Exclusive Interview
How Hallmark’s ‘Catch of the Day’ Got Katie Lee Biegel Out of Her ‘Comfort Zone’ (VIDEO)
Is there anything Katie Lee Biegel can’t do? The Kitchen cohost is a chef, author, TV personality, and now screenwriter. Biegel makes her screenwriting debut with Hallmark’s new romance Catch of the Day.
The film follows Sophie (Emilie Ullerup), who is on the cusp of becoming an executive chef in New York, as she returns home to help her family’s restaurant. What she doesn’t expect is her old crush, Cam (Michael Rady), to come back into her life and make her question everything.
Biegel cowrote and produced Catch of the Day. She also has a cameo as a social media influencer. The culinary personality spoke with Swooon about the inspiration behind Catch of the Day and what to expect from this summer romance.
“I was really inspired by Montauk,” Biegel revealed. “I spend a lot of time on the east end of Long Island, and I’ve been there over 20 years now, and I’ve really watched Montauk change. It went from being this small, commercial fishing village, [that’s] quiet to now the cool place where people are going and getting bottle service and dancing on tables. It’s changed quite a bit, and I wanted to write about the challenges of small businesses, especially in tourist towns, and family dynamics within a family business. And, ultimately, love. I mean, this is Hallmark, and we love a love story.”
Hallmark Media / Courtney Julien
Speaking of romance, Biegel revealed that Rady and Ullerup have “such amazing chemistry” as Cam and Sophie. “I think that that people are going to watch it and feel that nostalgic feeling of summer love when you were young,” she noted.
Biegel loved the “banter” between Rady and Ullerup. The Food Network star admitted that it was “interesting” to watch how her screenplay translated to the screen. “I wrote the dialogue, but then to watch actors interpret it, and to maybe say it differently than I had thought it, and I really liked their take on it. It’s just fun to see someone else’s creative spin,” Biegel explained to Swooon.
The 43-year-old has written countless cookbooks and even the novel Groundswell, which became a Hallmark movie with Lacey Chabert. Catch of the Day was her first taste of screenwriting, and she knew she had to be prepared.
“I actually took a screenwriting class at NYU to learn the format,” Biegel said. “I read a book about it, and I had a cowriter, Andrea Canning, who you might know from Dateline. Andrea writes a lot of Hallmark movies, so working with her, I learned the ropes as well.”
She’s had two cameo appearances in her Hallmark movies, but has she ever thought about starring in one? Now that she’s tackled the challenge of screenwriting, Biegel’s thinking about it. “I really like to do things that challenge me and get me out of my comfort zone. So, yeah, I would love to do a starring role in a Hallmark movie,” Biegel told Swooon. “I think that’d be super fun. Let’s just put it out there.” Watch the full video above to get more Catch of the Day scoop.
Catch of the Day, Movie Premiere, August 30, 8/7c, Hallmark Channel
