Actor and aviator Aaron O’Connell chatted about his new movie “Made For Each Other,” which will premiere on February 25 on the Hallmark channel.
‘Made for Each Other’
Aside from O’Connell, it stars Alexandra Turshen, Matt Cohen, and Illeana Douglas, among others. “It was an honor to be a part of this project,” he admitted.
“Alex and Matt are both absolute pros. Alex is so creative, she will take the smallest scenes and she would put so much life into them and that made it easier for me because acting is reacting and it gave me a lot of different things to try as Clay,” he said.
“Matt is so funny, he plays a comedian in the film and he is absolutely hilarious as a person. He plays a heartfelt character that really warms up this film. Illeana Douglas is a sweetheart and just an absolute legend,” he added.
In this film, a sculptor Rachel (played by Alexandra Turshen) uses magic to mold her ideal man into reality but begins to fall for her human friend and embraces the flaws that make love perfectly imperfect. “This movie was incredible, it was such a great experience,” he said. “It was frigid cold in Canada but we were really able to come together as a cast and crew and make something really special that I was proud of.”
O’Connell plays Clay, who is sweet, romantic and everything Rachel thinks she wants in a partner. “Clay allowed me to have a childlike wonder quality come to life and experience things through this character for the first time. I had a blast figuring out ways to see things through his eyes,” he said.
“This is one of my most favorite characters that I’ve ever played. It allowed my personality to shine through,” he added.
O’Connell is best known for playing Wyatt Cryer in Tyler Perry’s primetime television drama “The Haves and the Have Nots,” which afforded him the opportunity to practice being dialogue-heavy in a fast-paced setting. “There were days when I would have 72 pages of dialogue a day, so it allowed me as an actor to get a lot under my belt in a short period of time,” he said.
He shared how his experience in that series has helped him when doing Hallmark movies. “The film ‘Made for Each Other’ allowed me to explore and try different things because we had more time to shoot these scenes and we were in a beautiful environment in Canada. My preparation with ‘The Haves and the Have Nots’ really allowed me to prepare efficiently for the character of Clay, and it helped me be overprepared. It was tremendous help,” he said.
The digital age
On being an actor in the digital age, O’Connell said, “I think it’s great, it gives everybody an opportunity to watch these films. There is a much wider audience and a lot more people are able to tune in and have access to these wonderful films that Hallmark puts out. Streaming allows people to pop movies on their phones, computers or TV on their homes or while they are traveling. I think it’s a blessing that we all live in this day and age.”
Aaron O’Connell: The Aviator
In addition to his acting endeavors, he is also an aviator. “Flying planes is a passion of mine. I love flying and I fly a couple of times a week,” he said. “I never thought that would actually come to fruition. The acting industry has given me the flexibility to pursue this dream as well.”
On the title of the current chapter of his life, O’Connell said, “Busy Dad.” “I have a six-month-old baby at home, and he is our first. It is incredible and life-changing. I’m getting used to functioning on low sleep. He is a beautiful little boy named Avery and he has so much passion and he is coming into his personality,” he said.
Advice for aspiring actors
For young and aspiring actors, he said, “Never give up and keep working hard. For every 100 no’s, you may get one yes but as long as you fill up your time with passions (such as aviation), then those no’s keep you working hard because when you book that ‘yes’ it makes it all worth it.”
Success
Regarding his definition of the word success, O’Connell said, “Happiness. Life is too short to not be happy. You can have all the money in the world but that is not going to make you happy. If you are happy, then that’s a true success in my book.”
For his fans and viewers, O’Connell concluded, “These Hallmark films give families and friends opportunities to sit back, escape, and watch something that is fun and exciting.”
To learn more about actor and aviator Aaron O’Connell, follow him on Instagram.
