It’s typically laborious to think about that actors you see on display are identical to you and me, nevertheless it’s actually true, and no person is a greater instance of normalcy in extraordinary circumstances than Tyler Hynes.
For those who’re already a fan, this isn’t information to you. It’s possible you’ll be part of his social media circle, which incorporates frequent visits from the proficient man, as he not solely connects with those that maintain him pricey but in addition enjoys it.
Many proficient professionals within the leisure discipline will inform you that bringing pleasure to others is why they do the work, however Tyler takes it a step additional by being so extremely linked.
When he says, “I simply wish to stay life with good individuals, see if I can do some good and make some people presumably just a little glad,” he couldn’t be extra honest.
With that perspective, it’s no shock that Tyler jumped on the alternative to work with Hallmark at the side of the Make Her Mark Ladies’s Directing Program to convey to life Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe’s dream to direct a movie.
You understand Crystal from considered one of Hallmark’s most profitable franchises: Signed, Sealed, Delivered, the place she performed Rita, an absolute gem of a personality working with the postal service to reunite misplaced mail with its meant recipients.
Previous to directing Shifting Gears, Crystal bought her toes moist with a number of brief movies, however engaged on a feature-length film with the total assist of the Hallmark community of pros behind her is an actual enhance.
Tyler and Crystal had labored collectively earlier than for one more manufacturing firm on a film with an analogous really feel to Shifting Gears, and Tyler was honored to have the chance to be there for her function directorial debut.
“One of many first issues I would stated to her was, ‘Simply attempt to get pleasure from this second since you’ll by no means get to have it once more. That is the primary movie that you just’re ever making, and I do know there’s most likely quite a lot of stress that you just would possibly really feel,’ however what I knew inside the first dialog that we had is that she would simply do a stunning job.
“My want was that she would simply actually get pleasure from herself and attempt to take as a lot of the expertise together with her in order that she has that reminiscence as a result of she’ll by no means have that one once more,” Tyler tells TV Fanatic.
Tyler loved watching her work, which she did “gracefully and with quite a lot of enthusiasm,” one thing he attributes to spending her life in entrance of the digital camera. “Her superpower was being a performer herself.”
Speaking about his time on set, Tyler stated he didn’t get behind the cameras a lot to see the way it was going, however his mom visited the set to “add some chaos to the combination.” He laughed, “I’m positive they have been heckling and judging me again there.”
Having so many Hallmark veterans concerned with making Shifting Gears was helpful to the method, and it additionally allowed everybody to loosen up and have some enjoyable.
“It appeared prefer it was a stunning enjoyable setting the place everyone was simply kind of pressure and lending ideas, however being respectful of Crystal having her area to have the ability to really be the captain of the ship, and simply being a assist system wherever wanted as she goes by this kind of first expertise.”
“It appeared like they have been having a celebration again there. It appeared like that scene in The Muppets the place there are individuals up within the tower, and there are two of them, they usually’re bickering and stuff. It is form of like that the place you’d do a scene, after which it could simply be silent, and also you would not know what’s occurring.
“After which, sooner or later somebody would go, ‘Oh, yeah, lower,’ as a result of they’re sitting there, yimmer-yammering about no matter we had simply carried out.” These of us who watch TV and movie really feel that magic, as entertainers and behind-the-scenes expertise convey us limitless hours of pleasure by their laborious work.
One other factor that makes Tyler so relatable is his work-life ethic.
He’s been performing since he was a toddler, and in 2023, he captured consideration along with his experimental movie expertise Chimera, however he doesn’t have aspirations to direct. “I feel definitely the world doesn’t want extra Tyler,” he quipped. “We have now fairly sufficient as it’s, maybe an excessive amount of.”
After I bedded to vary, he defined, “I feel there are pretty individuals who already do that job. If I have been to ever try this, it could be hopefully to serve some kind of function and elevate one thing or maybe supply one thing and never simply be indulgent into my very own narcissism.
“I feel it could be one thing that, after other people have their alternative and everyone who’s already so proficient who’s doing it could have their crack at it, perhaps sometime.
“However for now, I am very glad to be the contributor, if not the anvil that’s sinking individuals all the way down to the underside of the ocean as they attempt to make stunning motion pictures. I will simply be of service for now.”
The place does Tyler’s coronary heart lie with regards to his work? Identical to you and me, he doesn’t stay and breathe the work, coming to life solely when somebody calls ‘Motion’!
“That is by no means actually been my factor. I get pleasure from life. I get pleasure from individuals. I benefit from the little issues, and I feel being an artist is one thing I do love. And I do love artwork, and I am definitely a cinephile. I’m an enormous fan of movie. I watch quite a lot of them.
“I do know fairly a bit about it once I’m listening to podcasts. For those who have been in my family, you’d most likely go to sleep listening to director spherical tables and cinematographers describing particular photographs and inspirations throughout storyboards.
“That is simply what pursuits me, however I do not assume that I’ve to be part of it. I do not know that I like to be part of it, however I simply wish to stay life with good individuals, see if I can do some good and make some people presumably just a little glad, and simply attempt to pay my respects to one thing that I like a lot.
