Something sweet, indeed! Dan Jeannotte made his Hallmark Channel debut in 2015 on the Good Witch — and he’s now become a leading man for the network.
The 41-year-old actor portrayed Brandon Russell from season 1 to 5 — from 2015 to 2019 — of the Hallmark series, which ended in 2021 after seven seasons.
Following his stint on the show, Jeannotte filmed his first rom-com for the network, 2019’s Paris, Wine & Romance. In the movie, he played a Parisian winemaker named Jacques who falls for an Oregon vintner named Isabella (Jen Lilley) during a prestigious wine competition in France.
“I think a love story that takes place in Paris between a plucky young American winemaker and an old school French wine man kind of sells itself,” Jeannotte told TV Goodness in May 2019 of the story line. “I think it’s wonderful. It looks beautiful. It’s got a lot of spirit to it. It’s got a really cute story between two very likable leads. And there’s French accents, right?”
He joked that despite being a “casual wine drinker,” he was “willing” to learn more about the differences in wine for his role.
“What’s funny is my go-to is Pinot Noir, which is what my character makes [in the movie],” the Royal Nanny star explained, noting he turned to a friend who is a sommelier for guidance. “You have to learn the vocabulary and train your palate. But it’s a training I am willing to do. I will put the time in.”
When it comes to Jeannotte’s first film of 2023 for Hallmark, he once again worked with food. In Sweeter Than Chocolate, which premieres on Saturday, February 4, the actor plays a journalist named Dean Chase who is skeptical of chocolatier Lucy Sweet’s (Eloise Mumford) family’s magical sweet recipe.
“Anyone who eats one of the chocolate cupids is guaranteed to find their true love,” the January 2023 trailer for the movie teased, hinting that the two leads may have “A bittersweet romance” or fall in “love at first bite.”
Jeanotte exclusively told Us Weekly in February 2023 that his character’s love life isn’t the only romance captured in the film.
“[We’re] seeing gay love stories, love stories with people who met later in life, older people who fell in love after having a marriage or losing a partner,” he said of the “diverse” side characters. “And it just goes to show there [are as] many different ways to fall in love as there are different people in the world.”
The Home for a Royal Heart actor also teased while his and Mumford’s characters have issues with one another in the film, the actors had an easy time working together. “Eloise and I got along famously. It was so good working together,” Jeannotte said. “We didn’t know each other beforehand, but we just kind of clicked immediately.”
In keeping with the “Loveuary” theme on Hallmark, the network also released a special collection of chocolates that fans can buy to eat while watching Sweeter Than Chocolate.
Plus, the book which inspired the film, written by Lizzie Shane, is also available to purchase.
Sweeter Than Chocolate airs on Hallmark Channel Saturday, February 4, at 8 p.m. ET.
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