Cameron Mathison on Making Changes and Following Dreams

The moment Cameron Mathison received the offer from Hallmark Channel to film A Summer to Remember his answer was a resounding “Yes!”  After a slew of projects for both Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, which saw the popular actor working in chilly Vancouver or British Columbia, heading to the tropical location of Fiji was "a no-brainer."  Adding Good Witch star Catherine Bell as his co-star sealed the deal.  (Mathison is pictured at top and below right with Bell.)  “I was given the dates, told we would be shooting in Fiji, and to let them know if I was interested,” Mathison recalled in an exclusive interview with MediaVillage. “I was like, ‘No, I'm not interested,’” he said with a laugh.  “I knew Catherine, but we’d never worked together, so having her made it a slam-dunk!"

Mathison stars as Will, co-owner of a tranquil Fijian resort, who follows his dream of island life after a failed marriage.  Enter Jessica (Bell), an emergency room doctor questioning her career path while vacationing with her daughter Ava (Samantha MacGillvray).  Besides a break, Jessica desperately wants to re-experience the serenity of Fiji she once shared with her late husband.  Upon arrival Jessica meets Trevor (Paul O’Brien), an Australian thoracic surgeon with whom she has much in common, and following an awkward first encounter with Will, it seems Trevor might get all her attention.

“One of the things I really appreciated about Will was his courage,” Mathison said of his character.  “He packed up, moved out and really knew what he wanted.  He managed to move on from a difficult time in his life and reestablish in Fiji.  He followed through on his dream and turned out a happy, positive guy.  I really liked the whole vibe about him.”

For Mathison, the film's theme of life crossroads and altering your course is something he fully understood.  When his long-time portrayal (1998-2011) of nice guy Ryan Lavery on All My Children ended with the cancelation of the series, Mathison found himself in the same position.  “We can all relate to certain challenges in life and accept there is a time you need to change,” he admitted.  “It’s the theme of the film, but for me, with AMC I don't think I would've taken the risk [to leave].

“I left when the show was canceled, so my hand was kind of forced,” he continued.  “I was very comfortable there and maybe even a little afraid to take a chance and close that chapter in my life.  But I'm so grateful that it made me go off and try other things.  As much as I loved AMC, I feel like this whole second phase of my career has been super-fulfilling.  It would never have happened had that chapter not been closed for me.  So unlike Catherine's character, [mine] was chosen for me.”

Steve Gidlow

Steve Gidlow, a long-time columnist for MediaVillage ("Behind the Scenes in Hollywood"), has written about television and pop culture since 1994, beginning in Australia.  Since moving to Hollywood in 1997, Steve has focused on celebrity interv… read more