Providence Falls breaks the Hallmark Channel mold by depicting steamy love scenes minutes into the first movie — and for the stars, that was both exciting and challenging.
“I was like, ‘Oh, go off Hallmark. People are going to be very excited about this,’” Katie Stevens exclusively told Us Weekly on Wednesday, July 30, when asked how she felt reading the sexy scenes between her character, Cora McLeod, and costar Lachlan Quarmby‘s character, Liam O’Connor.
“I’m such a fan of the romance genre and I know how I feel when I’m watching certain scenes,” Stevens, 32, explained. “Seeing those kind of romantic tension moments where you’re kind of gripping the side of your chair, like, ‘Will they, won’t they?’”
Providence Falls plays into that romantic tension perfectly, but unlike most Hallmark projects, viewers don’t have to wait for the closing scene to get a kiss from the two leads.
Steffan Hill/Hallmark Media
In fact, during the flashback scenes to 1844 Ireland — especially in Providence Falls: Chance of a Lifetime, which premieres on Saturday, August 2 — Cora and Liam get very cozy, which brought the heat and made it trickier for the actors.
“There’s a little bit of pressure because you want to make sure that you do that moment the way that it’s supposed to go and to have people have that reaction,” Stevens told Us, noting, “I was just really excited to kind of be the vessel for that story.”
Her scene partner, however, was more nervous about being intimate at just the right moments.
Hallmark’s Ireland-Themed Movies to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day
“I was terrified,” Quarmby confessed to Us on Wednesday. “It’s so scary to see something like that and to think, ‘Yeah, well that’s good. Oh wait, I have to be the one to execute this?’ Oh, don’t drop the ball. That’s scary.”
Stevens reassured her costar that he didn’t drop the ball, saying, “You did great.” (Us can confirm the steamy scenes are perfectly executed.)
Providence Falls is a three-part movie event based on the book series by Jude Deveraux. Viewers will be introduced to 1844 Ireland versions of Cora, an aristocrat who is promised to Finn Walsh (Evan Roderick) when she falls for the rogue Liam, a thief by trade.
Steffan Hill/Hallmark Media
When Cora and Liam’s plan to escape the castle — where Cora lives with her well-to-do family — gets “tragically derailed,” fate intervenes, according to the official synopsis. Liam is sent to the present to help modern-day Cora, now a police detective, fall in love with her “soulmate” Finn, an ADA, while being the only one with memories of their previous lives back in Ireland.
“It was, like, bucket list for me to do something that was a romance, a period piece, but it also has elements of mystery, some sci-fi. I was really excited,” Stevens told Us of why she signed on for the project.
Us Weekly’s Definitive (and Unofficial) Ranking of 2024 Hallmark Movies
Quarmby was equally as excited to portray Liam in the past and present, noting, “The character was already so fun right off the bat that from a personal point of view, it seemed really cool. But then to just see how much love was getting poured into the project from the top down, it was just a no brainer.”
As the movies premiere and the idea of fate, destiny and true love play out, Stevens and Quarmby teased that viewers will have mixed feelings as to who Cora should end up with. “I’m Team Finn,” Quarmby said, playing coy about why he’d choose his character’s rival to win in the end.
Sven Boecker/Hallmark Media
Stevens, meanwhile, was hesitant to answer. “I can’t spoil that. I think there are reasons that people are going to love both of them, but I think people are going to be Team Liam,” she revealed.
The costars’ onscreen chemistry could push viewers toward Liam and Cora being endgame as well, which the actors told Us was easy to master.
“There was a spare trailer in our little block, and we put a sign on it that just said, ‘Hangouts.’ And every lunch, it was just like whoever was available on set that day that wanted to have lunch together,” Quarmby explained to Us of how they formed a connection. “It was very natural. We are friendly in the first place, but that helps.”
Hallmark Media
Stevens added that she and Quarmby “operated on the same wavelength of wanting to be friends and wanting to hang out and get to know one another,” which was “nice” and aided the pair in cementing their onscreen performances.
The twosome also enjoyed their downtime together while in Ireland filming the 1844 section of all three films.
“Ireland was awesome,” Quarmby shared. “Between takes, just walking around the castles, just going to different areas of the castle that we weren’t even using, just wanting to have a look. That was pretty cool.”
Hallmark’s ‘Chicken Sisters’ Season 2, Plus New Movies Coming in August
The Bold Type alum told Us that the cast went on a hike in the national park, which was “stunning,” and then enjoyed a wild night out on the town.
“We did a cast pub crawl that ended at a late-night karaoke spot. Lots of Guinness was had,” Stevens recalled, adding that she eventually put on a “private concert” after her costars requested that she sing “certain songs.”
Providence Falls’ three-part event premieres on Hallmark Channel Saturday, August 2, at 8 p.m. ET with Providence Falls: Chance of a Lifetime. Providence Falls: An Impossible Promise premieres on Saturday, August 9, and Providence Falls: Thief of Fate on Saturday, August 16, both at 8 p.m. ET.
