Hallmark's Aussie at Heart: Chatting with Rhiannon Fish & Daniel Lissing

On this episode of Pour The Wine, It’s Rom-Com Time, Garry and Amy are sitting down with Rhiannon Fish and Daniel Lissing to chat about Hallmark’s Aussie at Heart. What better way to kick off their first ever actor interviews than with these two?! Rhiannon and Daniel share insights into their film, their characters, and their experience bringing this story to life. 

Pour your favorite beverage, cozy up, and press play! Cheers!

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Music from #Uppbeat

https://uppbeat.io/t/abbynoise/mood-of-summer

Transcript

Welcome And Guest Introduction

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Welcome to Pour the Wine It's Rumpcom Time. I'm Amy.

SPEAKER_00 0:03

And I'm Gary.

SPEAKER_02 0:05

And we had the amazing opportunity to have a quick chat with Rihanna Fish and Daniel Listening.

SPEAKER_00 0:11

They're starring in Aussie at Heart, which premieres tomorrow night, Saturday, August 15th on the Hallmark channel, and we'll be on Hallmark Plus the next day.

SPEAKER_02 0:21

Gosh, they they were both just so lovely, genuine, and incredibly fun. We couldn't have asked for a better pair to kick off our very first actor interviews.

SPEAKER_00 0:31

So enjoy. Cheers.

SPEAKER_02 0:39

Hi Rihannon. Hi Daniel. We're Amy and Gary from Poor the Wine, it's Rom Pown Time podcast. We're so excited to meet you both.

SPEAKER_04 0:47

Oh my gosh, the feeling is very cool.

SPEAKER_01 0:50

We're very happy to be here.

SPEAKER_04 0:52

Amy Gary, thank you for uh chatting, chatting with us today.

SPEAKER_02 0:56

It's a pleasure, it's all ours, believe me. All right, we will dive right in.

First-Time Co-Stars And Big Surprises

SPEAKER_02 1:01

Um, now you guys worked together for the first time in Aussie at Heart. That's the first time of this pairing. What was it like collaborating? And what surprised you most about the other? Oh, start with you.

SPEAKER_04 1:14

That was a good question.

SPEAKER_01 1:15

Start with who are you starting with? You, me, yeah. No, what surprised me? I'll speak very candidly. So we all know Daniel Listening is one of the he's one of the hallmark it boys. He's a golden boy. And you never know when you come across a golden boy if they're just gonna kind of, you know, rest on their laurels, be like, I'm just here, it's fine, whatever. Not in the slightest. He was he was above and beyond anything I could have imagined in all the best ways. Um, I have never seen anybody work so hard as Daniel Lissing did in making this movie good. Um, he was also just kind and nice to be around, lovely to everybody. Um, yeah, and brought out like wonderful qualities in anybody he spent time with. Just a he's a great guy. So that surprised me. That that is such a huge compliment.

SPEAKER_02 2:06

That's a huge compliment.

SPEAKER_04 2:08

That might be one of the best compliments I've ever got in my life.

SPEAKER_02 2:11

Yeah, that was so nice. Daniel, hopefully, you're not like eh, I think.

SPEAKER_04 2:18

Oh, actually, you know, that was gonna be the joke. Sorry, live up to the expectations of the best compliment ever. Um, no, really, uh, thank you, Rihannan. That's so sweet. I mean, honestly, that's that's really sweet of you to say. Uh that I had actually heard of Rihannan um before. A friend of ours, uh, a good director named Robin Dunn, who I'd been sort of writing a few projects with, working on a few projects with, um, had worked with her before and said, You have to meet this woman. She's wonderful. And I'm like, okay, cool, maybe our piles will cross one day. And sure enough, they did, like, you know, a few months later, we're working together, and and it was you know, as human beings and as actors, um, we just had instant uh connection, you know, on and and on-screen chemistry. And when you are able to work with someone that same for you, all the all the nice things you said, by the way, you know, like she made being upset totally enjoyable, not lovely to everyone, cared about the work, um, was just a positive influence, didn't phone anything in. Um, we were really we really connected as people and as actors, and and you know, that you just can't ask for more than what we had, you know. It's just it was special. It was just special to work together. I hope we get to do it again, actually. I hope we get to do either another one of these or Hallmark put together, put us together for you know, a Christmas movie or something like that.

SPEAKER_02 3:59

Christmas, yes, that would be amazing. Oh yeah. That's just so that's just so amazing to hear, though, and it just must make your jobs that much easier too. When you love who you're working with and loving what you do, it just it wasn't really work.

