Need a Little Lift on This Valentine's Day Weekend? Let "Elevator Girl" on the Hallmark Channel Give You a Love Boost!
By: Susan J. Yeager
Nobody knows romance quite like Hallmark, so it's no surprise that their original movie that premieres the day before Valentine's Day gets everything right. "Elevator Girl" is an enjoyable love story about how two complete opposites attract while stuck in an elevator and what happens when they try to fall in love outside of the box and in the real world. The movie stars Lacey Chabert who a lot of remember as Claudia from "Party of Five," and Ryan Merriman who has also been on film and TV sets for much of his life. The two have grown up beautifully and are effortlessly transitioning into adult roles like the ones they dissolve into in "Elevator Girl."
On this page, we will tell you everything that you need to know about this film that premieres on the Hallmark Channel at 9:00PM (8:00PM Central) on Saturday, February 13. We'll give you a behind-the-scenes look (courtesy of Hallmark) and we talk with Ryan Merriman about everything from growing up in the business, to his co-star to getting into character and, of course, about the car he drives in the film.
You don't have to wait any longer… read all about "Elevator Girl" below.
What We Know About the Movie...
Jonathan MacIntyre is a thirty year old corporate lawyer who is on the fast track to success. Having just made partner at his widely successful law firm, (an honor usually reserved for much older lawyers with more experience) his life seems to be in total order. There's just one thing missing… the perfect woman to be in love with and to love him back.
He isn't the only one who has noticed this missing piece. His secretary, Rosemary, pulls double duty as his assistant and mother-figure and really wants Jonathan to be happy. His best friend Nick, another lawyer at the firm, sees Jonathan with a career type woman who will fit it at the business dinners and company picnics.
But fate has different plans for Jonathan. Heading to a party to celebrate his recent promotion to partner, he holds the elevator door for a beautiful woman named Libby and the two are trapped together when the elevator suddenly gets stuck. With nothing to do but talk, the strangers start getting more acquainted. There's no denying the sparks that start flying.
Before Jonathan can ask her out, the elevator begins to move and they reach their destination. Jonathan is surprised to find that Libby is actually part of the kitchen staff that is working his party. Embarrassed that he bonded with "the help," he ignores her for the rest of the night.
Check out a promo for the movie below!
While back at work, he can't seem to get the free-spirited Libby off his mind, a fact that the well-intentioned Rosemary notices. Nick, on the other hand, is appalled that someone as successful as Jonathan is even entertaining the idea of asking out a waitress, and sets Jonathan up with Cynthia, a well-educated Marketing VP. She's nice enough, but there are no sparks.
That doesn't stop Nick from convincing Jonathan to host a dinner party and invite Cynthia. Unbeknownst to her boss, Rosemary hires Libby to cater the dinner party. Jonathan is surprised and happy when Libby shows up at his door. He sincerely apologizes for his behavior the night they met, and sweet Libby accepts it. The two head out after the party and continue to get to know each other better.
Even though they are complete opposites, Libby and Jonathan really enjoy spending time together. Unfortunately, their friends just don't get it and continually tell them that the relationship is a bad idea. When Jonathan starts to miss important business calls because he is spending time with Libby, he begins to wonder if Nick is right.
Can a free spirit with no certain career and a well-structured, career oriented professional find a way to make love work? Can this couple who are so good for each other find their way back to each other? We encourage you to check out this Hallmark original on Saturday, February 13 at 9:00PM (EST) to find out!
This movie poses some great questions about how much we let the people around us determine what is best for us. Sometimes the best thing for us is to listen to our heart and follow where it leads!
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the film below!
Meet Ryan Merriman
Chances are fans of any entertainment genre have seen Ryan Merriman a time or two. Disney Channel fans know him as the kid from their original movies like "The Luck of the Irish" and "Smart House." Horror movie enthusiasts have watched him fear for his life in movies such as "The Ring Two" and "Final Destination 3." His career has been going strong for over a decade and the range of roles he's played is a testament to the amount of talent the Oklahoma native possesses.
This Valentine's Day weekend, Ryan is trying on a new kind of challenge. For the first time in his career, he'll play an actual adult in the Hallmark Channel's original movie "Elevator Girl." It's a transition so seamless… viewers probably won't even notice (especially those who feel old because his co-star Lacey Chabert is so grown up, as well and we are still accustomed to her as the precocious pre-teen "Claudia" on Party of Five). Hollywood, however, will and should take note that they have a capable new leading man in their midst.