“However yeah, I’ll most likely do it for so long as I can and definitely do not waste any time placing thought, vitality, and keenness into what I am doing. However yeah, I’m not essentially any individual who must have eyeballs on him. This isn’t what floats my boat. So, performing is a humorous occupation I ended up doing, is not it?”
That revelation was fascinating. On the one hand, he spends his free time studying about varied elements of movie and critiquing work, however then again, he’s glad for it to be a method to an finish — his personal happiness and bringing pleasure to others.
He is aware of the painstaking efforts that go into making movies, which might be why he was out there to assist a fellow actor safe their goals.
He’s spent many hours in varied sides of the business, from “enhancing, shade correcting, shade grading, sound design, the entire varied sides that go into creating this expertise of movie.”
“It is an endeavor. It is quite a lot of work and definitely totally different when you may have everyone who’s excellent at their jobs, and everyone performs their half. It is form of what it’s, however I understand how a lot of an endeavor it’s, and I do actually love good cinema or artworks that I actually admire and I like watching them.”
He enjoys making and watching motion pictures, positive, however he wouldn’t be heartbroken if his life took a flip.
“I do not know that I’d be tremendous heartbroken if I gained the lottery tomorrow, they usually’re identical to, ‘Hey, man, simply go make everyone in your life glad and watch a bunch of films without end and journey off into the sundown.’ I do not know that I’d be that upset about that.”
As a result of there it’s once more. Making others glad is on the core of Tyler’s happiness, and proper now, that appears to incorporate making motion pictures. Nevertheless it’s additionally not laborious to think about that if he had one other strategy to do it whereas nonetheless sustaining an in depth connection to his supporters, he’d take it.
That’s not one thing you typically hear on this business, nevertheless it’s key to Tyler’s attraction and accessibility.
“Clearly, there are alternatives to make these items and simply have individuals react to them and interact with them — that is all extremely enriching. And yeah, I imply, it is an evolution.
“I did a lot of that, and now I am kind of on this different iteration of issues the place I am making these motion pictures lots and actually having fun with this steady dialog I am having with these audiences. That’ll evolve into one thing extra.
“We’ll see how that’s with the subsequent iteration; you guys will most likely see quickly, and the place it goes subsequent, we’ll see. However I am additionally lazy, Carissa, in order little I can do whereas with the ability to take part.”
In fact, Tyler is something however lazy, nevertheless it’s extremely endearing that what drives him isn’t the work itself or being seen however his zest for all times and his supporters that encourage him. He has no need to be shifting so quick that he forgets why he’s right here within the first place.
“If you cannot stroll slowly and go searching and maybe be just a little naughty and do some issues that perhaps you should not do simply because the temper strikes you in a scene or throughout your day, then what is the level? You understand what I imply? If all the things is so structured and so fast, it loses the spark of the magic of all of it.”
As you possibly can most likely inform, speaking with Tyler isn’t a standard ten-minute interview. It’s a dialog. And it’s not by chance or as a result of he doesn’t wish to reply robust questions; he simply likes to see the place the dialog goes.
“If I used to be so busy that I need to specific the concise quantity of public relations info to you in an effort to offer you an article and to advertise the film so I can go on the subsequent one, I do not know that there could be no enjoyable anymore.
“So, it is looking for a stability with all of it. That’s undoubtedly the duty and the problem, and we’ll see how that evolves.”
Nonetheless shocked by his declare of laziness, we shifted the dialogue to the period of time he spends with all of us, whether or not chatting by his varied teams on social media or by making appearances at varied fan occasions.
Tyler is a bodily putting man and really proficient, however what attracts individuals to him most is his persona, which shines by all the things he does. If being on the highway and being so in tune looks like work to you and me, it’s undoubtedly not for Tyler.
“It definitely would not actually really feel like work in these particular moments. Different occasions, it could, however not in that specific aspect of the expertise. Anytime I am talking to real people who’re simply on this world, it’s all the time a pleasure. “
By no means one to simply accept a praise with out, ahem, shifting gears, Tyler appreciates that his persona is his defining issue. He laughed, “I am getting uglier by the second, so seems will fade. They’re barely there as it’s, and so it is solely going to worsen. So I higher begin engaged on my persona, is mainly what I am saying.”
There may be some concern about his communication with followers due to the various nefarious actors pushing their means into unsuspecting social media customers utilizing his title and face. It’s such a priority to him that he’s now working with somebody to assist him put an finish to it.
“I report individuals, I attempt to discover methods to be really efficient in combating it. And I feel, as of now, I’ve had conversations with Hallmark, and there is an intention to kind of assist flip the tides on this factor,” he advised us.
“It appears to be a certain quantity of logistical stuff on our finish to be carried out, in addition to an consciousness to be permeating the teams and the individuals on the market in order that they will take care of one another and they are often imbued with the accountability to have the ability to assist one another in order that.
“It appears to be the one resolution till, finally, we create such a firewall that the people who find themselves attempting to get cash or do this type of scamming exercise will cease having success in any attainable means and can transfer on, hopefully to a extra noble trigger.”
