Don’t Purchase Into the Age Factor – Desires Evolve as You Do

Don’t purchase into the age factor. Desires evolve as you do. And… don’t hand over 5 minutes earlier than the miracle.

In case you like mysteries (and comedy), I hope you’ll watch my latest TV thriller film. It’s known as One Unhealthy Apple: A Hannah Swensen Thriller, and it premieres at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Friday, April 5 on Hallmark Thriller.

I’m so pleased with this film and hope you’ll have as a lot enjoyable watching it as we did making it. That is the 9th film within the Hannah Swensen Thriller sequence (aka Homicide She Baked). It has been one among my fave experiences of my profession in each approach. I play “Delores”, an opinionated, overbearing mom to Alison Sweeney’s “Hannah”, and our enjoyable and chemistry collectively on and off set is actually a dream come true. 

I nonetheless pinch myself that I get to do that loopy appearing factor. I’m certain you’ve heard that once you’re an actress, you’re not alleged to be working a lot previous the age of forty. Properly, I refused to purchase into that. Astonishingly, I’ve been blessed to work extra within the final fifteen years than I ever did earlier than! I at all times inform youthful actresses to not consider that message both. As an alternative, all of us have to get busy and out-create it by altering our attitudes, persevering with to develop our craft, and studying how you can create and morph ourselves into attention-grabbing characters. Extra ladies than ever are directing, writing, and producing now too. We now have tales to inform, and we’re discovering methods to get them informed!

I owe a lot of my profession success over the previous decade to Hallmark and Crown Media – and to the unimaginable, loyal followers who watch what we create. (Thanks!) I name Hallmark the brand new “Hollywood studio system” as a result of they maintain us actors and actresses busy with varied roles and tasks all year long. I’ve now starred in two Hallmark sequence (Chesapeake Shores and Cedar Cove), 26 rom-com and Christmas motion pictures, and two homicide thriller wheels. Who knew that at this stage in my life, I’d nonetheless be having an absolute blast dwelling my appearing dream?

I’ve needed to be an actress since I used to be 5 years previous. I keep in mind the precise second my dream began. It was throughout my kindergarten Christmas present. I keep in mind sporting footie pajamas, holding a teddy bear, and singing “Me and My Teddy Bear” with gusto, offkey. (I nonetheless sing with gusto, and I’m nonetheless offkey.) However most of all I keep in mind searching on the viewers and getting goosebumps. And you understand what? I nonetheless actually get goosebumps each time I step on a set and face a digicam or an viewers. 

At this time I’m fortunate to have been dwelling this loopy dream for over 40 years! The roles have diversified all through the levels of my life. I performed glamorous younger ingenues after I began out, and as I realized my craft I acquired supplied extra and higher roles. I even acquired to play Marilyn Monroe in “The Rat Pack”, which was one of many presents of my lifetime. These days, I play ladies who’ve lived wealthy, full lives – as a result of, by the point you’re my age, all of us have a wealthy historical past of loves, losses, tragedies… and wondrous moments too. As actors, we draw from our personal private historical past to flesh out our characters. Every expertise provides a extra nuanced layer to our “instrument”, which permits us to convey a richer and fuller symphony to our craft. That sounds difficult, however it’s not. It’s merely that in case you haven’t realized any classes but, your work shouldn’t be going to be that attention-grabbing.

For me, appearing is a type of remedy. It permits me to strive on issues and experiment with totally different sides of myself. Typically it feels proper to maintain and use it in my actual life. Typically not. However boy, that journey of making and dwelling by way of one other human being for some time is magical!

I study one thing from every character that I play. Part of them stays with me, lengthy after the director yells “Reduce” and the film is completed. Enjoying Marilyn felt like I had a kinship together with her, we share a variety of the identical vulnerability. I simply want I might have identified her and helped her. I performed Megan O’Brien for six seasons of “Chesapeake Shores”, and he or she taught me how you can take accountability and maintain combating to heal myself and my household. After all, working with Deal with Williams will at all times be a spotlight for me. Our characters Mick and Megan got here full circle as a divorced couple, exhibiting it’s by no means too late to strive once more.

