Exclusive: Jonathan Bennett Already Has an Idea For a Finding Mr. Christmas Spinoff: ‘I Hope We Do 100 of Them’
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If anyone knows how to be a Hallmark hunk, it’s Jonathan Bennett. The All My Children alum — who fans may also remember as Aaron Samuels in 2004’s Mean Girls — has starred in more than a dozen Hallmark movies and been nicknamed “The Gay King of Christmas” for his history-making role in Hallmark’s first-ever LGBTQ+ film, The Holiday Sitter, in 2022.
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With more than a decade on the network and countless meet cutes, conflicts and resolutions, first kisses, and shirtless photoshoots under his belt, it only made sense for Bennett to host Hallmark’s first-ever reality TV series, Finding Mr. Christmas, in search of Hallmark’s next leading man. The show — which premiered on Hallmark’s new streaming service, Hallmark Plus, on October 31 — brings together 10 aspiring actors to compete in a series of Christmas and Hallmark-related challenges until only one remains. That contestant is then crowned Hallmark’s first-ever Mr. Christmas. The winner also earned a lead role in Hallmark’s upcoming Christmas movie: Happy Howlidays, co-starring network veteran Jessica Lowndes.
Bennett — who co-created the series with executive producer Ben Roy — also serves as a judge on Finding Mr. Christmas, alongside Reba alum, Melissa Peterman, and a rotating guest judge with experience in the Hallmark universe. (Tyler Hynes and B.J. Britt were two of a few Hallmark hunks who appeared this season.)
“To have the opportunity to become a Hallmark leading man was one of the greatest gifts of my entire life, and to work for that network and be able to do movies that people responded to and thought highly of is such a gift that you don’t get many times in your life,” Bennett told Soaps.com. “I’m always thinking about, ‘How are we helping the people behind us?’ I have a seat at the holiday table at Hallmark, but how do I turn around, reach my hand out, and pull other people up with me. That’s why I wanted to do the show. When I saw all the 10 guys for the first time, to see that look in their eyes like, ‘I want to do this so bad,’ I looked at each one of them like, ‘I see you. I understand exactly what you’re feeling. Let me help you try to get there.’”
Soaps.com: How did the idea for Finding Mr. Christmas come about?
Jonathan Bennett: My friend Ben Roy and I had this idea two years ago because so many people want to be part of the Hallmark universe. And as a person who’s been on Celebrity Big Brother and Dancing With the Stars, the biggest reality shows in the world, I was like, “What if we had a reality competition show where we showed the journey of actors basically auditioning to be the next Hallmark leading man?”
I took it to [Hallmark EVP of Programming] Lisa Hamilton Daly, and said, “Here’s my idea. What do you think?” And she says, “Why aren’t we doing the show?” I said, “You’re the one who green lights things. You tell me!” As soon as the idea was brought to them, they jumped at it.
Soaps.com: Was the idea always for you to be the host?
Bennett: I’ve done so many reality competition shows in my life and hosted them that I feel comfortable hosting. It’s also not so much about hosting. Why is Tyra Banks the host of Top Model? Well, because she knows what it takes to be a model. So as the host, I know what it takes to be a Hallmark hunk. I want to take all the things I’ve learned and mentor and teach these guys on what that takes. Because I’ve been there. I’ve done 20 meet cutes on Hallmark. I can guide them on what it takes to have that moment in the movie. It’s not coming so much of a place of a judge, but more of a mentor.
Soaps.com: Do you remember the first Hallmark movie you ever auditioned for?
Bennett: I did a movie called Elevator Girl with Lacey Chabert. This was way after Mean Girls. It was both of our first Hallmark movies. I played, like, number five on the call sheet. She was the lead. I was the best friend of the boyfriend she was dating. I didn’t realize that the movie would start what I have today. It was just, “Oh, we’re doing this TV movie for Hallmark Channel. That sounds fun.” I didn’t realize what it would turn into.
Soaps.com: When did you become a regular for Hallmark?
Bennett: It takes doing a couple movies to get your feet wet and cemented into the foundation of the network. Once you start doing them, and the audience responds well, they let you keep doing them.
Soaps.com: What I love about Finding Mr. Christmas is it’s not just an acting competition, because there are contestants with a lot of acting experience and others with none. What were the qualities you were looking for?
Bennett: People come to Hallmark Channel and fall in love with their signature stars because the stars are just playing versions of themselves on camera. Tyler Hynes is always Tyler Hynes. Paul Campbell is always Paul Campbell, Andrew Walker is Andrew Walker. They have that same energy of what the character is. So with this, it’s like, “What are the qualities that all Hallmark stars have that we all come to expect?” I started evaluating what that is. All Hallmark leading men have charm, they have kindness, they have a great sense of humor, they have a quick wit, and they have a whole lot of heart, and that’s who they are as people — not just as the characters that play. They all have to have that likeability about them that you can’t explain. They have that sparkle that you can’t really describe. You know it when you see it. That’s what we were looking for when we were searching for Mr. Christmas.
Soaps.com: How important is the acting then?
Bennett: It’s going to surprise you as the episodes go on which of the guys rise to the top. Some of them have an acting background, and some of them have no acting background, but that’s the thing about the Hallmark star. We’re not just looking for the best actor, we’re looking for the best Hallmark leading man. So which one of these guys have that sparkle that makes you sit up in your chair when they come on screen? Which one makes you lean forward on your couch when their close-up happens?
Soaps.com: In the first episode, you got emotional when Daxton talked about his story as a gay actor and you told him, “You’re never too much and you’re always enough.” What made you so emotional?”
Bennett: I know what it’s like to be a gay actor and the struggles that gay actors face. Being afraid that maybe who they are might hinder their success in Hollywood. I lived that for 15 years of my life. What I am so proud of is doing the first same-sex kiss in a Hallmark Christmas movie, The Holiday Sitter, which was also the first gay-led romantic Christmas comedy for the network. And then doing the first same-sex wedding in a Hallmark movie in The Groomsmen. Those are big moments where I want to show the LGBTQ plus community that Hallmark is a place for them too. Their stories are being told on this network as well.
So for Daxton to come out and be unapologetically himself was so inspiring and brave. It made me so emotional, because he’s the reason I did what I’ve done in my life, which is trying to make sure that queer stories are being told everywhere. I just wanted to make sure that he never doubted for a second that he can be himself and be a star. No matter who you are, no matter how outrageous and wacky and eccentric you are, be that extra. You never have to prove anything to anyone, because you’re already enough just being you. I try to live by that. I’m just gonna be me, because everyone else is taken.
Soaps.com: If you were on this show, how well do you think you would do?
Bennett: I could never do this show, because I don’t have the courage to do what these guys did, which is basically, “Hey, the whole world’s gonna watch your audition.” To be this vulnerable and do things you’ve never done before in front of a national audience, I don’t have the courage to ever do that.
Soaps.com: How do you think this show is different than other reality shows out there?
Bennett: I think a lot of reality shows are about table flipping and drink throwing, drama and shade, and we’ve managed to develop a show where we can still have high stakes, but it doesn’t come at the cost of anyone. It comes from internal struggles that the guys are dealing with and overcoming and growing through. You can make a show interesting without having drama. It’s Hallmark so, of course, our reality shows are all based in heart.
Soaps.com: Do you think there could be any spin-offs?
Bennett: I hope we do 100 of them. I hope we do Finding Mr. Romance. We can do a summer version of the show. There are so many different tropes in Hallmark movies that you can play on in this very special, unique world.
Finding Mr. Christmas is available to stream on Hallmark Plus.
Check out Hallmark’s 2024 movie schedule in the gallery below
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