Alison Sweeney Teases 'Room for Growth' Between Her, Victor Webster's Characters in NewHannah Swensen(Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Alison Sweeny and Victor Webster in ‘A Sprinkle Of Deceit: A Hannah Swensen Mystery’.Photo:Bettina Strauss/Hallmark Media

Bettina Strauss/Hallmark Media

Alison Sweeney and Victor Weber continue their chemistry in the latestHannah Swensenmovie,A Sprinkle of DeceitSweeney tells PEOPLE she thinks that “it’s obvious that Chad is interested” in Hannah despite their “adversarial relationship"“You just have to meet them all, take it all in and then ride the ride with us,” Sweeney teases of the latestHannah SwensenmysteryTheHannah Swensenmovies always feature a crime to be solved, but the newest installment in the Hallmark franchise,A Sprinkle of Deceit, also presents a mystery about Hannah and Chad’s future together.“It’s obvious that Chad is interested,”Alison Sweeney, who stars as Hannah oppositeVictor Webster’s Chad, tells PEOPLE. “Though I love that he’s such a block to her involving herself in these investigations. He doesn’t just hand over the info. I thought that was such a great adversarial relationship for them, even though they actually quite like each other. There’s definitely room for growth in this relationship.”A Sprinkle of Deceit: A Hannah Swensen Mysterysees Hannah and Chad take their own approach to solving a murder while also attempting to clear the name of a colleague who appears to be attached to the crime.“The whole setup is really fun,” Sweeney, 48, says. “Hannah is hosting Lonnie’s high school reunion party, and you get the sense of that you’re meeting all the players in their natural elements. You don’t get to know like, ‘Is that the person going to die?” Or, ‘Is that the person who’s the killer?’ You just have to meet them all, take it all in and then ride the ride with us and try to remember all the clues we laid in the beginning.”Sweeney admits that evenshedoesn’t always remember the clues while filming. “We film it out of order, so you get a little mixed up,” the actress says. “I’m like, ‘Wait, do I know this has happened yet?" Or, ‘Where am I?’ Luckily, we had a great director, Kevin Leslie, was keeping on top of all of that, and explaining some of those.”Alison Sweeney in ‘A Sprinkle Of Deceit: A Hannah Swensen Mystery’.Bettina Strauss/Hallmark MediaAfter doing 10Hannah Swensenmovies, Sweeney fancies herself somewhat of a novice detective like her character.“I listen to a lot of podcasts and watch a lot ofDateline, and I try to get clues,” she says. “And then with Hannah, I don’t want her to be the one using all the vernacular. She’s still a baker who figures this stuff out; I like to keep her, not the expert.”Sweeney’s sonBen, 19,worked on the setofA Zest for Death: A Hannah Swensen Mysteryin 2023, but he couldn’t pitch onA Sprinkle of Deceitdue to his school schedule. “He was back at school, so he couldn’t, but the whole crew said, ‘How’s he doing in school and in college?’” Sweeney says. “It was fun to have a bunch of people who know him so well and missed him. He had a great experience.”The Hallmark star did receive a special visit on set from another loved one. Sweeney teases that she enlisted “another Hallmark actress who is a dear friend of mine” for “a very fun cameo.”“I can’t wait for the fans to see her and freak out because it was such a funny thing for her to do,” Sweeney says.Later this month, Sweeney’s 30thHallmark movie,The Time Each Year, will debut on Hallmark Mystery after Hallmark kicks offits holiday programmingon Friday, Oct. 18.Despite her wide-ranging Hallmark resume, “I get recognized most for Hannah,” Sweeney says. “The other day, I met someone in the grocery store and she was quoting some of the movies back to me, her favorite lines from the movie, and it just was so cute.”As the Hallmark universe expands with sequels to fan-favorite movies and trilogies likeThe Wedding Veil, in which Sweeney starred alongsideLacey ChabertandAutumn Reeser, Sweeney teases a movie she would like to revisit. “I may be talking in the near future about something else that we’ve been working on,” she says.While Sweeney can’t give away too much just yet, “I am happy with whatever comes my way,” she says. “What I love about making Hallmark movies is the whole family can watch together, that it has something in it for everyone. This has been blessing.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.A Sprinkle of Deceit: A Hannah Swensen Mysterypremieres Friday, Oct. 4, at 9 p.m. ET on Hallmark Mystery.

