Why Katie Cassidy and Stephen Huszar kept their romance a secret
Kate Cassidy And Stephen Huszar revealed why they kept their blossoming romance a secret while filming their new Hallmark movie, Christmas of the Royal Family.
“Us clear [were] professional and kept it that way. However, I felt like it was almost like there was a layer because he and I knew this secret thing that no one else knew,” Cassidy, 36, told Exclusive Us weekly while promoting the movie. “And we could let our guard down when our characters had to and let space collapse. I almost feel like that added some type of element to it. We just couldn’t help it.”
The twosome star side-by-side in the holiday movie, which premieres Saturday, July 8 and is part of Hallmark’s Christmas in July event. The story follows Ava (Cassidy) as she accepts the offer of a lifetime to work at the Royal Ice Hotel, where she finds herself in a surprising whirlwind romance with the most important guest of all: Prince Henry (Huszar).
As the pair began shooting the film as strangers, sparks quickly began to fly — “If there’s chemistry, it’s just there,” Cassidy explained of her direct connection to Huszar.
“It is definitely important to keep it professional. Like we did, but you know, feelings come up,” Huszar agreed. “And personally for me, it just allows me to land a little bit more in the truth. I mean, obviously our job is to be as truthful as possible in these surreal, unreal circumstances. But if something really truthful is triggered in you, of course that helps.
Cassidy – she confirmed that and the Chesapeake Shores alum is a real-life item earlier this month — remembered first meeting her beau and hesitating to work closely with another “beautiful Canadian, really attractive” actor “named Stephen.” (Cassidy starred opposite the Canadian native Stephen Amell on The CWs Arrow from 2012 to 2015 as Laurel Lance. She later returned as Black Canary.)
‘But Stephen [Amell] was like a brother to me. Then I don’t know, it was like being in my own world after the first week,” she shared Uswho said they were Huszar’s crystal bracelets – ‘I am very attracted to them [crystals]she explained — it made her wonder if something more was blossoming between them. “I was like, ‘Wait a minute. What do you know about this and why do you have this? There’s something going on here,'” she said.
“I remember there was a scene in the barn where I was literally looking at him, and that was the moment for me. I’m not joking. I’m leaning on the table so to speak and he says his lines and I just love, I think I’m about to fall over,” she gushed, admitting that she and Huszar later realized that they were first starting to care for each other. fall “30 seconds apart” while filming “the same scene.”
Cassidy added that the lovebirds also bonded over their sense of humor after making fun of Huszar with the rest of the cast and crew. “I made everyone [on set] start talking in a British accent on set,” she shared Us, smiling. “So I think maybe my British accent was a bit charming. And I also told everyone that they couldn’t call anymore [him] Stephen. They had to call [him] Prince Hendrik.”
After filming wrapped — and the romance blossomed — the pair enjoyed some one-on-one time together, traveling the world. “We had just arrived in Europe. We were also in New Zealand and in Australia,” Huszar shared. Cassidy noted that the duo actually lost their luggage during the escape, but still managed to fly to different locations.
While Huszar revealed that there will be “more travel” in the couple’s future, they are currently taking the summer to unwind – and enjoy their love. “[It’s] sink in a little [in] probably followed by some travel now and then,” he said.
A royal Christmas crush premieres on Hallmark Saturday, July 8 at 8 p.m. ET.