Kristin Booth has been delighting television audiences for more than two dozen years by playing a wide range of characters that have delighted us with romance, comedy, and drama.
Now she is appearing in Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Vows We Have Made, which continues the heartfelt story of four postal detectives who track down intended recipients of undeliverable mail.
Booth plays Shane McInerney, a technophile who brings a 21st Century sensibility to the group, while the team is led by the charming Oliver O’Toole (Eric Mabius), a genius postal detective and Shane’s love interest.
The other team members are girl-next-door Rita Haywith (Crystal Lowe), who has a photographic memory, and the lovable Norman Dorman (Geoff Gustafson), a master in conventional research methods.
Together, the fab foursome pursues missions that take them out of the office and into an unpredictable world where packages can save lives, solve crimes, reunite old loves, and change futures by arriving late, but somehow always feeling like they are on time.
In addition to her work on Hallmark, Booth just finished the sixth season of Workin’ Moms on Netflix and The Boys on Amazon Prime. She can also be seen in November in The Hot Zone: Anthrax, which is the second season of National Geographic Television’s The Hot Zone.
What she loves about the Signed, Sealed, Delivered movies is that the series has a great deal of heart “The difference is with this series of movies is that there’s this umbrella of acceptance no matter what,” Booth exclusively told Monsters & Critics. “There’s an umbrella of togetherness, family, and time-honored values. There’s something very special about a television show or a film that you can watch with several generations of family.”
Monsters & Critics: Kristin, What do you love in general about these movies?
Kristin Booth: First, I love the overall theme of hope in these films. I truly think especially now with everything that’s going on in the world; it’s just a beautiful reprieve from the frustration, sadness, and overall sort of feeling of fear. I think what Signed, Sealed, Delivered brings is this feeling that everything’s going to be okay. And as long as we support one another and care about each other, we can get through anything.
M&C: Were you surprised that this is the 13th installment?
Kristin Booth: No, this has been an incredible journey. It started in 2013 when my daughter was just over one year old, and now she’s nine and a half. I sometimes liken Signed, Sealed, Delivered to The Little Engine that Could, because we’ve weathered all sorts of different decisions from the network, and then the pandemic and other changes, yet we are still here.
M&C: Have you and your leading man Eric [Mabius] become close friends? How do you keep in touch in between these movies?
Kristin Booth: Well, generally we keep in touch through our social media accounts. It’s been a really great eight and a half years of getting to know someone and creating trust so that we can work together and pick up where we left off, even when there’s been a three-and-a-half-year gap between shooting.
It’s a lovely sort of shorthand to have with another actor. To be able to just look at them and know, ‘Okay, I know what you’re thinking.’ I’m going to go there and have them also follow.” It’s truly a gift.
M&C: The take-aways and messages in this movie are numerous — love is a choice, miracles do happen, and taking a leap of faith in love even if you have doubts and fears. Does this ring true for you and your family?
Kristin Booth: Definitely, especially during the pandemic. I think this film comes at a very timely moment in history, and of all those themes, especially the one of putting trust in those you love and leaning on them when you need to is huge for this time in our lives.
Signed, Sealed, Delivered has a way of mirroring what’s going on in the world; but then also bringing in this wholesome ray of hope and light, and often our scenes are about trust and love.
M&C: When you stumble upon The Kennedys, The Company, or any of your other projects, do you watch them with or without your daughter?
Kristin Booth: Definitely. In fact, it’s funny that you asked because there’s a movie that I did in 2002 called Foolproof with Ryan Reynolds. Just the other night I passed it on one of the streaming networks and my daughter was with me. So, I said, ‘Hey, look! You should watch this with me sometime!’
But yes, I hope to share certainly certain projects with her one day. Because it’s nice to be able to say, ‘This is what I do. And when I’m gone on a project, this is the kind of thing that I’m creating.’
Although she’s not all that interested in what I’m doing in the industry right now, she is extremely interested in films. She taught herself how to work iMovie over the course of the pandemic and made herself some little documentaries. She’s an avid birder, so she’s made bird documentaries. She’s very much got the filmmaking bug from me and my husband.
