In the case of Cameron Mathison, it's easy to think some people get all the luck. Not only is the handsome leading man's recent movie, "A Summer to Remember," his 13th production for the Hallmark Channel, but it was filmed on location in Fiji. In the wake of the movie's debut, he's also just been named as the new co-host for the Hallmark Channel's daytime series "Home & Family."
There may have been some luck along the way, but mostly it has been a lot of very hard work. The Canadian actor has more than 20 years of acting credits, including 13 years of daytime television with "All My Children." As for the hosting job, for almost a decade Mathison has worked as a correspondent for "Good Morning America" and "Entertainment Tonight."
The latest acting job in "A Summer to Remember" for Mathison was such a great opportunity, he originally thought he was being pranked.
"I got the email asking me to consider doing it. It said here's the script, it would be three weeks of work and this is the contract. Then it said it would be shot in Fiji. I thought I must be on 'Candid Camera,'" Mathison says in a phone interview.
"In some ways, shooting in a place like Fiji can be distracting. Some of the locations would blow your mind. But, at the same time, these movies are shot in a short amount of time and there are a lot of (script) pages every day. You can be so busy working that you can also forget where you are working. It was a balance of trying to appreciate every moment of getting to shoot in this incredible place and getting the job done."
The film also stars Catherine Bell as a successful doctor trying to juggle work and family. She's facing a major decision between a top job at the hospital and opening her own private practice. Before she makes her decision, she and her daughter, Ava (Samantha MacGillivray), head to a resort in Fiji run by a charming owner (Mathison). Anyone who has seen a Hallmark movie should be able to guess where this is going.
There is a certain degree of predictability with Hallmark offerings, but the fact the productions are family-friendly, take an optimistic view of life and are heart-deep about love is why Mathison considers himself fortunate to have been part of so many films for the cable channel.
"It makes sense to me that the Hallmark Channel is growing because it is what the people in the world need," Mathison says. "These movies deal with things we can relate to, things we want in our lives. Things that we appreciate. The morals that we aspire to.
"There is a lot of different escapism out there that is a lot less virtuous. It's nice to allow people to dive into projects where it's just about how can we make ourselves better, our world better, our families better."
Mathison has been working since he began modeling and acting in commercials in Canada, the U.S. and Europe. His feature film debut came in 1998's "54," and since then has worked on projects from the feature film "Washed Up" to TV series like "Desperate Housewives." It's his work on daytime television that's earned him the most accolades such as winning the Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Male Newcomer in 1999 and being nominated for Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in 2002 and 2005. In 2000, People magazine named Mathison one of America's 100 Most Eligible Bachelors.
Moving acting to working as a reporter on news/entertainment programs was easy for Mathison because he is a naturally curious person. The difference for him between working from a script and being the person asking the questions is he just has to listen carefully to what the other person is saying and be able to react spontaneously to them while keeping the segment moving forward.
"I find it really refreshing to take the spotlight off of me and turn it and point it on someone else," Mathison says. "It's hard in the sense that I am using a new muscle, but it's also refreshing because I get to forget about myself and just focus on somebody else through my curiosity as to what they are doing."
Now Mathison will have to juggle the film roles with his expanding opportunity to feed his curiosity as the co-host of "Home & Family." It's a challenge he's happy to face.
"I am so incredibly grateful to be working with everyone at 'Home & Family' on a daily basis," Mathison says. "From the first time I was a guest on this show, I absolutely loved everything about it. I've always felt a part of the Hallmark family, but now it's a whole different level. To say I'm excited and grateful is a massive understatement."
