Actor Jonathan Bennett has lauded the Hallmark Channel for its increasing representation of LGBTQ+ love stories, a journey he has been a part of since starring in the network's first same-sex couple movie, "The Christmas House," in 2020. Bennett, who came out as gay in 2017, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to share a "love story that looks like mine" with a wide audience.
"Growing up in Ohio, I never saw a love that looked like mine on screen, and so I knew that coming to like doing Hallmark movies and telling my love story, a love story that looks like mine, through that lens, was so important to me," Bennett told the Daily Mail. He noted the significant fan response to "The Christmas House" prompted Hallmark to produce more similar narratives.
Bennett will appear in the upcoming holiday film "Save The Date For Christmas" on December 20th, which he confirmed will feature an LGBTQ+ storyline alongside straight romance. "We got gay love. We got straight love. It's going to be a great movie," he stated.
Since coming out, Bennett has become an advocate for LGBTQ+ representation, often sharing his life with husband Jaymes Vaughn on social media. The couple married in 2022 after six years of dating.
In addition to his Hallmark work, Bennett is also a cast member on the long-running soap opera "General Hospital," playing Joe Fitzpatrick. He described the demanding filming schedule of the show, which tapes approximately 80 pages of dialogue daily, as "boot camp for actors." He contrasted this with Hallmark's typically three-week filming schedule for their movies.
Bennett is also fondly remembered for his role as Aaron Samuels in the 2004 film "Mean Girls." He mentioned that the cast of "Mean Girls" remains supportive of each other, though their interactions are now less frequent due to adult responsibilities.