Luke Macfarlane prides himself on being a versatile actor, able to juggle all kinds of roles — and he’s working on a new one for Hallmark Channel, he told Variety on August 17, 2025.
This year alone, Macfarlane’s gone from filming the young adult horror film “This Is Not a Test” with Olivia Holt (to be released in 2026) to showcasing his woodworking skills as the star of Hallmark’s reality show “Home Is Where the Heart Is,” to reprising his role as Charlie on the second season of the Apple+ series “Platonic.”
Looking ahead, Macfarlane told Variety that he’s also excited about developing an LGBTQ Christmas movie for Hallmark.
Luke Macfarlane Loves Hallmark’s Mission to Tell ‘Stories That Really Resonate With People’
Macfarlane told Variety that he’s grateful producers and directors have not required him to exclusively play gay characters just because he’s openly gay in real life.
The actor, who shares a two-year-old daughter, Tess, with longtime partner Hig Roberts, told the outlet, “I’ll play gay. I’ll play straight. I’ll do anything. I am very versatile.”
Although many of the characters he’s played in his Hallmark movies have been straight, Macfarlane told Variety he’s been developing a queer Christmas movie for the network.
“Hallmark is definitely telling queer stories, so I’ve been trying to find a queer story that would make sense for them,” he said. “It’s very long development.”
Macfarlane said he’s excited to be part of the network’s mission to represent all of its viewers and tell a wide variety of stories about cherishing family, friends, and romantic relationships.
“I think what’s interesting with Hallmark,” Macfarlane continued, “is their brand is so intact and part of their brand has never been to be overtly political, at least all the time that I’ve worked there. For them, it’s just continuing to tell stories that really resonate with people that can still be an escape from the difficulties of our current situation.”
In March, Macfarlane told “I’ve Never Said This Before” podcast host Tommy DiDario, “I mean, if you had told me that Hallmark would become this amazing home for me — and it has, I’ve done 15 movies with them.”
He continued, “You know, they let me be a romantic lead to many lovely ladies and then they let me be a romantic lead to a man (in 2024’s “Notes of Autumn”) and then they let me produce a show where I get to talk about woodworking! So I’m so incredibly grateful.”
Hallmark Has Prioritized Inclusive Storytelling Over Last 5 Years, Including LGBTQ Storylines
HallmarkWhen it comes to including LGBTQ actors and characters in its movies, Hallmark has made significant strides in the last five years.
In 2020’s “The Christmas House,” Jonathan Bennett and Brad Harder broke ground by portraying the first gay couple in a Hallmark movie, per the LA Times. A sequel followed in 2021, and Bennett has since starred in multiple projects as a gay character, including 2024’s “The Groomsmen” trilogy, which won a GLAAD Award.
When “The Christmas House” first aired, programming executive Michelle Vicary told the LA Times that the movie was written to “reflect the reality of countless families all over the world.” Vicary left the network soon after, but Hallmark announced in early August that she’s returning to oversee programming and continue the network’s commitment to inclusive storytelling.
Macfarlane told Variety that in 2025, it only makes sense to incorporate gay characters into the network’s content, explaining, “We all have a queer friend, we all have a queer neighbor, we all have a queer brother or sister….It’s actually just part of life.”
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Luke Macfarlane Reveals Special Hallmark Christmas Project in the Works