M&C: Speaking of your daughter, what kind of mom are you?
Kristin Booth: I’m strict but loving. I can be a bit goofy, so there are definitely times where she’s embarrassed and says, ‘Mom, can you just stop?’ My favorite movie in the whole world is The Princess Bride, and I finally convinced her to watch it with me. And now all she does is tell me to be quiet when we’re rewatching it because I keep saying every line because I know the script by heart.
M&C: Can you talk about the mementos in the movie, like Oliver’s pocket watch that he treasures?. Do you have any special items like this?
Kristin Booth: Oh definitely, Shane’s necklace. It’s a beautiful piece that I have worn in every movie from the beginning. When I was cast as Shane, I wanted there to be something that she had that was recognizable no matter what, and something that meant something to her. I was inspired by Mariska Hargitay’s character on Law & Order: SVU because she always had the same necklaces and I really liked that every time we saw her, she had these necklaces on. I don’t even know if it was ever spoken, but that was my inspiration.
At the time I reached out to a wonderful Canadian jewelry designer, The Right Hand Gal, and told them about this lovely series that has a lot of love, hope, and scenes of faith. And I asked if they would be willing to design the necklace that she wears?
They were thrilled and Shane has worn it in every single piece that we’ve done so far. It’s called The Protected necklace, and there are so many beautiful things that the designers say about that necklace that sort of corresponded with Shane and the show. For the Christmas movie, [series creator] Martha Williamson made the necklace central to the plotline.
M&C: What do the Hallmark fans mean to you?
Kristin Booth: They are truly a gift. Our fans are incredible people. What I love the most about them is that they have created and we have created a family through social media. A lot of the fans have met, have traveled together, support one another during times of crisis, and they celebrate each other and their accomplishments during joyful times.
On my birthday I received a birthday box with hundreds of cards and letters from our fans telling me just how much the show has changed their life. I think that is a pretty rare statement to say that a television series or a movie, and the characters we have portrayed, have actually impacted people’s lives.
M&C: How would you chill out if I gave you a weekend off with no cares or responsibilities?
Kristin Booth: Oh, probably sitting on the front porch of my parents’ cottage looking at the water. I would probably a glass of red wine, Pinot Noir, most likely. When I am up there, I like to listen to some Canadian musicians such as Gordon Lightfoot and The Tragically Hip. And I would mix in a little Fleetwood Mac, as well.
M&C: What advice do you have for someone pursuing an acting career?
Kristin Booth: So, I would say perseverance, if you give up easily, this isn’t the thing for you. But if you’re willing to put in a lot of hard work and you’re not going to give up easily, then the rewards can certainly outweigh all of the frustration. Then just do it.
You can write, create and grab your iPhone and make movies. Take any and every opportunity to gain experience, even if you have to volunteer. The more you do, the more people you get involved with and collaborate with, the increased chance you have at continuing and succeeding.
M&C: Since the movies deal with the post office, I was wondering if you still write letters?
Kristin Booth: I always encourage my daughter when she gets birthday gifts to make a thank you card. There are a few things that I have that are really important to me, and one of those are a few letters from my Nana that she sent me over the years that I’ve kept.
Even just looking at her handwriting on the paper means something to me. It evokes an emotion that typed words just don’t have the same effect. So, I am a great lover of the written word.
M&C: Why do you want my readers to watch this movie?
Kristin Booth: I think that something special about our movies is that we embrace diversity and differences. Our characters are different, they’re not traditional people that you would typically see on TV.
They don’t have all the answers and they certainly aren’t “normal.” They have quirks, they have issues, they have challenges in their lives and in their relationships. What makes Signed, Sealed, Delivered so palpable and watchable is that you get to be a fly on the wall and watch these people navigate going through those life issues.
Signed, Sealed, Delivered premieres on Hallmark’s Murders & Mysteries on Sunday, October 17, at 9 p.m. ET.
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