Trevor Donovan talks about his new Hallmark movie, and the chances of returning to Wilmington

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - One of the first television or movie productions to start filming in Wilmington after the coronavirus pandemic hit was USS Christmas, the military-themed Hallmark movie starring Trevor Donovan and Jen Lilley. With the calendar recently turning to 2021, Trevor Donovan is starring in another new movie called Two for the Win, which premieres at 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 16 on Hallmark Channel. He plays the lead character Justin O’Neill, a professional ski racer.

“He’s been out of the circuit for about a year and a half because of a knee injury and he’s looking to get back in it,” Donovan said. “You know, he’s on the older end of the athlete scale. So, this is kind of his last shot. He’s having a hard time finding a coach, people think his time has kind of passed. Until he runs into his old childhood friend, played by Charlotte Sullivan. She coached him before he became a professional and long story short, my manager figures out our dynamic is great and talks her into coaching me again.”

Donovan spent a lot of time on the ski slopes growing up in California and was good enough to earn a spot on the U.S. teen ski team before turning his sights on modeling and acting. Fans should know he did a lot of the actual skiing they will see his character do in the movie.

“Due to time restraints, while I was shooting a lot of my dialogue scenes, we needed a stunt double to do some of the skiing,” he said. “But, with that said, I did get to do a lot of it and we got a lot of cool shots where I’m buzzing by the camera and you’ll be able to see it’s my face. It’s going to feel a little different, a little faster-paced from most Hallmark movies and there’s a lot of physical comedy and stuff. I’m excited for people to see it.”

Donovan says he is in talks to do more Hallmark projects. But with the uncertainty surrounding productions during the pandemic, he is waiting for word on what the future will hold.

“We don’t know if there will be regulations in certain places to shoot, and whether that’s going to force us to go elsewhere,” he said. “Other than that, just like everyone else it’s sort of up in the air. I’ve had quite a few auditions going out. As far as shooting in Wilmington, I’d love to come back there.”

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