Actor Matt Cohen discussed his new Hallmark film “Made For Each Other,” which will air on February 25.
The cast includes such actors as Aaron O’Connell, Alexandra Turshen, Matt Cohen, and Illeana Douglas.
On being a part of this movie, Cohen said, “Coming out of COVID, this was the first film I did in over two years. I was so excited to get back, it was a reward to work with Aaron, Alex, and the director Jeff Beesley. It was an extraordinary group of people that was very kind and very giving. It was a spectacular experience with a role that I connected far more than I ever expected to.”
“This movie turned out to be therapeutic and rewarding,” he said. “It was the perfect pre-holiday gift I could have hoped for. I hope I did the role justice. I tired to keep it as honest and cynical as possible as some comedians can be. David is a comedian and it’s on Hallmark, so obviously, it will be as clean as can be. It was a bit challenging but any good role should be challenging.”
Portraying David in ‘Made for Each Other’
On playing the character David, he said, “I saw a lot of myself in the guy. He is Jewish and he came up with his parents telling him he had to do one thing. My parents wanted me to succeed one way or another.”
“David goes after a dream that is hard-earned. David believes that if something makes you happy you need to at least try. I was grateful to have a character that is connected in me in that way,” he added.
Cohen spoke about his background in the soap opera world and how that has helped him in the rom-com world. “I always praise soap opera actors because it’s the hardest job. Soap operas are not only a great training ground but also a great creative ground,” he said.
“In a short period of time, you need to deliver a lot of information and it would need to mean something to you so that it can mean something to somebody else. It’s a challenge, every second of it makes you better and sharper. You carry the lessons from working on a soap opera to everything you do, especially work ethic and showing up on time,” he said.
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Cohen responded, “It is called Me.”
The digital age
On being an actor in the digital age, Cohen said, “I think we are living in the coolest time ever to be an actor or a filmmaker. We can film a movie or a series with our cell phones and our microphones, and we can create new things. Today, you can shoot a skit with a cinematic quality to it.”
“There are many more outlets to put creative endeavors out there. Also, it is giving more representation to different people from different backgrounds and there is a home for it everywhere,” he added.
“Being an actor in the digital age is a wild thing, everything you are going to do is going to live forever on social media so you need to be careful. Just be a good person and you have the potential to be an actor like never before because there are so many avenues that you can go down. It’s a great time and a changing time and we need to adapt to change,” he added.
Success
On his definition of the word success, he said, “Being happy with my wife and kid, and having some time mentally and physically to sit in front of them and be completely present and in the moment, and being so aware of them. That’s it, there is nothing else for me. All I need is to survive is to be in the presence of these two people that care about me and love me.”
“I feel so lucky that I have a wife and a kid that think that I am ‘great,’ and they want to be a part of my life and vice versa. That is everything to me,” he added.
For more information on actor and TV host Matt Cohen, follow him on Instagram.