TheHannah Swensenmovies always feature a crime to be solved, but the newest installment in the Hallmark franchise,A Sprinkle of Deceit, also presents a mystery about Hannah and Chad’s future together.

“It’s obvious that Chad is interested,”Alison Sweeney, who stars as Hannah oppositeVictor Webster’s Chad, tells PEOPLE. “Though I love that he’s such a block to her involving herself in these investigations. He doesn’t just hand over the info. I thought that was such a great adversarial relationship for them, even though they actually quite like each other. There’s definitely room for growth in this relationship.”

A Sprinkle of Deceit: A Hannah Swensen Mysterysees Hannah and Chad take their own approach to solving a murder while also attempting to clear the name of a colleague who appears to be attached to the crime.

“The whole setup is really fun,” Sweeney, 48, says. “Hannah is hosting Lonnie’s high school reunion party, and you get the sense of that you’re meeting all the players in their natural elements. You don’t get to know like, ‘Is that the person going to die?" Or, ‘Is that the person who’s the killer?’ You just have to meet them all, take it all in and then ride the ride with us and try to remember all the clues we laid in the beginning.”

Sweeney admits that evenshedoesn’t always remember the clues while filming. “We film it out of order, so you get a little mixed up,” the actress says. “I’m like, ‘Wait, do I know this has happened yet?" Or, ‘Where am I?’ Luckily, we had a great director, Kevin Leslie, was keeping on top of all of that, and explaining some of those.”

Alison Sweeney in ‘A Sprinkle Of Deceit: A Hannah Swensen Mystery’.Bettina Strauss/Hallmark Media

After doing 10Hannah Swensenmovies, Sweeney fancies herself somewhat of a novice detective like her character.

“I listen to a lot of podcasts and watch a lot ofDateline, and I try to get clues,” she says. “And then with Hannah, I don’t want her to be the one using all the vernacular. She’s still a baker who figures this stuff out; I like to keep her, not the expert.”

Sweeney’s sonBen, 19,worked on the setofA Zest for Death: A Hannah Swensen Mysteryin 2023, but he couldn’t pitch onA Sprinkle of Deceitdue to his school schedule. “He was back at school, so he couldn’t, but the whole crew said, ‘How’s he doing in school and in college?’” Sweeney says. “It was fun to have a bunch of people who know him so well and missed him. He had a great experience.”

The Hallmark star did receive a special visit on set from another loved one. Sweeney teases that she enlisted “another Hallmark actress who is a dear friend of mine” for “a very fun cameo.”

“I can’t wait for the fans to see her and freak out because it was such a funny thing for her to do,” Sweeney says.

Later this month, Sweeney’s 30thHallmark movie,The Time Each Year, will debut on Hallmark Mystery after Hallmark kicks offits holiday programmingon Friday, Oct. 18.

Despite her wide-ranging Hallmark resume, “I get recognized most for Hannah,” Sweeney says. “The other day, I met someone in the grocery store and she was quoting some of the movies back to me, her favorite lines from the movie, and it just was so cute.”

As the Hallmark universe expands with sequels to fan-favorite movies and trilogies likeThe Wedding Veil, in which Sweeney starred alongsideLacey ChabertandAutumn Reeser, Sweeney teases a movie she would like to revisit. “I may be talking in the near future about something else that we’ve been working on,” she says.

While Sweeney can’t give away too much just yet, “I am happy with whatever comes my way,” she says. “What I love about making Hallmark movies is the whole family can watch together, that it has something in it for everyone. This has been blessing.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

A Sprinkle of Deceit: A Hannah Swensen Mysterypremieres Friday, Oct. 4, at 9 p.m. ET on Hallmark Mystery.

source: people.com