Inside ‘The More the Merrier’: Filming Locations & Inspiring Real-Life Stories

Tonight’s new Hallmark Christmas movie — the second premiere of the day — is called “The More the Merrier.” Starring Brendan Penny and Rachel Boston, the movie premieres on Friday, November 28 at 8 p.m. Eastern/ 7 p.m. Central, and encores will air throughout the season. Read on to get the inside scoop on where the movie was filmed, and see some behind-the-scenes cast stories — including a cast member whose own health struggles and achievements inspired his character.

‘The More the Merrier’ Was Filmed in Vancouver, Canada & New York

In an interview with WNY Papers, Boston said most of the movie was filmed in Vancouver, Canada. However, according to WNY Papers, some portions were filmed inside Highmark Stadium in New York with Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin. (See more details about Hamlin’s role in this story’s next section).

Boston told WNY Papers: “I was in Vancouver while you all were at the stadium filming. You guys filmed the morning of our shoot. Basically, I think it was 6 a.m. Vancouver time, 9 a.m. your time. And then as soon as they wrapped the Buffalo Bills segment, that came to our set in Vancouver, and I got to see all of your footage and hear about the shoot. So, it was really amazing to know that there was a production going on in Buffalo while we were still filming in Vancouver, Canada.”

Boston told People she loved the premise, and did a little research before filming.

“My sister-in-law is a nurse in the emergency room, so I called her before we started filming and got some wisdom,” she said. “I love medical shows, so I thought that was really a fun way to have a Christmas movie. And then getting to see two people that are also really intelligent who meet each other on the same plane, and they are now suddenly going to be working together for potentially years and years on end is an interesting way to start a Christmas movie.”

And filming with newborn babies was special, Penny added.

“They were actual tiny newborn babies, but everyone was very respectful,” he told People. “You only have a certain amount of time. When they came on set, you could hear a pin drop, which is something you can never hear on a film set unless you are rolling. But in between setups, it was just dead quiet.”

Boston added: “It was so sweet. They were just weeks old. When you do have infants on set, there was a level of pressure of us needing to be on our A-game because we only had a very short window.”

Real-Life Stories of Courage Inspired Parts of This Movie

Real-life stories of courage inspired some of the festive cheer in this movie, Abbott.com shared. Five individuals who have overcome serious health challenges have cameos in the movie. They’re all members of the Abbott HeartMates program, an organization bringing together people with cardiovascular conditions who are celebrating their wins.

One of the charcters in the film — a 14-year-old heart patient named David — is portrayed by Zeke Mankins from Dallas, a teammate with Abbott HeartMates. At the age of 12, Mankins had a heart valve replacement surgery and was the first person drafted onto the Abbott HeartMates team.

All five of the HeartMates teammates appear in a scene filmed in Buffalo, New York, alongside Damar Hamlin, a professional football player and cardiac arrest survivor, Abbott.com shared.

Meet the Cast

Hallmark’s synopsis for the movie reads, “Alice (Boston), an emergency room doctor at a small, rural hospital, always volunteers to work the Christmas Eve overnight shift and goes the extra mile to make the holiday merry and bright for patients and staff. When the hospital gets snowed in, Alice and Brian (Penny), the newly hired top-rated cardiologist, find themselves in the middle of a bona fide baby boom when three women – including the only OBGYN for miles around – go into labor on the rarest birthday of the year. As they team up to bring these bundles of joy into the world as the night wears on, Alice, Brian and the rest of the staff also work hard to make the holiday feel festive for all the patients. Though they may have different approaches to medicine – and to life – there’s a spark between them and by the end of their shift it’s clear that this may be the Christmas Eve that changes them both forever.”

Rachel Boston is Alice. According to her Hallmark bio, she can can be seen on TV productions like “SEAL Team,” “Kidding,” “The Good Doctor,” “Witches of East End,” “In Plain Sight,” “The Ex List,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and more. Hallmark fans will recognize her from films like “A Carousel Christmas,” “The Last Bridesmaid,” “Stop the Wedding,” “A Ring by Spring,” “A Gift of Miracles,” and more.

Brendan Penny is Brian. Hallmark fans may recognize him the most from his lead role on “Chesapeake Shores.” But he’s also been in many other Hallmark works, like “The Wedding Cottage,” “In Merry Measure,” and the “Vineyard” franchise of movies. Outside of Hallmark, his credits include “Whistler,” “Smallville,” “The L Word,” “Supernatural,” “Flashpoint,” and more.

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