Canadian actor Benjamin Hollingsworth (“Virgin River”) chatted about the new Hallmark film “A Splash of Love.”
In this new original film, Hollingsworth and Rhiannon Fish find romance. It premieres on Sunday, July 30, on the Hallmark Channel. “It was actually pretty fun to do this movie. I’ve always loved whales, especially orca whales,” he said.
He enjoyed playing his character Ben for several reasons. “Ben was fun to play and he is passionate about whales and nature. He loves being outside and so do I, that’s where I connected with him,” he said.
“A Splash of Love” is a Johnson Production Group film. Timothy O. Johnson is the
executive producer with his co-executive producer Juliana Wimbles along with supervising producer Oliver De Caigny. Heather Hawthorn-Doyle directed the movie from a story by Juliana Wimbles.
Synopsis of ‘A Splash of Love’
Chloe (played by Rhiannon Fish) is halfway through her Ph.D. program in marine mammalogy, which is the study of whales, at one of Miami’s top universities. She pulls long hours at the lab, but what she loves most is being out on the water with the majestic creatures. Given her competitive field, she doesn’t get that opportunity as much as she would like.
At the top of her class, she is considering applying for a highly sought-after scholarship that would fund the last two years of her doctorate.
Dr. Andrea Ware (portrayed by Madeleine Kelders) is Chloe’s mentor, who encourages her to go beyond their local waters. Dr. Ware convinces her to expand her studies to cover whales in the Pacific Northwest, where she would gain more experience out in the field, and hopefully the confidence to apply for the scholarship.
While there, Chloe meets Ben, a whale-watching tour guide (played by Benjamin Hollingsworth) and they soon find themselves bonding over more than just orcas.
“I think it’s a perfect summer movie,” he said about “A Splash of Love.” “It’s about embracing nature and finding love in simple places. It’s a simple love story about two people connecting over a certain passion.”
‘Virgin River’
He also stars in the hit Netflix series “Virgin River.” “The show is on Netflix and we developed a huge fan-base thanks to that. We just premiered Season 4 on July 20 and we already hit No. 1 in the U.S., Canada, and in 31 other countries in less than 24 hours, which was great,” he said.
“I love streaming because that is where things are going,” he added. “I think everything is going to end up streaming.”
‘Code Black’
Hollingsworth acknowledged that “Code Black” was a “special show” for him. “It gave me the opportunity to learn from some veteran actors,” he said. “It holds a special place in my heart.”
Advice for hopefuls
For young and aspiring actors, he said, “Love what you do, try not to get discouraged, it doesn’t happen on your first try. It’s about the process, enjoy the journey, there are ups and downs in every career. It’s all about the long game.”
On the title of the current chapter of his life, he said, “Settling In.” “I have three kids now, and I feel really happy to be a part of ‘Virgin River.’ We are just starting Season 5 this week, and it feels like the pieces in my life have finally settled into place and I am very thankful for that.”
Dream Loud campaign
Hollingsworth opened up about being a part of Brad Everett Young’s Dream Loud campaign, which works on preserving arts and music programs in schools. “Brad is awesome, he is fun to work with. He has a lot of props in the studio, and it’s wild. He is a hard worker and an all-around sweet man,” he said. “Brad has a great eye, and he is really good at editing too.”
To learn more about actor Benjamin Hollingsworth, follow him on Instagram.