Along with his love of movie and the Oscars within the rear-view mirror, we shifted gears once more to debate what lit his fuse this previous 12 months.
“I watched Poor Issues the opposite day, and I used to be simply so in love with this film, the feel, the manufacturing design, the cinematography, the colour grade, the movie inventory that they shot, and the performances, after all. The costumes and the make-up is such a wealthy, stunning factor.
“Oppenheimer, I watched a number of occasions in IMAX within the theater. And correct IMAX, which, if you do not know, there’s improper, and there is correct IMAX. And mainly, the easy means is that if the picture seems like an Instagram video the place it is taller than it’s wider, then you definitely’re in the proper IMAX theater.”
For those who had no concept there was “correct IMAX,” you’re not alone. Depart it to somebody with a pure love for movie and its methods to show you a factor or two. For these of you who additionally had no concept, Tyler defined that it’s a display taller than it’s huge, utilizing a double-laster projector. Fancy!
It’s no marvel he noticed Oppenheimer a number of occasions. However he additionally noticed Barbie greater than as soon as. Tyler stated, “It’s completely unbelievable,” and he needs Greta Gerwig had been nominated.
He was additionally upset that Bradley Cooper wasn’t nominated for Maestro, which Tyler known as “Such an unbelievable unique — simply the feel and the rhythm and the type and the tone of that film was simply one thing I would by no means seen earlier than.”
There’s additionally a enjoyable Hallmark-related story behind him seeing Maestro. When in New York Metropolis for an occasion, he snuck right into a theater to take a peek whereas all of his Hallmark cohorts tried reaching him for a dinner occasion he was attending.
It places into perspective how intertwined his love of cinema is along with his personal involvement in it, which brings the dialog nearly full circle.
Tyler helps the business he loves, even when he can’t bodily make the time to do it. He’ll purchase tickets to a movie even when he solely needs he may go as a result of it advantages cinema total.
“It is identical to issues blossom the place you set your vitality and thought and love into it. So, when you love motion pictures and you want these experiences, you simply should put your consideration there, and that can be felt, and they’ll persist and get higher.”
Are cinema function movies in Tyler’s future? “No one’s requested me to hitch the ranks of the dance individuals fairly but,” he laughed. “And that day might by no means come, or perhaps it can.”
He’s not bothered by that chance being out of his grasp for now. He’s cognizant of how the business has modified because it started and the way, at one time, there have been about 20 pure film stars blazing trails.
“Now we’re on this period the place it is like you may have small factions of devoted individuals they usually actually get pleasure from sure experiences and sure artists, and people are their kind of those that they admire. And proper subsequent to them, everyone may don’t know who you might be or what you are doing.
“And so, we form of created just a little mini Hollywood function movie kind system in these [Hallmark] motion pictures. They arrive out, you have seen the identical kind of faces, just a few of them, and the viewers has a little bit of a belief with these faces by way of what they may ship.”
Tyler says it is just a little more difficult in mild of the way in which Hallmark motion pictures are produced to decide on movies primarily based on costars and who’s behind the scenes once you’re diligently working to construct a relationship together with your viewers. As an alternative of selecting who he’ll work with, it’s how he works that creates new paths.
“I’m making use of common cinema ideas to those little motion pictures on Hallmark as a result of I can,” he revealed.
Whereas he’d be keen to step outdoors of his zone of curiosity to work in options, he’s undecided he’d be keen to take a job on a Hallmark collection until the position was too good to move up.
“You need to shoot for a lot of months. I imply, it must be the proper one as a result of that is one thing you are tied to, after which you may get right into a rhythm of enjoying the identical character.
“So it needs to be the proper factor to do as a result of I feel there’s nearly like an undervalue of how a lot doing these movies that Hallmark does form of mirrors outdated Hollywood by way of with the ability to reinvent your self, consistently be evolving what it’s that you just’re doing, attempting to be considerate with each endeavor, exhibiting a little bit of range and vary and character just a little bit.
“And once you’re enjoying the identical character, you must form of service consistency for that narrative as a result of it is a continued narrative, and there is quite a lot of alternative within the particular person motion pictures and extra enjoyable available, at the least in the intervening time.
“However yeah, there’s undoubtedly most likely a collection model of issues that might be a extremely worthwhile endeavor. And even when you did that, perhaps nonetheless do a film or just a few right here and there to additionally try this as properly.”
Proper now, Tyler is happiest making different individuals glad and having fun with the life his work affords him.
His normal mind set is that he’ll be right here for us so long as we’ll have him, and when individuals have had sufficient of him, he’ll go elsewhere, quietly using off into the sundown. Tyler does love sundown.
There isn’t a greater feeling on this planet than supporting somebody who’s so concerned with supporting others, and you’ll catch him tonight at 8/7c in Shifting Gears, from first-time function director Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe and costarring Katherine Barrell and Kristin Sales space.
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a employees author and critic for TV Fanatic. She’s a member of the Critic’s Selection Affiliation, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of tv and movie with anybody who will pay attention. Follow her on X and electronic mail her right here at TV Fanatic.
