{"id":2160385,"date":"2025-11-16T18:42:12","date_gmt":"2025-11-16T18:42:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2160385"},"modified":"2025-11-16T18:42:12","modified_gmt":"2025-11-16T18:42:12","slug":"three-wisest-men-stars-reflect-on-breaking-norms-of-hallmark-films","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/three-wisest-men-stars-reflect-on-breaking-norms-of-hallmark-films\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Wisest Men Stars Reflect on Breaking ‘Norms\u2019 of Hallmark Films"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Three Wisest Men stars Paul Campbell<\/strong> <\/a>and Tyler Hynes<\/strong> <\/a>are proud of how they\u2019ve challenged the norms of typical Hallmark movie structure over the years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reason that people keep coming back to these movies \u2014 largely as much as they\u2019re fun \u2014 is because they do reflect the human experience,\u201d Campbell, 46, exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of the film\u2019s Saturday, November 15, premiere. \u201cAnd those are very real things. We\u2019ve sort of taken the gloss off of it and the polish, and we go, \u2018Actually, life is messy and it\u2019s imperfect, and it doesn\u2019t have to fit into this neat little box and family.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The actor, who cowrote all three Wise Men films alongside fellow Hallmark star Kimberly Sustad<\/strong>, noted that the duo were aiming to tell a \u201creally human, relatable story\u201d to the audience. \u201cThese characters are not living perfectly, but they\u2019re doing their best,\u201d he explained. \u201cAnd I think that\u2019s why people enjoy these movies so much.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Three Wise Men trilogy premiered in 2022 with Campbell, Hynes and Andrew Walker<\/strong> in the lead<\/a> roles as brothers Stephan, Taylor and Luke Brenner, who find their lives in disarray when Luke brings home a baby that was abandoned at the fire station. With the help of their mother, Barbara (Margaret Colin<\/strong>), the trio navigate how to balance their messy personal lives with raising a child.<\/p>\n

The film quickly became Hallmark\u2019s most-watched movie of the year, spawning follow up Three Wiser Men and a Boy in 2024 and the most recent Three Wisest Men, which will serve as the trilogy\u2019s final installment<\/a>. The franchise has become known for its boundary-pushing stories, with the first film finding empathy and compassion for an overwhelmed and down-on-her-luck mom who not only returns for redemption \u2014 but ends up falling in love with Walker\u2019s character, Luke.<\/p>\n

The third film is no different, integrating progressive story lines like that of Hynes\u2019 Taylor, who is torn on whether he should move to San Francisco with his girlfriend, Caroline (Erin Karpluk<\/strong>). The two are not engaged or married \u2014 something that has historically been mandatory for couples to live together in the world of Hallmark \u2014 but does feel reflective of reality.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe really try to humanize these characters<\/a>,\u201d Campbell shared of choosing to have Taylor and Caroline move in before wedlock. \u201cAnd not everybody waits until they\u2019re married to move in, that\u2019s not accurate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Campbell and Hynes said it was Sustad, 38, who was adamant in providing an \u201caccurate depiction of the humanity\u201d for audiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile we were shooting and Paul was sleeping because he worked such long hours, she was fighting for these characters and helping clarify these points,\u201d Hynes, 39, told Us. \u201cAnd it\u2019s because of Kim that any of this stuff that we\u2019re talking about happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Three<\/div>\n

\u00a92025 Hallmark Media\/Photographer:\u00a0Craig Minielly<\/span><\/p>\n

Campbell added that to the network\u2019s credit, Hallmark \u2014 who has been applauded for its progress in diversity and inclusion over the past years \u2014 was \u201creally good\u201d about letting the Three Wise Men franchise \u201cpush the envelope of what maybe they\u2019ve been comfortable with historically, or what their audience is comfortable with sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that while \u201cnot everybody\u2019s going to love that story line, Hallmark has been really great<\/a> about letting us tell that because it\u2019s necessary to sort of diversify in the way that we tell stories and be more inclusive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Campbell also credited Hynes, Walker, 46, and the rest of the cast for their \u201cincredible contribution\u201d and support in telling stories that feel honest, noting that \u201ceverybody shows up with 1,000 percent, and that\u2019s the only way this movie makes sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hynes, however, refused to let Campbell get by without singing his praises. He pointed out that the actor has a \u201ccrazy job\u201d of constructing the entire project \u2014 and making sure it\u2019s something special \u2014 before then taking center stage as one of the main characters.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a job that isn\u2019t exactly easy after three consecutive movies.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is the MVP of these movies. Without a doubt, he is the centerpiece of it all,\u201d Hynes gushed. \u201cHe takes on the burden of building the world and evolving these characters, which they do feel evolved, and then making it feel fresh and not stale and like we\u2019re just phoning it in. That\u2019s really hard to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also applauded Campbell for providing so much \u201copen conversation\u201d and \u201cfluidity\u201d on set, figuring out what works and doesn\u2019t in the moment.<\/p>\n

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