Exclusive Interview
Hallmark’s ‘Pie to Die For’: Victor Webster Teases Hannah Swensen & Chad’s First Date
Pie to Die For: A Hannah Swensen Mystery premieres on June 22, and Victor Webster is savoring every moment of his role in the beloved Hallmark movie series.
“Well, I have a history with Ali [Sweeney, Hannah Swensen],” he begins. “We were on Days [of Our Lives] together many, many years ago; too many to talk about. And then we’ve also done a bunch of movies together before this. We did The Wedding Veil series together, and I have so much love for Ali. She’s so fun to work with and talented. She’s just in the moment; I can improv with her and make stuff up, and she’s just right there with me. And Ali writes the scripts, but she’s not married to the word. She’s like, ‘If you guys have something better or funny or different, I’m totally open to it.’ She’s so great.”
Pie to Die For marks Webster’s fourth Hannah Swensen film. He stepped into the role two years ago, after Cameron Mathison, who starred alongside Sweeney in the Murder, She Baked series, moved on. Before stepping into the world, Webster ran the new gig by his predecessor. “I’m friends with Cameron, so I actually sent him a text message and said, ‘Hey, so I understand you’re going and doing your own thing. They’ve approached me. I don’t want to be weird. I feel like I’m stepping on your toes. I know I’m not, but just out of courtesy, I’d like to send you a text message and just kind of get your blessing,’” Webster relays. “And he was nothing but a true gentleman about it. He’s like, ‘Absolutely, you’re going to have so much fun. Everybody is incredible. I wish you nothing but the best.’ So, I went into this knowing Ali and having Cameron’s blessing and just really looking forward to joining this amazing family.”
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There’s a lot to like about playing Chad Norton, and with each new film, Webster finds deeper layers to explore in his character. “He’s very different than me,” Webster shares. “Chad is very by the book. I’m a little more loosey goosey. He loves to mess with Hannah, and at first, he’s kind of like, ‘Whoa. What’s going on here? I have a cookie shop owner coming in and solving crimes? That’s not supposed to be happening.’ And then, of course, she’s charming and smart and funny, and just starts to grow on him, and I think now they’ve become the dynamic duo. It’s great. And also, Victor loves cookies, and Chad has not partaken the cookie.”
Hallmark Media / David Astorga
In this latest installment, Chad and Hannah finally make things official in the romance department. “It took four movies for these two to even go on their first date, which I kind of like because it gave us a chance to organically like these two together,” Webster points out. “It was a really nice slow burn. We’ve had three movies where we’ve kind of sensed a growing interest, and now this is the first film where we take it out of the business world, and we see what happens when they go on a date.”
In addition to an actual night on the town, Hannah and Chad will also take tango lessons while searching for clues in the latest murder investigation. “I come from a martial arts background, so learning choreography, learning steps, doing a lot of action movies in my past, I think dancing is like that,” Webster notes. “Ali is incredibly coordinated, and I think we just had a great time, and we meshed really well. It’ll be fun to see how that’s all edited together, because Crystal [Lowe, the director] got so many really cool camera angles, so I think it’s going to look really good.”
While Webster is well known to the Hallmark audience — he did his first film in 2012 — he is more often stopped by fans for his primetime credits. “A lot of people recognize me from Charmed, which is interesting because that was so long ago,” he observes. “I played Coop or Cupid and that had a really, really big following. I get a lot of sci-fi people from Continuum. When I grow my beard out, I get The Scorpion King. And then Workin’ Moms, which has been doing really well on Netflix.”
As for his favorite Hallmark movie, Webster goes right back to the beginning. “I’m a huge dog lover, so I would say Puppy Love [from 2012]. It was the first Hallmark movie that I’ve ever done. Five Star Christmas [in 2020] was great because it was an ensemble comedy. The Wedding Veil, the one that was in Greece [The Wedding Veil Journey, in 2023], working with Ali, and having had that connection of our characters, being married for a while and then going to this beautiful, exotic location and shooting, and working with [director] Ron Oliver, was awesome.”
Which is how he would describe his association with Hallmark overall. “I love doing all the movies with them,” he enthuses. “This might sound cliché, and I think probably every Hallmark actor has said it, and there’s a reason for that, but they really feel like a family. All of the actors, when we get together for events, it’s like getting together for Christmas, and all your cousins come over that you haven’t seen in a while. You stay in touch over Instagram and stuff but to actually get together, everybody’s so sweet.
“The actors on Hallmark are all really good people,” he continues. “And then the people that are in the Hallmark family are just so solid and good and kind and sweet and funny. I really look forward to every opportunity I get to hang out with them. And I’m not just saying that because they sign my paycheck — I actually say this to my friends — they’re a great family. I also like that my goddaughter can watch these movies, and she does. She sits there with grandma and her mom, and they all watch these movies together, and you leave the couch happier, more positive about life than when you sat down. And I think we can all agree that that’s something we can use in life.”
Pie to Die For: A Hannah Swensen Mystery, Movie Premiere, June 22, 8/7c, Hallmark Channel
