Prerna Singh‘Sweet Autumn’ is a romantic drama that follows Maggie (Nikki DeLoach) and Dex (Andrew Walker) as they are brought together by the passing of Aunt Dee (Henriette Ivanans), who left them both her maple syrup candy business. Maggie returns to the town for the reading of her Aunt’s will when she learns that she has inherited half of her business and is introduced to the new owner of the other half, Dex. He was like a son to Aunt Dee and also the maple supplier to the business. Maggie and Dex must work together to figure out what Aunt Dee had in mind for her store as well as for both of them.
They gradually grow past their differences with time, but Maggie must decide if this is what she wants in life. Directed by Gary Yates, ‘Sweet Autumn’ is written by Tyler Straessle (‘The Good Place’) for Hallmark’s annual ‘Fall Harvest’ original movie lineup. Interestingly, both Nikki and Andrew have worked on three Hallmark films together. Originally written as a Christmas movie, ‘Sweet Autumn’ was quickly adapted to be made into a film for the fall. Curious to know whether it’s based on a true event? Let’s find out!
Is Sweet Autumn Based on a True Story?
No, ‘Sweet Autumn’ is not based on a true story. However, it does have a personal touch, courtesy of the two leads – Nikki and Andrew. Since Andrew Walker joined the cast just before they began filming, he did not have much time to rehearse or prepare for his role. However, since he has worked with DeLoach and Gary Yates multiple times, he found it to be a smooth process. Both the actors had a close relationship with the characters as well as the script itself, and they managed to find something that personally stuck with them.
In different interviews, Nikki DeLoach has brought up how much she loved the idea of Aunt Dee as a person. She was intuitive and had a vision for her store, her niece, and her friend. The fact that Aunt Dee leaves Maggie and Dex letters is something that DeLoach resonated with and expressed that she would love to do that for her children. She felt that leaving letters was a way for Aunt Dee to be remembered and also gave Maggie and Dex a little nudge towards new adventures in life.
Similarly, Andrew Walker recalled a special person in his life, whom he had a similar relationship with as he did with Aunt Dee. This particular person and her husband were like grandparents to him and his siblings. Bringing in the emotions with authenticity was much easier for his character because of this.
The actors have also shared that the filming was a collaborative process where they had a significant influence on the script, for which they worked with Yates.
Many of the scenes had to be re-written while they were being filmed to ensure that the whole story connected well and made sense. One such example was the pivotal scene where Maggie and Dex are sitting by the fire pit, making smores. The actors particularly re-wrote a lot of it themselves, which is why filming the scene felt so organic and natural to the characters.
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