The Hallmark Movie You Didn't Know Jen Lilley Was Pregnant While Filming

Hallmark star Jen Lilley loves to talk about motherhood. Whether documenting her experience fostering and adopting her two oldest boys or sharing the pregnancy announcements of her two younger daughters, the mother-of-four has always been forthcoming about how she juggles parenthood with her in-demand career, which spans the big and small screens. Unsurprisingly, it hasn't always been easy, as was the case when she filmed Hallmark's "Paris, Wine, and Romance" on location in Europe while pregnant with her oldest daughter.

The first issue Lilley encountered was establishing a diet that worked for her. "It was hard because we filmed the movie in Bulgaria, so finding things in Bulgaria that I could eat was a little difficult..." she told IBT about the 2019 shoot. "They have all these delicious cheeses and all these things that you just can't [have] because you don't know if they're pasteurized or not. So, that was tricky." However, concealing her baby bump while filming was also a hurdle. "Two weeks in my bump popped," she continued, adding, "So, when I'm walking towards the camera ... if I was from the side, you'd be like, 'Did she eat too much pasta last night or is she pregnant?' So, they modified the shots like that." Despite the unexpected challenges, "Paris, Wine, and Romance" wasn't the only Hallmark film Lilley shot while pregnant.

Jen Lilley is one of the celebs you didn't know filmed while pregnant during the production of "Paris, Wine, and Romance," and it's probably because it wasn't her first rodeo. Lilley actually filmed three Hallmark movies during her first pregnancy, and the first one was 2019's "Love Unleashed." Fortunately, Lilley was much earlier in her journey, which made shooting a breeze — except for one little thing. "That one was only challenging because it was cold, but that was the easiest one, I think, far as being pregnant goes," she told IBT in July 2019. 

Her director, Christie Will Wolf, also made the shoot exceptionally easy. "She's awesome. We've worked together a lot. So, that was great because I've worked with that crew and Christie on five different movies," she continued, adding, "So, it was like being with family, and they all knew I was pregnant and they were all excited."

Of course, Lilley didn't just prove that she's not the type to let pregnancy slow her down. She also got back to work almost right away. In December 2019, while promoting her Christmas film, "Angel Falls: A Novel Holiday," she revealed that she only took eight weeks of maternity leave after giving birth. And she had her sons to thank for that!  "I don't know that I could have done it if Julie, our daughter, had been my first baby," she shared with ET. "She's my first biological, but because I already had two babies before her [one through adoption and the other currently being fostered], I was used to the way a child just turns your life upside down and adapting." She continued, "So, I don't know that I could have done it."