For Ryan, getting into acting was something to do between sports activities in Oklahoma. "I started off in Oklahoma doing local theater, commercials… just kind of for fun," he tells us of his early days "in the business." "I always thought that it'd be fun, in between my sports. My poor Mom, she had to run me from soccer to baseball to tap dance to jazz and all that. I guess it really started when I started taking acting classes in Oklahoma. Then I did some plays. I did the Philharmonic and the Christmas Story. Then I got a manager in Texas. My first pilot season, I booked a pilot and then a series. I've been blessed. That's for sure."
His parents tried their best to support whatever their son wanted to do. "They always encouraged me," he points out quickly. "They didn't discourage me. My Dad was always like 'All right, we'll see how it works.' My Mom was totally in to it… very supportive. Thank God it worked out. I've been doing it for thirteen years now. So I can't complain."
Ryan's first big gig was a show called "The Mommies" on NBC. "Then I went right into 'The Pretender' for another three or four seasons," he says of his time on the small screen. "My first big feature was this thing with Dennis Quaid. It was his directorial debut. It was called 'Everything That Rises.' So I went from TV to this super drama. I just felt like that was more my style… the serious kind of stuff. I did "Lansky" for HBO. It just kind of snowball effects, the more you do… the more you work. I've been really blessed in my career."
Playing the romantic lead in a family oriented TV movie was a good next step for the actor who has been married to his high school sweetheart, Micol, for over five years. "'Elevator Girl' is actually my first role where I got to play my age," he begins when the conversation turns toward the movie and his character "Jonathan MacIntyre." "I got to play a young lawyer. He's all about business, this guy Jonathan. He's suit and tie every day… always on time. [He's] always trying to get ahead in life… microwaves all his food. [He] doesn't have time for girlfriends. I meet Libby who is the exact opposite. She's a masseuse slash dance instructor slash artist. She's very unfocused. So she's the total opposite of me. We end up getting stuck in the elevator and that's how we kind of fall into each other's hands."
"Eventually, I think she's too immature," he continues. "She thinks I'm too mature so we separate. In the end, we find out that we actually make each other better," he says summing up the story.
Ryan didn't have to go very far to look for inspiration for his role. He knows a guy named Bill Sky, an entertainment lawyer, who is a lot like "Jonathan." "He is the epitome of my character," Ryan contends. "[He] drives a 5 Series Beamer. He's always on the phone making deals. [He's] very smart! I'm pretty much the exact opposite of that. I'm very carefree. I like to have fun. I'm always on time! I will say that, but I'm definitely not the kind of guy that wakes up and checks his email. So, just talking to him… and the script was written really well," he says about researching this particular role.
"The director, Bradford May, such a cool guy!" Ryan comments while giving credit where credit is due. "We always talked about the scenes, ran through them all, what was comfortable… what wasn't. So if something didn't work for us, he would change it. He really made it work in the end."
He's also very quick to praise his leading lady, Lacey, though the two had never met prior to being cast in "Elevator Girl." "The funny thing is… we've both been in the business since we were infants basically, and we'd never met. I always enjoyed her work. She's such a sweetheart," he says sincerely. "Actually, my friend Mary Elizabeth Winstead who I did 'Final Destination 3' with, she did 'Black Christmas' with Lacey. So I called her and was like 'Hey, I'm doing a movie with Lacey.' She was like 'Oh my God, she's so sweet!' [She's] such a pro and so nice. We actually had really good chemistry. We got a long really well."
Ryan has worked with some of the most notable names in the entertainment industry. We asked for a run down of who has left the biggest impression on him. "I would guess I'd start off with working with Dennis Quaid. He kind of taught me the ropes early," Ryan answers without hesitation. "Stanley Tucci, I did a movie with him and Dana Delaney. He was amazing… a really good guy. [He] really cared about what you were thinking in a scene. He directs as well, so it was nice to work with him. My latest film that I did right before 'Elevator Girl' is called 'Fifth Quarter. 'I worked with Aidan Quinn. He's just so cool… so artistic. It's nice to be around that. It's like a breath of fresh air."
"Jamie Redford actually directed 'Spin,' the one I did with Stanley Tucci. So I got to meet his father at Sundance when we did a little preview there. I got to meet him which was unbelievable! I could barely talk. He's always been one of my big idols. He and Newman were like two of my favorites!"
So hypothetically, if Ryan could star in any movie ever made which roles would he choose? It's the first question that requires him to pause for serious thought. "To be honest, if I could go back… I would love to be 'Top Gun.' I'd love to be 'Maverick.' That's one of my favorite movies of all time. Just to be a part of 'Cool Hand Luke…' that'd be cool. 'Snatch!' 'Snatch' is one of my favorite movies. I'm actually good friends with Vinnie Jones. I love that film! I love all of Brad Pitt's movies. 'Fight Club.' They're so many good roles out there. If I could pick one genre… it would have to be a 'Bourne Supremacy' kind of thing. Like a 'Jason Bourne' thing. That would be epic for me. I would love that. I love gritty, action, drama. I love that stuff!"
