Hallmark Dreams of Bringing on This Major Hollywood Icon

The Hallmark Channel has a dream star they’d love to bring onto the network. But this A-lister may not be easy to get. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Hallmark executive vice president of programming Lisa Hamilton Daly talked about the idea of possibly creating an entire new series to attract this Hollywood icon.

Daly Would Love to Bring Jennifer Garner to Hallmark

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Daly revealed that Jennifer Garner is the network’s dream star.

“She just feels to me like a person who would be in a Hallmark movie,” Daly shared. “Her persona, her fresnhess, her sweetness really aligns with our values and vision. I’m going to find the perfect series for her, and then I’m going to lure her in.”

Garner has a prolific career both on TV and on feature films. Most recently, she was cast in “Deadpool & Wolverine.” In 2023, she was in seven episodes of the TV series “The Last Thing He Told Me” and in six episodes of “Party Down.” So bringing her onto a new TV series isn’t without precedent. For many fans, Garner is also known for older hits like “Alias” from 2001-2006, “Daredevil” in 2003, and rom-coms like “13 Going on 30,” which premiered in 2004.

Daly’s comments aren’t the first time Hallmark has hinted about bringing more A-listers to the network. In an interview with Decider in 2023, Daly talked about bringing a big name star to a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie.

“I literally had a conversation today about an A-list actress who might want to come do a Hall of Fame [movie] with us,” she said.

“We’ve attracted a lot of new creative partners who would never have (worked with Hallmark before.)…” she added. “I think Hallmark was always beloved, but it’s expanded its audience, it’s expanded what it’s doing, and I think it’s just on a roll right now.”

Hallmark Is Seeking to Bring in New Talent: ‘There’s Room for Everyone’

During the Vanity Fair interview, Daly spoke more about Hallmark bringing in new talent while still respecting the classic stars.

“My push is to say, ‘How do we build up those young actors and actresses to be the new faces in the Hallmark universe?” she told Vanity Fair. “It’s not pushing out the top end. It’s literally making it bigger. We make a hundred movies a year. There’s room for everyone.”

She added that when the network is bringing in new stars, Hallmark viewers sometimes like a “level of familiarity,” which is why they sometimes cast from other popular shows like “Grey’s Anatomy.” However, that pool is diminishing lately. She pointed to shows like “Party of Five” that they used to be able to cast from, and how television just doesn’t have as many shows like that anymore.

Still, finding that talent may be easier than ever in some ways, since Hallmark is becoming a destination network for some stars.

Jonathan Bennett told Vanity Fair: “All of my actor friends want to be on Hallmark Channel.”