The Hallmark Christmas romance movie A Not So Royal Christmas features beautiful filming locations across Hamilton, Ontario that capture the spirit of the holiday season.
Directed by Jonathan Wright from a script of Anna White, the romance film is centered around the story of a tabloid journalist Charlotte, who mistakes a palace landscaper for the Count and falls in love with him after seeing his humor and kindness.
The rom-com film is produced by Alex Jordan under Muse Entertainment with Jonas, Jesse, and Aren Prupas as executive producers, Oneida Crawford as co-executive producer, and Evan Tussman is serving as associate producer.
Where was A Not So Royal Christmas filmed?
A Not So Royal Christmas was primarily filmed in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, while some shots were taken in Toronto.
Principal shooting began on Sep 4, according to Production List and wrapped in the first week of October, as per our reporting.
The production team aptly utilized iconic landmarks and venues in Hamilton to depict the charming small-town setting, and magical Christmas atmosphere.
Dundurn Castle, Hamilton, Ontario
Most of the interior scenes were done inside the gorgeous Dundurn Castle, an 18000 square foot historical neoclassical mansion in Hamilton, ON.
Filming around Dundurn castle began in the second last week of Sept, according to The Hamilton Spectator.
The historic castle was is the process of being transformed into a holiday setting by the production team at the the time of publishing the report.
An X (formerly Twitter) user shared some BTS pictures of the actual set prepared for the filming of A Not So Royal Christmas movie, at the Dundurn Castle.
The user shared the pics during the same time, suggesting that the shooting was ongoing in the final weeks of September.
Decked out with fake snow, Christmas trees, and red and gold holiday banners, Dundurn Castle served as an ideal royal backdrop for the movie’s storyline about a landscaper finding love around Christmas.
Other Shooting Locations
In addition to Dundurn Castle, A Not So Royal Christmas movie was also filmed at the Springhill Manor on Highway 8 on the Niagara Escarpment near Bullocks Corners.
The production crew used this venue’s panoramic views overlooking Dundas to shoot important scenes for the plot’s romantic storyline.
Moreover, film crews were spotted in downtown Milton, especially the parking lot between Knox Church and Chudleigh Blossom Cafe was closed and decorated in October as a Christmas Market, according to Inhalton report.
Other shooting spots for the film included the Cotton Factory, a former industrial building turned mixed-used creative center, the Winchester Arms pub, the Scottish Rite landmark, as well as various parks and galleries across Dundas and Hamilton.
Behind the Scenes
Anna White, the screenwriter of the film shared a lovely picture of her with lead stars Will Kemp and Brooke D’Orsay. The talented duo treated the hardworking crew with lots of mini pies.
Kemp also dumped some behind the scenes photographs with almost every cast member on his Instagram. He wrote in the caption, “We made a Christmas movie!” and tagged Toronto, Ontario as the location.
No doubt, Canada is the most suitable filming location for shooting holiday movies and that’s why filmmakers kept on returning to this beautiful place. Some of the recent productions include A Dash of Christmas and Christmas in Maple Hills but each year, there are some Hallmark films that shot on an actual European location, such as My Norwegian Holiday and A Merry Scottish Christmas.
A Not So Royal Christmas Cast
Brooke D’Orsay as Charlotte
D’Orsay is a Canadian actress known for her comedy roles in sitcoms like “Two and a Half Men” and “How I Met Your Mother” as well as films like “Royal Pains” and “Drop Dead Gorgeous.” She has great comedic timing and will likely bring levity to this movie.
In A Not So Royal Christmas, D’Orsay stars as Charlotte, a London-based tabloid journalist, who is determined to land an exclusive interview with the reclusive Count of Sorhagen. For that purpose, she heads towards Nordin, Scandinavia.
Will Kemp as Adam
Adam is the landscaper of Dundurn Castle, whom Charlotte mistakes for the real Count and requests an interview. Kemp is an English actor and dancer who rose to fame in the early 2000s for his lead role in the reboot of “Step Up.”
He has also appeared in films like “Van Helsing,” “Jolly Good Christmas” and “Mindhunters” as well as shows like “Reign” and “Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce.” He is bringing his holiday charm and dancing skills to his role.
Taylor Love as Kirsten
Love is a relative newcomer to Christmas films. She has appeared in TV shows like Soul Food, Summer Memories (as voice actress), TallBoyz, Instant Star, etc.
She has a breakout role in A Not So Royal Christmas, where she will be able to showcase her talents to a wider audience. Not much is known about her acting range yet.
Michael Hough as Jensen
Jensen is an Irish actor known for his roles in sci-fi shows like Chapelwaite, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Murdoch Mysteries, What We Do in the Shadows, and Obituary series.
Other supporting cast of the movie includes:
- Fuad Ahmed as Advisor
- José Arias as Curious Tourist
- Nathan Scott as Royal Ball Guest
- Maria Frankis as Alice
Where can I watch A Not So Royal Christmas?
A Not So Royal Christmas premieres on Dec 2, 2023 at 8/7c only on Hallmark Channel inside the United States, and on W Network inside Canada. It will also become available on Peacock for streaming upto 3 days after the original premiere.
The movie is also scheduled to re-air on the following dates:
- Dec 3 at 6/5c
- Dec 6 at 8/7c
- Dec 9 at 2/1c
- Dec 15 at 10/9c
- Dec 21 at 4/3c
- Dec 26 at 2a/1c
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