Candace Cameron Bure made her movie debut on the Great American Family television network this holiday season — and she could not be more thrilled over the partnership.
“I love that we are bringing stories of faith,” the actress, 48, exclusively told Us Weekly on Thursday, November 21, while promoting her Great American Christmas movies. “We have ones that aren’t about faith and more in the traditional rom-com space, but our viewers really want messages that are more meaningful.”
Cameron Bure added that the fans “love” the religious aspects of the network’s programming — especially for people who commemorate the pious significance of Christmas.
“We know the reason we celebrate Christmas is because of the birth of Christ,” she said. “I’ve made tons of [movies] that don’t ever mention the real meaning of Christmas. So just the fact that we mention God or there’s a scripture or there’s a biblical message that might be a proverb, someone might hear it and go, ‘Oh, that’s really good advice.’ They might not realize it comes from the Bible, but we love putting that in the movies.”
Before joining Great American Family, Cameron Bure was a long-time star for Hallmark. In April 2022, the actress announced she was parting ways with Hallmark and pivoting to Great American Media. In addition to starring in their projects, Cameron Bure also signed on to oversee and curate the network’s programming.
Cameron Bure’s shocking departure caused a lot of backlash. While she has defended her decision on multiple occasions, she said she wasn’t surprised by the negative response to the news.
“Hallmark has been so loved for so many years, and I loved working there. So it’s like, how can you leave?” she told Us. “And it’s just like, well, things grow and things change and there are new chapters, and I love that I’m getting to build a new network and one that truly carries a message that’s more meaningful for me personally.”
While Cameron Bure is happy at Great American Family, there are a few of her Hallmark characters that she does admit she misses. One in particular is Aurora Teagarden. However, Cameron Bure has created a similar character for Great American Family’s Ainsley McGregor Mysteries, which features a few familiar faces behind the scenes.
“And the crazy thing is, even with Aurora, it’s many of the same crew and people that I’ve worked with,” she said. “They’re still all working on the new ones, so maybe some new faces on camera, but behind the scenes, this is still my family.”
Cameron Bure appears in two Christmas movies for Great American Family this year. Her first one, A Christmas Less Traveled, premiered earlier this month. Her second feature, titled Home Sweet Christmas, drops on Sunday, December 1. The movie also stars fellow Hallmark alum Cameron Mathison.
“What I loved about [Home Sweet Christmas] is that we play childhood friends and we were best friends when we were kids that get separated, years go by and then they come back together because my great uncle has passed and he left both of us his Maple Sugar farm, which is so Christmas,” she shared. “But it just felt fresh in that they’ve been friends forever and get reunited and then develop their friendship all over again and remember what they really loved about each other.”
In addition to her holiday films, Cameron Bure is also helping launch Great American Family’s Christmas Festival in New York City. The immersive experience, which will be held from November 22 to December 29 at the UBS Arena, will include a variety of holiday activities for the whole family to enjoy.
Home Sweet Christmas premieres on Great American Family on Sunday, December 1.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
