Hallmark Stars Who Live Mostly Normal Lives Off-Camera

It's no secret that Hallmark stars are in a class all their own. "Our faces have become synonymous with the idea of Christmas," Hallmark mainstay Paul Campbell told Vulture in December 2023. "If you want that feeling, and if you want us, you have to go to Hallmark." 

One way Hallmark films offer such escapism is by seeking out ordinary, salt of the earth actors to portray their characters. T. Makana Chock, a research professor of media psychology at Syracuse University's Newhouse School of Public Communications, explained this appeal to The Washington Post in 2021. "They are essentially stories about other people with small-scale dramas that are not big, going to war kind of stuff," Chock said. "They're romantic dramas, they're family stories. We want to know how other people are engaging, and it really appeals to our basic drives." 

As it turns out, it really does take a special kind of actor to do a Hallmark movie justice. Here's a rundown of Hallmark stars that really do live mostly normal lives off-camera.

Actor Ashley Williams has a list of Hallmark credits a mile long, including roles in "October Kiss," "Christmas in Evergreen," "Northern Lights of Christmas," "Holiday Hearts," and many more. Nevertheless, she's not one to let her accomplishments affect her attitude or lifestyle. In fact, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams and her family, including her husband and two sons, found themselves temporarily displaced. "Today marks one year since I left home and came to Canada to direct a movie. I haven't been back since. The world fell apart," she began in a lengthy Instagram post on February 23, 2021. According to Williams, she and her family couch-surfed with extended family members, rented hotel rooms, and stayed in no less than ten different Airbnbs. "This masked, nomadic life is colorful, strange, and inspiring," she confessed.

Eventually, however, Williams and her family put their roots down in sunny California — but not before her number of Airbnb rental stays actually climbed to a staggering 29! "It's finally time for me to settle down with my family in my own home, so I bought a fixer-upper that needs love," she posted in November 2022 about her brand-new purchase. According to Dirt.com, the Hallmark star plunked down $2.1 million for the four-bedroom, three-bathroom Studio City handyman special. While that may be a large chunk of change for most, by Los Angeles standards, both the home and its price tag are pretty typical. 

Andrew Walker's journey to the role of Hallmark star has been anything but straightforward. The story goes that he had initially put a six-month pause on his acting career to start a juice company with his wife, Cassandra Troy. Sadly, the couple fell on hard times, and Walker needed to begin taking acting jobs again as soon as possible. "Out of the blue, I got a call from my manager, and he said, 'Hey, you got an offer to do a Hallmark movie. They want you to come up to Vancouver and shoot it,'" he recalled to Vulture about the big break. And the rest is simply history.

Still, Walker maintains a sense of normalcy throughout his success with the channel and his long and growing list of Hallmark credits. When he's not working, Walker prefers to spend time with his wife and their two sons, West and Wolf. "Having a family of my own, this is actually the first year that we're going to be staying in Los Angeles. My wife and I have two little boys, a 3-year-old and an 8-year-old, and we're going to start a new tradition of staying in L.A.," Walker told First For Women about his family's modest Christmas plans in 2023.

Actor Jodie Sweetin is perhaps best known for her childhood role as Stephanie Tanner on the iconic "Full House," but these days, she makes a living as a bonified Hallmark star. "There was no big welcoming party. I think we were all too busy working," she joked to Media Village about making her Hallmark debut via the movie "Finding Santa."

But even after racking up several acting credits with the feel-good channel, Sweetin's life remains relatively standard. When she's not working, she loves to spend time with her two daughters, Zoie and Beatrix, in their four-bedroom San Fernando Valley home. Sweetin purchased the home in 2016 and did many updates all by herself. "I worked really hard painting and adding a lot of stuff to make this house our home," Sweetin proudly told Closer. "It's been a lot of fun." Hallmark star by day and DIY house renovator by night — is there anything Sweetin can't do?

Autumn Reeser has starred in a whopping 19 Hallmark movies. "I really love it," Reeser told Parade about acting for Hallmark. "I think I've gotten married now on Hallmark seven times even though it's just been three movies — because one of the movies was called 'I Do I Do I Do,' and it was about a girl living her wedding day over and over and over again," she explained. 

But even with all of Reeser's Hallmark acting credits, if you met her on the street and didn't immediately recognize her, you'd probably never know she has achieved so much success. When she's not working, she enjoys a minimalist life as a single mom to two boys. "Even though I've been scared every step of the way, I started speaking more honestly, exited toxic relationships, downsized my entire life, and made way more space in my schedule to just be with myself," she told Green Child Magazine in 2019. 

Reeser's ideal vacation takes place at "a campground in the woods, near a lake." She also makes it a priority to get her sons out in nature as often as she can. Perhaps that could be the premise for her next movie? A single mom of two takes off camping in the woods and finds love by way of a handsome lumberjack. Hallmark, call us. 

Actor Alexa PenaVega has starred in 12 Hallmark movies, and she's not showing signs of slowing down any time soon. It probably also doesn't hurt that her hubby, Carlos PenaVega, is also a popular Hallmark star. "Hallmark has become a second home for our family. Over the last four years, they have given us opportunities to grow as actors and producers all while raising our children, even if it means having the family on set!" the couple wrote in a joint statement (via Deadline).

Still, Alexa's at-home life remains largely untouched by her Hallmark fame. "Normally, even if I'm not on a project with Carlos, everybody is around, and the kids are with me. After a long day, I come back, take care of the kids all night, then on the little sleep I have, I'm back to work the next day," she explained about the family's everyday routine during a February 2023 interview with Media Village. Stars really are just like us — Hallmark stars, at least.