SPEAKER_04 4:14

Yeah, it wasn't work. Uh, you know, it was just it was it was, but when when you're uh when you're when you're yep when you when you're doing what you love, you know, as they say, you don't work a day in your life, but we we we know we take it seriously and we want we want to make it the best possible. And um Rhiannon was the the spearhead leading the charge in in that aspect of things because you know she just cares about every every moment on on camera, every moment off camera to make sure that we're getting what we need to get to entertain audiences. So it was it was brilliant.

SPEAKER_02 4:53

So lovely, so lovely. Yeah.

Three-Word Character Read And Role Reversal

SPEAKER_00 4:55

So if you could describe each other's characters in just three words, what would they be? And Daniel, we're gonna start with you on this one. Great. On Samara?

SPEAKER_04 5:06

Rihanna's. Yeah, on Samara.

SPEAKER_03 5:10

Controlling, beautiful, beautiful, gorgeous, completely stunning.

SPEAKER_04 5:17

I've got three words. What do you encapsulate all those and all those three things as well?

SPEAKER_03 5:25

Kidding.

SPEAKER_01 5:26

What I kind of liked, great question, first of all. What I liked about these characters is they sort of felt reverse to this stereotypical hallmark. Usually they have the woman being like the rule follower who's kind of uptight. I loved that that was Daniel's character. Um, and that Samara was more saying, just relax. Um, so I would say uptight. Um for him. Okay. Yeah. I was very possible. Yes, stubborn, which I don't ever think stubborn is a bad thing. I feel I'm a stubborn person. I don't necessarily think it's a bad quality. Um, oh, and also he's very handsome.

SPEAKER_04 6:07

Well, that's complimentary. I know, honestly.

SPEAKER_02 6:15

Is it me? Oh yeah. Yeah. I admit it, I own it.

SPEAKER_03 6:22

Me too.

Filming In Australia And Family Visits

SPEAKER_03 6:25

All right.

SPEAKER_02 6:25

So now you both have a personal connection to Australia, obviously. What was it about making this movie together there? What was that like for the two of you to be in Australia filming Osse?

SPEAKER_04 6:38

We really connected on that. Didn't we really connect on that? I mean, both of us, I think re fell in love with Australia in a different kind of way, maybe saw things in it that we hadn't before, maybe, you know, we we had a couple of moments there of just taking a breath together and going like this is a special part of the world with very lucky human beings to to have well me, you know, be born there and grow up there. But Rihanna spent, you know, a huge amount of her life there as well, more than half her life, actually. So right?

SPEAKER_01 7:14

Oh, yeah, absolutely. Yeah, I was there for 20 plus years. And so to come back for work, it's you can't describe it. Um, and we both had our parents come out and visit. Daniel's parents actually came out on the yacht. It was very special. Oh, did you film on a yacht? Yeah. Oh, okay. Okay, we haven't seen it yet. Yeah, okay. Um, you'll have to let us know what you think of it. Yeah, we shot on like a $30 million yacht. It was a really, really, really hard job, really difficult. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:46

I'm sorry, I sidetracked what you're saying. No, no, no, not at all.

SPEAKER_01 7:49

Your parents came out to visit. It's so sweet. That's another great part about working in Australia is that we usually work so far away from home. And so to bring our parents to set and show them what we do, it's such a pleasure. Um, I know Daniel's dad in particular had like a really he came, he had lunch with us. It was just very, very sweet.

SPEAKER_02 8:09

How often do you guys get back? Or do you live do you live in um Los Angeles or Daniel's in LA?

SPEAKER_01 8:16

I'm in Vancouver. I usually go every Christmas. Whenever the weather sort of turns here, I'm out.

SPEAKER_03 8:22

You're out.

SPEAKER_01 8:23

Well, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 8:26

And then yeah, I mean, I kind of get back, you know, once or twice a year to say I'll be there at the end of this year for hopefully a bit of a longer time. Will you go back this year?

SPEAKER_01 8:38

I'm going back this year for sure.

SPEAKER_04 8:41

Good.

unknown 8:41

All right, cool.

SPEAKER_01 8:42

I was saying to Lana, Lana's like the gorgeous girl that plays my best friend on it. Um, I was saying to her, we're gonna be in Melbourne at the same time, so we're gonna catch up. Um, oh, and uh where does Richie live? Is Richie in Sydney, South Wales? Yeah, yeah. See Colin again, again, like yeah, uh, it'll just be very I have I think we've made some friends for life on this movie, that's for sure. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 9:05

Yeah, that's great. All right, well, we have one last question.

