If you told Chris Jericho (pictured above) a year ago that he'd be starring in not just one, but two heartwarming and family-friendly films where he portrays a rockstar-turned-horse breeder, he probably wouldn't believe you. Yet, that's exactly what audiences will see as a new uplifting film series that begins on UPtv with Country Hearts, and its holiday-themed sequel Country Hearts Christmas premiering on November 19th. In an exclusive interview with MediaVillage, star Chris Jericho spoke about how the project came his way, his experience playing a father for the first time in his career, and what he learned in the filmmaking process of both films.
"This was something I probably wouldn't have auditioned for. I don't like auditioning anyway. It seems like such a role you wouldn't expect me to do, which is exactly the reason why I loved the concept of doing it," the actor explained. "It's a cool moment when as an actor you receive an offer and you don't have to audition. It means someone out there likes you and wants you for the part and I take those offers very seriously."
Country Hearts centers on sisters Tori and June, played by Lanie McAuley and Katerina Maria, respectively, pursuing their dreams as country musicians, following in the footsteps of their parents, country star Darlene, and Jericho's retired rockstar Bones. The sisters have to choose between their dreams and their family when an accident puts a strain on the family business right as their careers are set to take off. Jericho's previous credits include the films Macgruber, Sharknado 3, Kevin Smith's KillRoy Was Here, and indie horror hit Terrifier 2, making a role like Bones and film like Country Hearts a welcome change of scenery.
"I'd just come from doing a couple of horror movies, so when I was reading Country Hearts I was looking for who the murderer was," he joked. "But then I realized it was a really cool script with a great part for me and a great way to expand my horizons, especially with making two of them. We got to double down into the characters and the universe we created."
Though the film is certainly uplifting and family-oriented, it does touch on some heavy subject matter, albeit expertly handled with a soft touch. Bones substance use issues from his rock n' roll days led to his career ending prematurely, and he still deals with the repercussion's years later. "There's a lot of connections between me and Bones coming from the world of rock n' roll. I may not be addicted to anything, but I've seen a lot of addictions from that world as well," he explained. "I also have two daughters who are young adults and pursuing their own dreams, and I want to give them advice to help them go forward and succeed. I've never been a dad on screen before and you have to internalize your kids to the actors who are playing your kids and that was very poignant and a bit method for me."
"All of those things struck a chord with me because they're all part of my life, even Bones' reinvention of his life with opening a horse-breeding farm. Obviously, I haven't done that," he laughed. "But I have reinvented myself in many other ways. I didn't know a lot of the terminology about horse-breeding, but neither did Bones because he's learning about it all too. He's not an expert either. We're both learning at the same time and that all seemed to be very poignant."
Coming from the world of pro wrestling, Jericho was no stranger to over-the-top performances, playing to the back of the stadium and plenty of scripted scenes and promos during matches, an experience he described as "Show Business Bootcamp". He went on, "to be able to use all of that in the filming of these movies was very beneficial. It was interesting coming from action films and horror movies that in Country Hearts, our big action scene is when the barn is on fire and we have to rescue the horses and the specimen that Bones paid a lot of money for. It was a great scene and it was really effective because there weren't fifty action scenes. It was just the one and it really pumped everything up. I was just happy with the whole process and enjoyed it more and more as filming went on."
When asked what advice he'd give to a young actor today, Jericho had this to say. "You've got to believe in yourself and be open. If you're one type of performer and another type of role comes your way, don't be afraid to make it your own because the more things you're good at, the longer your career goes. If you had asked me a year ago, 'hey Chris, do you have any aspirations to be in two Country Hearts movies on UPtv, where you play a father who's now a horse breeder, with underlying Christian themes?' I'd have said, 'uhm… I don't know,'" he laughed. "But here we are talking about it and two great movies came out of it."
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