Alison Sweeney has “no regrets” about getting away from the “rat race” that is Los Angeles.
In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, the 49-year-old actress spoke about her latest Hallmark movie, “Best Served Cold: A Hannah Swensen Mystery,” which she wrote and executive produced – based on the Hannah Swensen mysteries series of books by Joanne Fluke.
The actress also touched on the reason she chose to move out of Los Angeles to Arizona, noting the move came from “really wanting to create a great environment for my kids,” saying she doesn’t “regret it for a second.”
“One of the first things I noticed about myself was how less stressed out I was,” she explained. “They don’t call it a rat race for nothing, right? Like when you’re in those big cities and there’s always this energy and lots of people thrive on it, but I had reached my max capacity, and it was starting to really like weigh on me and be a source of real stress to me all the time.”
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She explained that their life in Arizona is “a lot more laid back,” noting that she is able to “work from home a lot more now” instead of going to the studio every day for different projects, including “Days of Our Lives.”
The “Romance at Hope Ranch” star and her husband “make a point of sort of appreciating” the slower-paced lifestyle.
“Now we’re here and our kids go to school, and we go to the school events, and we are learning to play golf, and we’re enjoying a lot of trips and travel and I go up to Canada to work, but there is a peaceful net.“
Her latest movie is the 14th installment in the Hannah Swensen franchise. Looking back on the success of the films, Sweeney called it “lightning in a bottle,” saying sometimes, as an actor, “you just can’t believe how lucky you are.”
When reflecting on the success of not only this franchise, but Hallmark movies in general, Sweeney said their focus on fun movies where “you probably know it’s going to be okay at the end” lends to the rewatch ability of the films, and gives them something positive to watch, noting if “you want to watch bloodshed, it’s out there, it’s happening.”
“When I meet people about these movies, I love hearing them say like, ‘oh, that scene,’ and then they can quote little sections of it or little funny lines that are their favorite moments,” she said.
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She added: “And that to me is like the most satisfying thing about being a part of a franchise like this is the longevity that allows people to approach you about a movie four years ago, five years ago, and they can just rattle off their favorite. Moments along the way and then you feel like oh, we’re really doing this together.”
Her movie, “Romance at Hope Ranch” went on to become the #1 Most-Watched Cable Entertainment Program on Saturday and #1 Most-Watched Cable Entertainment Program for the Week in key demographics, and her film, “Sugar & Vice: A Hannah Swensen Mystery reached #1 Most-Watched Cable Entertainment Program on Saturday and #2 Most-Watched Cable Entertainment Program for the Week in key demographics.
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The latest movie, Hannah, a baker turned amateur detective investigates the murder of a key witness in a high-profile forgery case, and the disappearance of the lead prosecutor in the case. She and her primary love interest in the film and prosecutor, Chad, work together to solve the mystery before the killer strikes again, and their case falls apart.
“Best Served Cold: A Hannah Swensen Mystery” premieres Saturday, May 16 at 8 pm on Hallmark Channel, with streaming available the next day on Hallmark+.
Sweeney promises “a bit of growth in the relationship between” the two leads, explaining she “wanted this movie to be about Chad” and his work in the courtroom, straying from the movie’s “traditional plots and storylines to really make it about this courtroom drama.”
Having written the last four movies in the Hannah Swensen movies, Sweeney has developed a stronger connection with the character, telling Fox News Digital, “I love developing characters that people relate to.”
“I love little nuggets of things that people can relate to and identify and have fun with,” she said. “So I love the characters for those kinds of dynamics, the family dinners that they have together where they’re kind of solving the mystery, but also.”
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“Best Served Cold: A Hannah Swensen Mystery” also stars Victor Webster and Barbara Niven, and was produced by Sweeney, Craig Baumgarten and Lighthouse Pictures.