Having spent so many years in front of the camera, does Ryan ever think about moving behind the camera and trying his hand at directing? "I always said 'I could never direct. No! No! No!' he begins. "The more I work; I think creatively, I would have fun directing. I would definitely need a really good DP and a really good editor to work with me. But I think I would like to direct one of these days. But it would have to be something that I starred in or was involved with in the beginning. I would be too scared to just hop on a project and direct."
He doesn't have a lot of time off but when he does… you're likely to find Ryan with a club but not at one! "I work out a lot," he says about what he does in his free time. "I do this certain kind of work out called Crossfit. It's like a military style work out. It's amazing. Check it out if you ever get a chance. Crossfit.com. I do that. I love to play golf. I play golf two or three times a week. I'm a huge golfer. I also love to just go to the movies by myself and just kind of catch up on what's going on. I'm not like a 'club-y, out party' kind of guy. Don't get me wrong, I love to shoot pool and drink some beer…"
You're not likely to find him on any social networking computer sites anytime soon either. Though he does have an official Web site to keep his fans informed, (see www.RyanMerrimanweb.com) he would rather spend time with friends and loved ones face to face instead of through a computer screen. "I have a great Web site that my fans can go to that I update all the time… pictures, what I'm up to, news articles. I don't have a Myspace. I don't have a twitter account. I don't have Facebook. I'm not that kind of guy. Most of my friends are annoyed because they try to text me… or email me and I'm like 'Just call me!' I'm a phone guy man. I'm old school. Let's go grab some lunch and talk in person."
There are a couple of "new" projects that Ryan's fans are anxious to see. "I did this movie a while ago with Haley Joel Osment called 'Home of the Giants.' It's coming out, finally, on DVD, April 9. And the movie I did with Aidan Quinn and Andy McDowell… it's called 'Fifth Quarter.' It's a true story about the Wake Forest football team. In '06, one of their key players, Jon Abbate, his brother got killed in a car accident and he changed his number to honor his little brother. And every fourth quarter, he would raise up five fingers for Luke to his Mom and Dad. Towards the end of the year, the whole stadium started catching on. They kept winning. It's an amazing story but it's all true. It's pretty cool. I don't know when it's coming out. Hopefully, within this year. You'll cry," Ryan assures us. "My wife cried the whole movie. I was like 'Honey… stop! It's okay! I'm right here!'"
With all of my questions checked off my list, I ask Ryan if there is anything I forgot to ask about. Silly me. We didn't talk about his car in "Elevator Girl." "Check out my car in 'Elevator Girl,'" he says laughing. "That's pretty sweet! I got to drive this $120,000 Mercedes. It was an SL63 drop top. It was gorgeous!" "Did they actually let you drive it?" I ask. "Oh yeah!" he says enthusiastically. "I wasn't letting it happen without me… trust me! I was like 'how bout we just give me the car and you guys can keep the money?' That would be a fair trade."
I guess that is one of the perks of playing a character like "Jonathan" I suggest. "That was like the biggest upside to be honest," Ryan confesses. "I got to play a young, successful lawyer. I got tons of cool suits and a nice car. To get to work with Lacey and actually be romantic for once instead of running for my life or screaming at someone… it was nice."
So he didn't get to keep the car but does he keep anything from his roles to remember them by? "I've collected every chair back from every movie I've done," he says in reference to the director chairs that a lot of sets have for cast and crew. "It will say 'Ryan Merriman' on the front and then the movie or sometimes they say 'cast.' Every chair back I've had, I collected. I got 'em up on my wall. It's pretty cool. I'm proud of them. Whenever I'm feeling down or I didn't get a meeting that I wanted, I go in there and look at my chair backs. I'm like 'Hey Man… you're doing all right.'"
"That's the hardest part about this business… is mental. It weighs on you after awhile," he says seriously. "If you don't work for four or five months it's like 'goodness… when's it going to happen again?' Sure enough… right when you're at your breaking point, something great happens!"
Right now you can catch Ryan in "Elevator Girl" on the Hallmark Channel and what comes next is anyone's guess. What you can be sure of is Ryan will approach whatever it is with the one hundred percent dedication that he has applied to his career for more than a decade. Whether the character he plays drives an expensive car or hitch-hikes across the country, you won't care. He's proven to be one actor that no matter what form of transportation or role he's in… you'll want to go along for the ride.
