Snowbound for the Holidays: Vanessa Lengies & Marcus Rosner Talk Sparkling Chemistry, Mischief & Skywalker Hughes

Few places capture a winter wonderland better than a charming and rustic ski lodge, and Linden’s Lodge is the ideal setting for Snowbound for the Holidays.

Vanessa Lengies and Marcus Rosner are both Hallmark veterans, but despite that, they’ve never worked together… until now!

And not only did they serve as a dynamic duo in this Hallmark original, but they brought that enthusiasm and charm to our interview when we caught up with them.

Snowbound for the Holidays has Vanessa Lengies’s Cassidy traveling to Linden’s Lodge, under orders to inspect it. It’s there that she meets Marcus Rosner‘s Trey and his spirited daughter Lilly (Skywalker Hughes).

Like many other Hallmark holiday films, Trey wants to hold on to his family’s legacy and the lodge rather than sell it to someone who would destroy it.

Initially, Cassidy was focused on corporate dreams, too, but soon she came to understand the Magic of Christmas better.

The team up to save the lodge is pure delight, and one of the best parts of the film was watching Cassidy become enchanted with winter and see her childlike wonder return.

The outdoor fun, timeless romance, and melding of personalities sold this holiday film. For more about it, check out the interview below.

Hallmark often features holiday films where the community rallies to save a lodge, a Christmas market, or an ice palace. How do you think Snowbound for the Holidays differs from the others?

Vanessa Lengies: Well, Laura, what a great question. Maybe we’re saving the lodge, not a Christmas market or an Ice Palace. What sets this movie apart is its attempt to convey a message about cultural fusion.

They’re taking a man who likes everything to be analog and who wants nothing to change about the way things are.

Then there’s a woman who is all about technology, advancement, and business growth, and they’re putting these two together to show you that it’s possible to have the best of both worlds and blend them.

I think the movie’s about two realities blending into one. That’s something important, as we exist in a polarized life where people are either black or white about topics.

This is a reminder that coming together, finding the halfway point, and finding love are possible. That’s how it differs.

Marcus Rosner: I couldn’t possibly add to that.

An Ice Palace Romance was actually one of Marcus’s other movies.

Marcus: Yes, we were saving the ice rink in that one. I’ve saved so many parades, ice rinks, and ski hills. If you need something saved at Christmas, Laura, you call me.

Absolutely. I remember. Christmas festivals are one of my favorite parts of the holidays. What were your favorite parts of the festival to film?

Marcus: The Chinese lanterns. We were talking about that, and that was cool. It was funny because our wonderful director, Christopher Giroux, had a vision of 30 to 1,000 lanterns lighting the night sky.

When it came down to it, the safety folks only let him have like five, and then they had to add some more in post-production.

But I know that Vanessa and I were really trying to help that by lighting as many ourselves as they would let us to figure out a way that we could each have one and let them go to try to get more in the air.

But it was a fun little game of tug-of-war between the safety coordinator, who was taking his job perhaps a little too seriously, and us.

Vanessa: I don’t even know where this memory is coming from, but Marcus, do you remember the scene after tubing, when we had to come down that side hill and into the shop? 

For some reason, that scene is playing out in my mind right now, so I don’t really know why it’s connected, and it’s not connected to the Christmas festival at all.

It’s just a really fun scene where we’re giggling after tubing down that hill.

So, I enjoyed watching you guys connect. How did you build your on-screen connection?

Marcus: Trial and error. You start filming these things so abruptly, and you don’t really know your co-star yet. I always spend the first couple of days finding the chemistry and learning how you two work together within a scene and within the film.

But Vanessa is just equipped with the most infectious, adorable energy any human has ever possessed and is unshakeable in that regard.

I also noticed that Trey’s daughter, Lilly, seemed to be your biggest cheerleader. What was it like working with Skywalker Hughes?

Vanessa: Oh, Skywalker Hughes is a light. She is so sweet. Filming scenes with her reminded me of my childhood as an actor. She has to go to school.

And just her incredible professionalism, how she balanced school and work, and her family is so sweet and so cool.

Honestly, post-filming the movie, she’s done an incredible job of keeping in touch and staying positive about everything that’s been going on in Marcus’s and my lives.

She’s profuse with her love and energy, and it’s so sweet to meet a special star like that.

For our final question, what do you think Hallmark fans will enjoy most about Snowbound for the holidays?

Vanessa: Our chemistry.

Marcus: I think Vanessa’s the perfect casting choice for a Hallmark Christmas movie. She brings exactly the joy that you’re looking for with these.

So I do not doubt that if they’re looking for a Vanessa Lengies movie, then they will come away with exactly what they came for on this one.

Snowbound for the Holidays premieres on Saturday, July 18 at 8/7c on the Hallmark Channel and streams on Hallmark+ the next day.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Interviews like this take time and care — and we hope it shows.
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