L U K E   M A C F A R L A N E 

Interview}  Ken Waller

Photographs by}  John Russo 

Produced by} Photohouse Productions 

Grooming}  Jason Schneidman 

Styling}  Gabriel Langenbrunner

 

Luke is featured  with creator and executive producer Jessica Sebastian.

 

KW: What drew you to Hallmark movies, and how has your experience been working on so many of them?

LM: I’ve been working with Hallmark for over ten years now. I have made 14 movies, and one of the best things about working with Hallmark is that they grow with you and adapt to you. When the opportunity came along to work on a new show with Hallmark, they grew with me and adapted to me. So, I’m showing one of my passions: woodworking and home renovation.

 

KW: What inspired you to start woodworking, and how did you learn the craft?

LM: My interest in woodworking started with my family—my dad and my grandfather. You know, they were both busy guys. My grandfather was an architect. My father never had enough time—he was a doctor. But we built boxes, and it started there. It’s something that’s always been in my bones. I look at things, and I wonder how they’re made. And I want to make things that are my own.

 

KW: Can you describe some of your favorite pieces that you’ve created?

LM: It’s funny. I’m making things and giving them away more and more. And sometimes, I wish I could have all get back together again and see how they’ve changed and developed. Sometimes, my favorite things are just things that are precise and small. I’ve become obsessed with making tiny boxes, and they’re not super complicated, but anything is precise, well done, and beautiful—and some of my favorite things to do.

 

KW: Who are some of your biggest influences and inspirations in the acting world?

LM: I am always drawn to actors who can balance public and private figures. I’ve always been a huge fan of Billy Crudup. I don’t know how he does it, and he’s so good as an actor. I don’t know how it constantly changes. Every single time I see a new performer, I’m amazed. Like, who is that guy? Thank God for IMDb and the internet because I’m constantly watching TV and looking people up, and I truly am just out of curiosity about how this person came into the world. What’s their story? Did they go to school? Did they learn this on the streets?

 

KW: How did you and Matthew Rhys (who played Kevin Walker) develop the chemistry that made your characters’ relationship so believable?

LM: Brothers and Sisters was such pivotal experiences in my career. And also now, just looking back at, like, television, how progressive it was that I was playing one half of a gay couple on TV, two series network, regulars who got married and adopted children and had a child by surrogacy that was so progressive.

I also look back at that time on TV. It was 22 episodes. It was network television. It was just a different way of doing things. Right now, in television, we have streamers and digital media, and there are so many other ways to enter the business. So I look back at big shows like Brothers and Sisters, the amazing Sally Field, Calista Flockhart, Rachel Griffiths, Rob Lowe, and like, wow… they assembled all these people in this big, classy family show. I miss it, and I miss Matthew Rhys, I am not ashamed to say he is, hands down, the best actor I have ever worked with.

they assembled all these people in this big, classy family show. I miss it, and I miss Matthew Reese. I am not ashamed to say he is, hands down, the best actor I have ever worked with.

 

KW: What do you consider your proudest achievements so far, professionally or personally?

LM: I guess I get a little cheesy. One of my proudest achievements is being able to call myself a dad. When that’s thrown in with all the other aspects of my life, including my work as an actor and my work as a woodworker, it’s a whole new inspiration to draw from.

 

To learn more about Luke follow him @ten_minutes_younger and watch him on the Hallmark channel, “Home is where the Heart is”