Rhiannon Fish has starred in many Hallmark films, but as she shared with me in a phone interview, A Costa Rican Wedding is one of her all-time favorites.
Rhiannon stars as Emily, the maid of honor at her best friend Phoebe’s wedding. Her ex-boyfriend, Shane, recently dumped her, and she wants the wedding to be perfect since she’s been crashing at Phoebe’s ever since.
In A Costa Rican Wedding, Emily deals with Phoebe’s family, who thinks she’s accident-prone and will ruin the wedding. She’s horrified when a monkey takes off with the wedding bands and has to turn to her arch-rival Ryan (Christopher Russell), a local tour guide, to help her find them.
( Johnson Production Group/ Hallmark Media)
Throughout the film, being stranded in a lush rainforest helps the two discuss the issues in their relationship.
Rhiannon shared that she loved the film mainly because they filmed on-site in Costa Rica.
“Going to Costa Rica was magical, and it made so much of shooting the film so immersive. We used real animals like a real spider, a real tarantula, and a real snake. “
Of course, all the waterfalls and scenery are real as well, so it meant that filming it felt incredibly real. Hopefully, for the audience, it feels like an escape to the magical place that Costa Rica is.”
(Johnson Production Group/ Hallmark Media)
Rhiannon added that she had been in films that used films that used CGI for waterfalls, so it made her appreciate the real-life scenery more.
“I did a movie for the Great American Family called A Royal in Paradise, and they used CGI for a waterfall, so they do it for these movies, but it was awesome that we could be there and shoot at the actual places.”
Rhiannon shared that working with the monkeys was entertaining, and they were entertaining and would do anything for lots of bananas.
“To get the monkeys to grab the backpack, we smeared so much banana on those backpacks. They snatched the map out of my pocket. They’re adorable. If you give them a banana, they will do anything for the camera you want them to do.”
“They were very sweet, and there were so many of them. One of my favorite parts of the movie is all the real wildlife we show the audience.”
(Johnson Production Group/ Hallmark Media)
Rhiannon thinks that many viewers will relate to Emily’s struggle to be perfect and feel like she doesn’t measure up.
“I think all of us navigate those feelings. Even with my many jobs, there was a moment of imposter syndrome when I first got there. I hope they haven’t made a mistake in casting me. That comes from wanting to do the best I can.”
I relate to Emily in that she’s just constantly trying her absolute best. But like we see with Emily, sometimes chaos ensues when you’re trying hard to make everything perfect.”
Rhiannon loved her experience in Costa Rica so much that she would love to return there one day for a destination wedding.
(Johnson Production Group/ Hallmark Media)
“I would love to get married in Costa Rica. I thought it was beautiful while shooting the movie. I don’t have enough nice things to say about the people and the culture of Costa Rica. It’s just absolutely magical.” she gushed.
“Their philosophy is Pura Vida. We talk about it a lot in the film, and it seems to be how the people live their lives.
“It’s about living a simple life and appreciating life’s treasures. It’s a beautiful way to live. I certainly saw people living that way while we were there.”
I think Hallmark has made some cool changes in a very positive, inclusive way. At the same time, they are still honoring what is at the heart of the hallmark, which is, of course, just a channel that’s built on love.
Rhiannon Fish
It was so much fun chatting with Rhiannon. After she finished gushing about Costa Rica, we discussed why Emily disliked Ryan (Christopher Russell).
As she shared, it was a mistake; she thinks he doesn’t like her, and it’s more cyclical. Rhiannon liked A Costa Rican Wedding because the conflict between the leading characters made sense.
(Johnson Production Group/ Hallmark Media)
“Ryan has had this long-running crush on Emily. To sidestep that and keep nobody the wiser, he was a little cold to her.
“She interpreted that as him not liking her and, therefore, didn’t like him. As you can assume in a Hallmark movie, the characters resolve that conflict and find much more than friendship.”
We also discussed how enjoyable Hallmark’s Summer Nights have been and what Rhiannon appreciates about being part of the network.
“I think Hallmark has made some cool changes in a very positive, inclusive way. At the same time, they are still honoring what is at the heart of the hallmark, which is, of course, just a channel that’s built on love.
“Now we’re also getting to do all these cool destination movies on top of it. So, it truly is a dream network to be a part of.”
(Johnson Production Group/ Hallmark Media)
Rhiannon lavished praise on her former costars, saying she loved working with Tyler Hynes and would enjoy working together again. She and Hunter King became fast friends working together on Nikki & Nora: Sister Sleuths. “But Chris Russell really took the cake,” she stated.
“He is just such a professional and kind person, and he challenged me in ways as an actor that made our performances come together in a very grounded way, which is ultimately the goal. I hope I get the opportunity to work with him again. He’s the best.”
Rhiannon was enthusiastic about her upcoming projects, which included more Nikki & Nora: Sister Sleuths films.
“We have two more Nikki & Nora: Sister Sleuths in the pipeline. Unfortunately, they got a little thrown to the side because we had the writer’s and the actor’s strikes. Hopefully, we can get to shooting those two movies soon.”
“I also have A Royal Proposal: A Prince in Paradise II, which is the sequel to A Prince in Paradise I did for Great American Family, which is coming out at Christmas time.”
(Johnson Production Group/ Hallmark Media)
Rhiannon hopes that viewers will escape to A Costa Rican Wedding with her and immerse themselves in the scenery and the love story.
“It’s a moment where you can turn your mind off and be whisked away to the heaven on earth that Costa Rica is. Hopefully, viewers can be whisked away to a beautiful love story between these two characters.”
“It’s also got a lot of comedy mixed in there. It’s going to be an immersive experience for the audience.”
“If there is one thing people take away from the movie, it’s that if they can visit Costa Rica, I can’t recommend it enough. It’s the most magical place in the world.”
To see if Emily rescues Phoebe’s wedding rings and fixes the misunderstanding she had with Ryan, you’ll need to watch A Costa Rican Wedding, where you’ll appreciate their effortless chemistry.
A Costa Rican Wedding transports you to the island along with the guests, as you experience lush rainforests, overflowing waterfalls, and lots of wildlife.
A Costa Rican Wedding premieres on the Hallmark Channel on Saturday, August 17 at 8/7.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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