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Ryan McPartlin smolders in Lifetime’s “Ripped from the Headlines” movie Amish Affair. The heartthrob plays Aaron, who on the surface is this pillar in the Amish community. He brings in Hannah (Mackenzie Cardwell) to care for his ailing wife and help with family chores around the house. Wholesome sounding enough until you’re reminded this is a Lifetime movie.
Things get intimate between employer and employee until Hannah decides to end the affair amid mounting guilt. Aaron does not take it well, especially when she develops eyes for another. When his wife dies, investigators find foul play is at work and Hannah sees herself framed for murder.
“Expect the unexpected,” teased McPartlin of the movie. “We tried really hard to take the audience on a journey to root for something they wouldn’t normally root for. Like am I rooting for them to get together? Am I rooting for an affair to actually happen? Then see what the consequences are of that. There is a fantasy in these movies where it’s what would I do in that situation?
We caught up with McPartlin to talk about digging into the ‘delicious’ role. The star also looks back at his time on Passions, working with Fran Drescher, and if we’ll ever see Captain Awesome or more Chuck again.
Amish Affair starts very Little House on the Prairie and then not so much. What were your first impressions of the project?
Ryan McPartlin: I start reading the script and know there is an affair. We’re coming out of a long writer and actor strike. I think, “If there is an affair, there is a love scene. If there is a love scene, I will have to take my shirt off.” I then think, “I don’t think I’m in shape for that.” I was counting these scenes I found the script delicious and fun. If you’re a fan of Unfaithful with Diane Lane. I thought it would be fun and special to do. But also, “Holy sh*t, I have to take my shirt off all these times?” I called Don Saladino, who is Ryan Reynolds’ trainer. He and I got to know each other through Instagram. I was like, “Don, I got less than three weeks. If I’m going to do this role and also be executive producer, I have to get in shape fast.” He put me on a program that I stuck to. The movie was the motivation I needed to come out of a strike and get working again and really get back to Captain Awesome kind of shape and get rid of the dad bod.
How would you describe Aaron?
Lifetime is great because they let me come in and collaborate. All the bones were there, but I wanted to pull the thread that this guy to me always was a family man. No matter what his beliefs are, he is truly committed to everything happening to God’s plan and for a reason. When you justify the world through that lens, you go to great lengths, even if it doesn’t make sense to you. That’s the only way I was able to relate to him. Sometimes you do what you never dreamt you would do and do these things that you feel are part of a bigger plan. That way you preserve the fact he is a good dad and loving husband and a hard worker. I also say love can make you do crazy things. Truly, I think this guy fell head over heels for his wife’s caretaker. By doing so, it got him in over his head. But he believed it was God’s plan the whole time. So, he had to see it through.
Lifetime
How was it working with Mackenzie?
Mackenzie is really amazing. She came into this project as committed as I was. Our director Robin Hays said let’s get into this and use Power of the Dog as a cinematic example of what she wanted to make it look like. I loved it was a fresh take. So when we all started talking we said, “When it comes to the love scenes, everything has to be earned. Everything had to be felt. You have to feel like you’re falling for someone.” For me, laughter through tears is my favorite emotion. I feel like you have to have a lightness before you trust someone to film scenes where you make love to someone and fall for someone. We were looking for those moments together. She is a pro. She came to play. She was incredible. She is so soulful and committed and wanted to dive into the art of it. That elevated everything for me.
What did you think about the wardrobe?
It was actually an authentic wardrobe they got from an Amish community. There was a longer fitting than I’m used to because there were no zippers. A lot of buttons. I don’t know what God has against zippers. Maybe easy access? I don’t know. Our costume department did an amazing job though.
You mentioned the strike. How do you feel the industry has come out of it?
The industry is forever changed. The train of AI left the station, so we had to get some sort of control as the artists. Everyone has to remember AI wouldn’t be able to create without our past work. It was so difficult to say, “We have to try to wrap our minds around this.” I was on both sides as also an executive producer with having to make sure the numbers line up. But when it comes to an artform and really believe in what we’re doing. I think Fran Dresher did an amazing job leading the actors through it.
Your career started with an episode of The Nanny. You then got to work with her on Living with Fran. What did you take from that experience?
I always look for reasons to come back to join her again because she taught me so much. She really embraced me as a businessperson as much as an actor. She taught me what it was like to be a producer. I saw it from her point of view. She had done an incredible job saying this is how it should be. This is how the crew should be paid or treated. Whatever it was she was like a mother hen who wanted to take care of her people. That was my takeaway. I’m going to executive produce, write, and run a show one day. I’m still carrying that out, but I remember so many lessons she taught me.
#OnThisDay in 2001, Ryan McPartlin assumed the role of Hank Bennett #Passions pic.twitter.com/lmwpZXtLpS
— Passions (@NBCPassions) April 24, 2021
Years ago you did Passions. Would you want to do a soap again?
Soap opera world and Passions were almost two different things. Passions were so unique. To be a young actor starting out, I don’t know if I truly appreciated what it was until later. I was learning and supporting the character. It was frustrating to say this isn’t what I set out to do. I’m doing this soap opera that seems like a sci-fi show, or a witch show. There were also comedic elements. It was so bizarre, but they let us do so many things creatively that I was able to find my legs as an actor and have the confidence to do what felt right in my gut. The learning curve was exactly what I needed at that time.
I was so quick to get off that show and I wish I hadn’t. Even though I got to do Living with Fran and Chuck and other great things, I wish I had blurred the lines. I wish I would have said, “When Living with Fran comes to an end, can I come over to play even on a recurring basis? Bring Hank Bennett back to life. And the same with Chuck. I feel like everyone was trying to prove that they are more than [soaps]. Where I wish I could go back and do it all. A couple of guys have done that. I think Justin Hartley did a good job after Passions and after [Smallville] and then back to soaps and did Young and the Restless and This Is Us. It served him really well. He didn’t try and say he was a soap actor or movie actor or primetime actor. He just said, “I’m an actor.” I think that is what more of us need to do instead of categorize us. Everyone is also doing that for us already.
Pictured: (l-r) Ryan McPartlin as Devon “Captain Awesome” Woodcomb, Zachary Levi as Chuck Bartowski (Photo by Justin Lubin/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
You were part of a Chuck Zoom table read during COVID. Everyone from Zachary Levi to Linda Hamilton has been open to seeing more, perhaps a movie. Will we see Captain Awesome again?
I will say there is talk of a podcast moving forward. A rewatch podcast to energize our base and energize Warner Bros. Television to go, “The audience is still there and has grown.” Zachary Levi is putting that together. That is moving forward. I’m ready. I’m standing by and ready. Thank God for Amish Affiar because it kicked me back into shape, so they can’t spring it on me and say I have to be in spandex in a couple of weeks.
Who is your favorite guest star from that show?
Everyone was in it. I think Timothy Dalton was just really special. He was good and committed to playing that character. Matt Bomer was recurring on it and not a guest star, but he was amazing. One of the sweetest and nicest guys ever and a great actor. Ana Gasteyer was great as a Russian spy. We also worked together on A Clüsterfünke Christmas. I had a blast.
What’s a show you worked on that you would have loved to stay a little longer for?
I got to do an episode of Community. I would have loved to have stuck around longer for that. Joel McHale is fantastic. Mad Men would have been great to continent on that, especially at that time. I thought it would have been really cool had Betty Draper (January Jones) not been pregnant and had my character gotten her pregnant when she was in the bar, and we slept together. I thought that would have been cool to come back for that. But I was not the creator of the show Matt Weiner went in a different direction.
Amish Affair premiere, July 6, 8/7c, Lifetime