliott opened up in two fall interviews about how proud he is of Hallmark’s push to be more creative and diverse in its storytelling. In fact, he said that one of his recent movies probably wouldn’t have even been made seven years ago. The interviews took place just before the premiere of his and Lacey Chabert’s September movie, “His & Hers,” on the Hallmark Channel.

In an interview with the podcast Suspenders Unbuttoned, Elliott said he was glad for Hallmark’s “really out of the box” storytelling in recent years, and hopes to see more.

‘The Gift of Peace’ Wouldn’t Have Been Made 7 Years Ago, Elliott Shared

He told the podcast Suspenders Unbuttoned that one of his movies, “The Gift of Peace,” wouldn’t have been made five to seven years ago, before the new leadership.

“Hallmark now is trying to broaden its brand and tell stories that are diverse…” he shared. “I think a lot of the characters have a little more vulnerability at times, which has always been something that they leered from in the past. …  ‘Gift of Peace’ is a perfect example of a movie that’s really out of the box at that time, dealing with very, very painful experiences that people go through… It was something that was close to our heart and it radiated and did well, but it was something that I don’t think would have gotten made five, six, seven years ago.”

This change has been especially apparent since the new leadership stepped in, he added.

“Since the new regime came in, obviously…” he said. “‘The Perfect Pairing’ started (it). I was like, ‘This is interesting, I’m playing on a winery.’ The last four or five movies I’ve done have been really out of the box in regards to that Hallmark trope of small town and all that… Which obviously has its place, and I’ve done many of those movies and love doing them.”

He said Hallmark’s audiences are ready for this deeper storytelling.

“I don’t think our audiences … are scared of that kind of stuff,” he said. “I don’t think they want to be spoonfed… They’re very educated and they’re open… Let’s tell those stories because that’s what our audience is.”

Of course, he said, Hallmark should still stay true to its brand.

“You can’t lose what’s on point with the brand,” he said. “You’ve got to have heart, you’ve got to have humor, you’ve got to have that banter… If you can do those three things, then you know you’ll do some Hallmark movies for sure.”

He thinks Hallmark has been achieving this goal of being outside-the-box while still on brand.

“There’s certain movies that I’ve been a part of lately where they’ve really been trying to just stretch out the brand a little bit, maybe, you know, different colors of blue as opposed to always on the nose, and I’m all for that!” he said.

He Said Hallmark Is Really Tapping Into a ‘Diverse Variety of Stories’

In an interview with Love & Lattes in September, Elliott expanded on what he loves about Hallmark’s new approach.

“Ten years ago when I started, well 12 years ago, it was like, the male lead was kind of this supporter of the woman’s journey,” he said. “Which still is (the case) in some respects… But you’re seeing more movies where … maybe it’s a male’s viewpoint of the world or maybe there’s two male leads. Or what Jonathan Bennett’s doing with the LGBT community is great… There’s a lot of stories to tell and I think they’re trying to tap into a diverse variety of stories for everyone…”

One of the reasons he loved his new movie with Chabert, “His & Hers,” was because it was out of the box in many ways. His character was the one in the relationship that really wanted a child, for example. He’s glad to see Hallmark getting so creative with its films.

“They’re doing diverse stories and diverse kind of tones, trying to stay on brand but express in different colors,” he said. “And I think that’s important to maximize and to grow your audience.”