Hallmark’s newest film, “Christmas at the Catnip Cafe,” premieres Sunday, November 30 at 8 p.m. Eastern, with encores airing throughout the season. The movie stars Paul Campbell and Erin Cahill. Read on to learn all about where the movie was filmed and see behind-the-scenes cast stories.
(Trivia note: According to Cahill, the movie features a new song called “Timeless Christmas” by Wes Brown and Ginna Claire Mason.)
‘Christmas at the Catnip Cafe’ Was Filmed in Canada
“Christmas at the Catnip Cafe” was filmed in Canada, especially in the Vancouver region, with some additional scenes filmed in Maple Ridge, according to IMDb. The movie was filmed in September in about 13 days.
Ian Collins, who also stars in the film, told TV Fanatic that there was only one cafe set and they flimed there for five days.
He added that production found the cats by working with a company that trains cats especially for movies.
“The cat that I hold often, a sphynx cat, is a pretty famous cat,” he said. “She apparently just got off a movie with an A-list actor, and she’s also on a show called Wild Cards—a recurring cat. The Josie cat was amazing… The eyes on that sphynx cat. I could not stop taking photos of it. There was a lot of really cute cats — a really orange baby cat that was really playful and fun. The cats were honestly amazing every day. I don’t know how they put up with us constantly going, ‘Aww… look at this kitty!'”
In an interview with Southern Living, Campbell joked about what an adventure it is to film with cats.
“I didn’t realize is there’s different cats that do different things,” he said. “They all have sort of different skill sets. And that grumpy one, he won’t want to do a damn thing. He’s like, ‘”‘Here’s what I do. I sit here and I look grumpy.’ There was so many things scripted that that cat was supposed to do that it did not do, which was also really funny. And and then there was a couple kittens that were just like, ‘get me out of here. What are we doing?’ These cats do not want to be in your arms. They just want to go play with their buddies. It is really funny to sort of try and work around them and probably what you see in the movie is us doing a pretty good job, but those were singular takes where maybe that cat was maybe just about to fall asleep.”
Cahill told Southern Living that she had a special bond with a cat named Jonesy, and they would sometimes hang out in the bathroom together when they both needed a break.
“He was one of my favorites,” she said. “… I had a whole photo shoot with Jonesy.”
Collins told TV Fanatic that he loves cats and was excited about the opportunity to be in the film.
“The cats were trained very, very well, but anybody who loves cats knows that cats don’t like to be held for a very long time, so it was a learning experience for my co-stars to be cats, for sure,” he said.
x
Meet the Cast
Hallmark’s synopsis reads: “Olivia Pierce (Cahill) is a marketing executive from Oakland, California who is this close to realizing her dream of purchasing a condo, but she’s a bit short on the down payment. When she learns that her late great aunt left her half of a cat café in upstate New York she thinks it’s the Christmas miracle she needed – as long as she can sell and close the deal before the holidays. Olivia’s plan hits a bump in the road when she meets Dr. Ben Kane (Campbell), the veterinarian who owns the other half. The café serves an important role in the town – helping homeless cats find forever homes – and he has no intention of closing up shop. Christmas is the most important time of the year as they plan many activities to help raise funds and get them into the black. Olivia and Ben strike a deal – she agrees to help him plan the fundraising events at the café over the next three weeks in exchange for Ben promising not to drag his heels on selling at the end of that time. Unless, Ben notes, she ends up changing her mind – a lot can happen in three weeks, after all. As they work together and a spark between them grows, Olivia becomes part of the neighborhood, gains an appreciation for the café’s adorable feline inhabitants and what it means to Ben, as well as to the entire community. And when she learns the surprising reason her great aunt opened the café in the first place, that just might be the cat-alyst for change that will give them all a Merry Christmas.”
Erin Cahill is Olivia. Her career launched with her role as Jen, the Pink Ranger, on “Power Rangers: Time Force.” But Hallmark fans know her best for Hallmark movies like “Christmas Bedtime Stories,” “Every Time a Bell Rings,” “Hearts in the Game,” “Journey to You,” “Autum at Apple Hill,” “Holidazed,” and more.
Paul Campbell is Ben. Known as one of Hallmark fans’ favorite leading men, Campbell just appeared in the third and final installment of the “Three Wise Men” series of movies. His career began with “Battlestar Galactica,” but now fans know him for numerous Hallmark productions like “The Cases of Mystery Lane,” “Wedding Every Weekend,” “Holiday Hearts,” and more. He’s also a writer for Hallmark, known for his comedic touch.
Also starring, according to IMDb, are:
- Jess Brown (Victoria)
- Meganne Young (Meredith)
- Ian Collins (Frank)
- Darren Dolynski (Walter)
- Mila Morgan (Young Olivia)
- Sarah Peguero (Molly)
- Mackenzie Murdock (Bearded man)
- William Carson (Joshie)
- Jo-Ann Fernandes (Widow Adams)
- Tyler McConachie (Dan)
Lucie Guest directed this film.
