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Emmy-nominated actor Justin Hartley chatted about “The Noel Diary,” which will be released on November 24 on Netflix.
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Emmy-nominated actor Justin Hartley chatted about his new movie “The Noel Diary,” which will be released on November 24 on Netflix, as well as the digital age.
“The important thing in life is not victory but combat; it is not to have vanquished but to have fought well,” said French educator and historian Pierre de Coubertin. Justin Hartley is such an actor and individual.
“The Noel Diary” was directed by Charles Shyer, and it was co-written by Shyer, Rebecca Connor, and David Golden. It is based on the book “The Noel Diary” by Richard Paul Evans. “It was great,” he said. “I got a chance to work with a great filmmaker, who wrote a great script and directed a great movie. The character was very fascinating to me, and it was wonderful. I had a wonderful experience.”
“For me, it’s always about finding a character that goes somewhere in the script and does it in a meaningful way. Also, the story of why he is doing what he is doing now is also told,” he said.
“There is something pressing that makes him do what he is doing now and then we watch him on that journey. For me, it has always been about the character going somewhere and that he has a story to tell that is worth listening to, and I’m intrigued,” Hartley explained.
Aside from Hartley, the cast of “The Noel Diary” includes Barrett Doss, Bonnie Bedelia, James Remar, and Essence Atkins. Harley also served as a co-executive producer of the film. “Barrett is great, she came ready, prepared and she brought a certain energy. She made that character her own, she is a pro, and she is fun to work with. I thought we had good chemistry, and hopefully, other people will think so as well. We had a blast,” he said.
The synopsis is as follows: When best-selling author Jake Turner (Justin Hartley) returns home at Christmas to settle his estranged mother’s estate, he discovers a diary that may hold secrets to his own past and that of Rachel (Barrett Doss), an intriguing young woman on a mission of her own.
Together, they embark on a journey to confront their pasts and discover a future that’s totally unexpected.
The trailer for “The Noel Diary” may be seen below.
On being an actor in the digital age, Hartley said, “It provides more opportunities for actors, and I am a big fan of that. Certainly, streaming services (Netflix and Hulu) are producing new content, and a lot of it is really good content so I am all for it. I love actors, I love working, and I am all for it.”
Hartley portrayed Fox Crane in the 2000s daytime TV series “Passions,” as well as Adam Newman in the No. 1 daytime drama “The Young and The Restless,” where he earned an Emmy nomination for “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.”
He opened up about being dialogue-heavy in his soap opera days (where he had to memorize many pages of scripts). “That is nothing for me, I don’t mind heavy dialogue,” he said. “When it’s a little clunky, it may be harder to memorize.”
“The thing about memorizing dialogue is that if it’s good, and if it moves, it’s not that hard to memorize at all because it all makes sense in your brain. If the script is pretty streamlined, I don’t mind dialogue at all. Sometimes, words need to be said,” he added.
Speaking of dialogue, on his Emmy nomination for playing Adam, Hartley said, “That guy [Adam] talked a lot.”
He described his experience in “This Is Us” as a career-defining moment, where he played the role of Kevin Pearson, who was a favorite among viewers and fans.
Hartley had great words about working with Milo Ventimiglia in “This Is Us.” “Milo is great, he is a friend of mine. I love Milo,” Hartley said.
He also complimented actor Mike Manning for playing “The Manny” in the sixth and final season of the series. “We worked together for a few days, Mike is a cool dude,” Hartley said.
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Hartley said, “Happier Than I Have Ever Been.” “I feel blessed,” he admitted.
For young and aspiring actors, Hartley said, “Keep acting, keep working, keep reading, keep studying, and keep at it. When it gets harder, just keep working and do what you want to do. Take care of others, be friendly, and be kind. Enjoy the opportunity that you get to entertain and bring joy to other people.”
If he were to look back in a rearview mirror over the last decade, he said with a sweet laugh, “A lot of burned rubber.” “I see my daughter who has grown up and I am very proud of her,” he said. “I am beyond happily married, I’ve found the most wonderful woman on the planet. I am in a great place, and I am a very lucky man, I know that.”
He listed Harrison Ford as his dream acting partner in the entertainment business. “Harrison Ford would be cool. The ‘This Is Us’ cast was a pretty amazing cast, I don’t think it gets better than that,” he said.
“I love actors, there are so many actors out there that I love, watch, revere, and respect, and I would love to work with,” he added.
If he were to write, direct, and produce his own short film, he noted that it would be on “baseball” (for fun). “I love baseball so much and I think you can relate baseball to family,” he said.
When asked what superpower he would have, Hartley shared that it would be “to be able to dress up like Santa Claus at the drop of a hat” because he loves Santa Claus.
On his definition of the word success Hartley said, “Success is being happy with yourself and where you are going, and hopefully, having a positive impact on the people around you.”
Hartley concluded about “The Noel Diary,” “First of all, I want them to be entertained. I think that’s the main thing. Also, after you watch the film and leave your couch (since you are watching it from home), I hope it will inspire you to be kinder to people and forgive yourself and forgive other people, and not hold a grudge because grudges are a waste of time. Then, I hope they go back to the couch and re-watch the movie.”
To learn more about actor Justin Hartley, follow him on Instagram.
Markos Papadatos is Digital Journal’s Editor-at-Large for Music News. Papadatos is a Greek-American journalist and educator that has authored over 18,000 original articles over the past 16 years. He has interviewed some of the biggest names in music, entertainment, lifestyle, magic, and sports. He is a six-time consecutive “Best of Long Island” winner, and in the past three years, he was honored as the “Best Long Island Personality” in Arts & Entertainment, an honor that has gone to Billy Joel six times.
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Justin Hartley of 'This Is Us' talks about his new Netflix film and the digital age – Digital Journal
