What if you had the chance to explore outside your world to discover where you truly belonged? Would you thrill in the wonders of this new culture, or would you discover you had what you wanted all along?
That’s the dilemma facing our heroes in the UPtv original movie Love Finds You in Charm. Emma is a beautiful young Amish woman who reads Jane Austen novels and dreams of a world with airplanes and oceans. Kelly is an Englischer trying to escape a failed romance. Noah has seen both worlds and chosen where he truly belongs. The three become fast friends in the little Amish town of Charm, Ohio, as they take this journey of true love and self-discovery together.
This beautifully shot movie builds on the success of Love Finds You in Sugarcreek, the first wildly popular film in the franchise from UP. Based on the novel by bestselling author Annalisa Daughety, Love Finds You in Charm is filled with the strong values of the Amish faith and is brought to life by a stellar cast including Danielle Chuchran (Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat, Nowhere Safe), Tiffany Dupont (“The Bedford Diaries,” One Night with the King), and Drew Fuller (“Army Wives,” “Charmed”).
Trevor Donovan plays young Amish man Noah Weaver; Photo Courtesy of UP.
In this talented ensemble, perhaps no one holds their own better than Trevor Donovan. This talented actor who has graced the likes of “90210,” Surrogates, and most recently Texas Rising plays the role of Noah with strength, mystery, and yes, charm. His rugged good looks and small-town gentleness make him the perfect romantic lead for this Amish love story.
Sonoma Christian Home spoke with Trevor Donovan recently about his experience with the movie. Entertainment Editor Jonathan King reports.
SCH: What drew you to this project?
TD: The script. The script was beautiful. I was shooting a western in Mexico when I got the script, and it was a beautifully written love story. I had also seen some of Terry Cunningham’s (the director’s) past movies, and they were so visually stunning, I wanted to be a part of it.
Noah meets Emma (Danielle Chuchran) and begins to fall in love; Photo Courtesy of UP.
SCH: Tell us about your character in the movie, Noah Weaver.
TD: My character, Noah, is a young Amish man who you find out spent some time out in the world traveling a little bit and experiencing life outside the Amish community. On his own accord, he decided he belonged in the Amish community. So you see him as a very upstanding Amish man, but with a little experience under his belt. And so, having full knowledge of what’s out there, he knew he was exactly where he wanted to be. He’s very comfortable in his own skin. He’s just a young, upstanding Amish man.
Noah has traveled the world and knows where he belongs; Photo Courtesy of UP.
SCH: Portraying a member of the Amish community was a relatively new experience for you. Was there any special research involved in preparing for this role?
TD: With the Internet, you can get all the information you could possibly ask for. So of course I did a lot of research online about the Rumspringa and especially what Noah’s process was going out into the world. I wanted to see how the Amish community handled that season of his life. So most of the research I did online.
Then we shot in an Amish community, so during the shoot itself, I got to experience firsthand what the Amish community was like, and especially what being a young man in that community was like.
SCH: Is there anything you’ve learned working on this movie, either personally or professionally?
TD: As you pointed out, it’s a way of life and a culture that I was really unfamiliar with. What I respected and related with was their family values and working values of the Amish community. I myself grew up in the mountains in a very self-sufficient home. I wouldn’t call it a farm, but we had horses and ducks and chickens and geese, and we had a garden and made all our own food. So that was something I really loved about the experience itself and really enjoyed about their way of life.
Noah shows off his skill in the local fair’s wood-chopping competition; Photo Courtesy of UP.
SCH: Are there any special memories from working with the cast and crew?
TD: Oh, every day, I’m telling you! It was a pretty quick shoot, about three weeks, and Terry Cunningham was fantastic. We’re still very good friends. And Dani–Danielle, who played Emma–she’s so talented, and we’re also still friends. Working with Tiffany Dupont as well was amazing. The whole crew was amazing. It was a very enjoyable experience every single day. We had such a good time, and everyone on our project was so talented.
Trevor, Danielle, and Tiffany Dupont on the set of ‘Love Finds You in Charm’; Photo Courtesy of UP.
SCH: If the audience could take one thing away from this movie, what would you want it to be?
TD: Be true to yourself. I think that all the characters at the end of the story, you see so much happiness on their faces because they’ve found who they really are and truthfully what they want. And I think that that’s what Noah found out by going out into the world and coming back, and that’s what Emma was looking for ending up on the ranch. So step outside yourself and take a good look at what makes you happy and the life that you want to live.
Love Finds You in Charm, the second movie in the Love Finds You franchise, comes to UP this Sunday, June 7, at 7:00 pm EDT/6:00 pm PDT!
For more on this movie, check out Young Amish Woman Must Choose in ‘Love Finds You In Charm.’
To watch the trailer, check out Love Finds You in Charm – Official Trailer.
Follow Trevor Donovan on Twitter @TrevDon.
For more from this author, check out his website The Nerd King.
Love Trevor big fan since 90210 and earlier. Will watch him in whatever he does
Adore Trevor