What Aussie At Heart Means

SPEAKER_00 9:09

So, what does Aussie at Heart mean to each of you personally? And what do you hope fans take away from it?

SPEAKER_01 9:18

Who goes first? Gary.

SPEAKER_00 9:20

Gary.

SPEAKER_01 9:21

Yeah, Gary Ann. Oh, me, dang it. Okay.

SPEAKER_04 9:25

I'm so glad you're going first. I'll just copy.

SPEAKER_01 9:30

I genuinely feel Aussie at heart. Born in Canada, but Australia is home. I will, I always say that. Um, there is something about Australia that I I I can't I you can't describe. It's and it's the people, really. That's what's at the core of it. There is not only this like laid-back attitude of don't take yourself too seriously, but at the same time, it's coupled with like working really hard. Um, and I saw that in every member of this cast and crew. And that is the like being around people like that. That that's that's home. That's Australia, that's home to me. Um, and so I guess that's what Aussie at Heart means to me. It's it's hard to describe. It's it's the people, it's the Australians. They're the best. Um, my favorite people in the whole world. Um, and I hope that the audience takes away from this. Oh, they're my my favorite line in the movie, and I'm gonna mess it up. There's a line about like love and hate being very similar. Like, what do you remember the line, Daniel? It's said to you.

SPEAKER_04 10:31

I think like the it's not said it's oh that's right. Maybe Billy says it or or um somebody says it to you. Maybe Richie says it to Lana. Um yeah, yeah. It's like but essentially it's like love and hate are very similar emotions, you know, like just one little they're height, they're heightened emotions, right? There's nothing you there's no emotion that you don't feel in love. They just heighten every emotion, you know, and it's the same thing when it comes to that disdain. You you feel all the emotions, but it's just heightened. So it's that positive and negative of that heightened state, you know. So lean to the love side, I say.

SPEAKER_01 11:12

That for me is what I hope the audience takes away is that like you see these characters like so clearly, like just like clashing like this and this, and then if with the one tiniest little bit of softening, it becomes love. And I just think that that's really, really lovely. Um, and it's something that I hope people take away from the movie.

SPEAKER_02 11:31

Oh, it's so great. I know we can't wait to watch it um coming up. And um, we just thank you guys so much for taking the time to talk to us.

SPEAKER_04 11:42

What I don't have to answer the question, that's okay.

SPEAKER_02 11:46

I'm sorry, did you not answer it? Oh my gosh. No, I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 11:49

No, it's all right. She basically said, sorry, I'm sorry, Daniel. No, no, no, no, it's totally fine. Everything that I was gonna say, you know, Rihanna pretty much said anyway. But you know, just just to say, Aussie at Hart, there is something very special about Australia and about um uh the spirit of Australia. It's it's why, you know, Americans and Australians and Canadians, etc., uh have such a bond with each other, is because you know, there is a certain the shared value system. Yep. Um but really there is this energy in Australia, unlike anywhere else on on the earth, and you can feel it in the air and the water and the people and walking down a busy city street. Uh, there is something about this energy of Australia. My grandmother, who had gone through um, you know, a lot in her life as a young woman, uh, might migrated from the Netherlands from Holland to Australia and uh and after the Second World War, and and she came to Australia and she said that there is something magical and deeply spiritual about the energy here in Australia. And and when you go there and you you feel that for yourself, and there's places in the States that I've sort of felt you know that kind of different, but but um that kind of beautiful grounded energy. There is something about that, uh, and it I think it just sort of permeates the culture there and the people there, and there there is a there is that special magic to Australia. And so us shooting there it became very um it was a special shoot for us, you know? It really was fun and and one of the best, the best ones. I mean, the best. It was great.

SPEAKER_02 13:49

Well, we can't wait to watch.

SPEAKER_03 13:52

Oh yeah, hot night.

SPEAKER_02 13:55

Um, thank you guys so much for taking the time to talk to us.

SPEAKER_01 13:59

Well, please reach out after you watch it. I'd love to know uh what you think.

SPEAKER_02 14:02

We will, we definitely will, and enjoy.

SPEAKER_04 14:05

Thanks, Amy. Thanks, Eric.

SPEAKER_02 14:07

Have a great afternoon.

SPEAKER_04 14:10

Cheers, guys. Thank you.