When Hallmark Channel kicked off its 2024 Countdown to Christmas lineup in October, fans quickly noticed that a handful of their favorite stars were missing. Some, like Brennan Elliott and Autumn Reeser, had recently appeared in Hallmark movie premieres, so not starring in a holiday film seemed reasonable to many fans.
But one longtime fan favorite, Michael Rady, hadn’t starred in a new Hallmark original all year. That caused concern among fans in chat rooms and on social media given that, until 2024, Rady had appeared in at least one Hallmark movie every year since 2016.
When Heavy informed Rady how much Hallmarkies have felt his absence, he adorably clutched his heart and said, “I’m sorry! Let me just say — I feel loved. How incredible that I get to do what I do, and then people care. It’s never lost on me. I pinch myself every day that I get to do this for one more day.”
“So tell them I’m alive,” Rady laughed, noting that he’s been embracing a slower pace with his wife and three kids, who left LA for Connecticut seven years ago, and diving into some exciting roles including — drumroll, please — a new Hallmark movie, due out in 2025.
Michael Rady & Fellow Hallmark Stars Wes Brown & Erin Cahill Launch First-Ever Christmas Movie Trail
Craig RosenbergHallmark fan favorites Wes Brown, Erin Cahill and Michael Rady appear at the Christmas Movie Trail launch event in Wethersfield, CT on November 13, 2024.
Heavy caught up with Rady after he appeared with fellow Hallmark stars Erin Cahill and Wes Brown at the launch of the nation’s first Christmas Movie Trail, a curated guide to dozens of special spots that appear in 22 holiday movies filmed in Connecticut.
Rady’s 2018 movie “Christmas At Pemberley Manor” co-starring Jessica Lowndes and 2023’s “Where Are You Christmas?” with Lyndsy Fonseca are among the many Hallmark movies that have been filmed in the state and appear on the Christmas Movie Trail map. An corresponding online guide gives fans tips on restaurants, shops, inns and other sites where scenes were filmed in each movie.
Though Rady grew up in Pennsylvania, he told Heavy that he and his wife, Rachael Kemery, adore living in Connecticut after nearly 17 years in LA.
“As our kids were getting closer to school age, we were craving a change,” he said. “We were
missing the feeling of home that we both grew up with on the East Coast. We were wanting
better schooling options. We were wanting to buy a house. We were wanting to be closer to our
families on the East Coast. And we were really wanting a deeper, more consistent immersion in
nature. We wanted to be in nature a lot, surrounded by nature like we grew up.”
As fate would have it, Rady was cast in “Christmas at Pemberley Manor” and started filming the day after they closed on their house, he told Heavy, getting to immerse himself in his new state — and work on home renovations on the weekends — rather than fly off to another location. In the seven years since, Rady said he has fallen in love with Connecticut and said he understands why so many rom-coms and Christmas movies are filmed there.
“There’s just so much charm and character to all the locations that these movies find,” he told Heavy. “I mean, they shoot in Connecticut for a reason, right? It typifies so much of the charm and and coziness that we equate with these movies. It’s really dreamy here.”
Rady is especially enchanted by the centuries-old stone walls that “snake through all of our woods and yards,” which he noted have been detected from space using lidar imaging by researchers at the University of Connecticut. “And then there’s these small town, these cute, little antique towns with a little town square. It’s too much. It’s no wonder they make a lot of movies here, because it’s gorgeous.”
Fans Will Likely See Much More of Michael Rady in the Months Ahead
Though Hallmark fans have missed him on the network, Rady told Heavy that he’s already filmed a new Hallmark movie due to premiere in 2025, though he couldn’t give any specifics since it hasn’t been announced yet.
“I had a grand time on this last one, and I look forward to the next one,” he said, assuring fans he hasn’t disappeared from Hallmark’s airwaves. He’ll also appear at Christmas Con in December, connecting with fans as well as treasured colleagues.
Having just spent time with Cahill and Brown, and reflecting on movies he’s made with leading ladies like Erica Durance and Nikki DeLoach, Rady said, “I can’t believe — I’m so grateful — I can count myself in their ranks. They are some of the most wonderful people I’ve ever met. They truly are.”
Rady’s also been working with one of his close friends, Justin Hartley, who stars on the CBS hit show “Tracker.” After appearing in one episode in the first season, many eagle-eyed Hallmark fans noticed him on the November 3 episode, “Noble Rot,” playing Reenie’s “plus one” at a Napa Valley retreat.
Rady told Heavy that he was about to head to Vancouver to film another episode of the show and hinted, “Yes, ‘Tracker’ may go for a long, long time. I have a so much fun working on that. Justin’s an old, dear friend — he’s one of my favorite people on Earth.”
“So, the fact that we get to hang out right now, at this time in life,” Rady continued, “the fact that we not only get to hang out, but that we get to work together again, it’s too much. I can’t
believe it. I’m one fortunate fellow.”
Like Heavy.com’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy.com
The post Michael Rady Responds to Hallmark Fans Missing Him in 2024: ‘I Feel Loved’ appeared first on Heavy.com.