For sure although, Delores Swensen is without doubt one of the most scrumptious roles I’ve ever performed. And he or she has taught me loads! Delores is like my alter-ego. She says and does issues that almost all of us would by no means do in actual life, and he or she does all of it with such ardour! When she commits to one thing, she follows by way of… and he or she by no means stops studying. She completely leads together with her coronary heart and desires one of the best for her daughters, however she typically horrifies all of them within the title of affection. (Sadly, my finest pal Sue says there’s a variety of Delores in me already. However that makes me cringe, so I hope that I’m not that embarrassing to my daughter Jess!) 

On this latest Hannah Swensen thriller, “One Unhealthy Apple”, Delores decides to grow to be a Non-public Investigator and opens her personal Non-public Detective Company. As ordinary, she goes at it 1000%. She has watched all of the previous black-and-white WHODUNNIT motion pictures and incorporates that into the type of outlandish sleuth that solely Delores may be. But although she’s acquired her personal approach of doing it, she and Hannah uncover she’s good at it! 

So… the lesson I’m studying from enjoying Delores is that one is rarely too previous to cease rising and evolving into the subsequent factor. To dwell life full out, and never be afraid to face out. That it’s okay to be a little bit loopy and kooky infrequently. And that, irrespective of how previous you’re or the place you’re in your life, it’s by no means too late to go after your dream.

One Unhealthy Apple: A Hannah Swensen Thriller premieres at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Friday, April 5 on Hallmark Thriller

Barbara Niven is an actor, creator, and speaker. She’s additionally a fierce advocate for human and animal rights. As a mom and grandmother, she is aware of there’s nothing extra essential than saving this planet and all of the beings that dwell on it. 

Throughout her four-decade appearing profession, she has appeared in over 150 TV episodes and movies, and over 2500 TV and radio commercials. She additionally served three years on the Nationwide Board of Administrators for the Display screen Actors Guild.

Niven is at the moment starring with Alison Sweeney within the in style Hallmark Films unique film franchise “Hannah Swensen Mysteries” (aka “Homicide She Baked”). She starred reverse Deal with Williams, Diane Ladd, and Jesse Metcalfe in six seasons of the #1-rated Hallmark Channel prime time sequence “Chesapeake Shores.” Niven additionally starred within the Hallmark Films & Mysteries unique “Crossword Mysteries” sequence, and with Andie MacDowell within the Hallmark Channel Authentic Sequence “Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove.” Her efficiency as Marilyn Monroe in HBO’s “The Rat Pack” continues to garner reward as “one of many High 3 portrayals of the blonde icon in Movie & TV.” 

Niven has additionally gained worldwide acclaim as Hollywood’s High Media Coach and Video Advertising Coach. She created her Unleash Your Star Energy! system so she might educate folks how you can hone their message, overcome worry, and use video and public talking to dominate their area of interest. 

Niven can also be a preferred celeb speaker and best-selling creator. Enterprise and motivational subjects embrace “Unleash Your Star Energy!”, “Develop into a Video Advertising Celebrity”, “Stay Your Desires!” and “Consuming Problems & Pressures to be Good”. 

Barbara Niven is a large animal welfare advocate and is a Nationwide Ambassador for American Humane. She at the moment has three rescued canine named Norma Jean, Brando, and Tinkerbell, two rescued feral cat brothers named George and Henry (named after her father, George Henry), and Reba, an orange tabby named after Reba McIntyre who sang “I’m a Survivor”. (Aren’t all of us?)

Her motto? “Stay your ardour, hook up with your goal, make a distinction. And don’t hand over 5 minutes earlier than the miracle.” 

Written By: Barbara Niven

For extra data go to www.BarbaraNiven.com.

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