Jonathan Bennett Knows His Chemistry With ‘The Groomsmen’ Co-Stars B.J. Britt And Tyler Hynes Is “A Rare Thing”: “What You Call A Movie Miracle”

Jonathan Bennett , Tyler Hynes and B.J. Britt bring the “bromance” in Hallmark+’s The Groomsmen trilogy — and Bennett says their palpable chemistry is a “movie miracle.”

Bennett is aware that such a connection is “a rare thing to happen;” he told DECIDER at a junket earlier this month that “it doesn’t happen in your career but more than once or twice if you’re lucky.”

“You’re lucky if it happens once, if it happens twice, it’s a miracle, where the three actors show up to play best friends, and it just happens,” he adds. “You can’t explain it. I wish I could tell you why or how we did it, but we did it. It just was from day 1, and that is what you call a movie miracle. It just happened, and it shows on screen.”

The three films — First Look , Second Chances and Last Dance — take viewers through best friends Pete (Britt), Danny (Bennett), and Jackson’s (Hynes) own respective love stories, flipping the traditional rom-com script by depicting the guys’ perspective, something that Bennett believes has “been missing from the cinematic universe for so long.”

DECIDER sat down with the three Groomsmen stars ahead of the first film’s premiere to chat Hallmark+’s latest rom-com feat. Check out our conversation below.

DECIDER: These films kind of change up the traditional rom-com by focusing on the guy’s perspective. Do you think that the switch-up could bring in a new audience?

BENNETT: I think people like watching movies that reflect their life. The thing that’s been missing in the romantic comedy genre is the romantic comedy told from the male point of view. I’ve been married for two years. I had a wedding. I had groomsmen. I’ve been the groomsman in four or five of my friends’ weddings. There’s this beautiful friendship that happens in your clique of guy friends.

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You know, your squad, your group of bros. That group has a story to tell, and The Groomsmen tells that story. That’s been missing in the cinematic universe for so long. Finally, we’re seeing behind the curtain. It’s almost like, “Hey, your best friends are going to make fun of each other and tease each other and take the piss out of each other.” But at the same time, they’re also going to let you cry on their shoulder. They’re also going to call you out on your crap if you’re doing crap. That really hasn’t been told in stories in a romantic comedy setting. I wanted to tell that with The Groomsmen because I think it’s interesting and it’s real. When you tell real stories about real things, people will watch because they can relate to them.

DECIDER: While the films follow your characters’ own respective love stories, they also all capture this “bromance” between you three. Did you guys come onto this project already knowing each other, and how did you develop such strong chemistry on screen?

BENNETT : It just happened.

BRITT : I’m the newbie, but these two knew each other.

HYNES : When I looked into his eyes…

BRITT : Did you?

HYNES : I fell into them.

BENNETT : The moment you looked into B.J.’s eyes.

HYNES : [B.J. and I] met for the first time on this. This was the first time I met this gentleman. [Jonathan] is a bright, shining light that you can see from space. And we all know that.

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B.J. BRITT : There you go. A diamond.

HYNES : This gentleman [B.J.], I didn’t think it could be matched by anybody in this world. Somehow, we found this gentleman who has the same level of exuberant, positive energy. That counterweighted by my anvil-like ability to bring the energy down just puts us right in the middle.

BENNETT : No, that is not true. Tyler is a sparkling diamond. I think the chemistry with all of us, it’s a rare thing to happen, and it doesn’t happen in your career but more than once or twice if you’re lucky. You’re lucky if it happens once, if it happens twice, it’s a miracle, where the three actors show up to play best friends, and it just happens. You can’t explain it. I wish I could tell you why or how we did it, but we did it. It just was from day one, and that is what you call a movie miracle. It just happened, and it shows on screen.

DECIDER: There are a lot of fun locations in this film, like the coast of Bulgaria, Greece, Italy. Did you get to travel at all to film, or was this kind of some movie magic?

HYNES: It was all in Vancouver.

BENNETT: Langley. Have you heard of Langley, Canada? Yeah, we shot all of them in Langley. No, when we’re on the cliffs in Greece, we’re on the cliffs in Greece. When we’re in Bulgaria in the jungle, we’re in Bulgaria in the jungle.

Tyler: Jonathan was stranded on that little tiny island. We left him on that. We took in the boat. He was there by himself, pushing tourists off the cliff so he could get his shot. We were in Greece and Europe shooting these movies, and it was a really, really beautiful, rare thing to wake up in the morning and look to my left and right and see these gorgeous men glistening off the ocean.

DECIDER: Another thing I wanted to talk about was the ending. [SPOILER] and [SPOILER] [REDACTED] at the end was such a great way to bring the story full circle…

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TYLER HYNES : Oh, we can’t spoil that!

JONATHAN BENNETT : No, no, we’re not talking about that! Are you crazy?

B.J. BRITT : Switch with me, Alex!

DECIDER: Ok, I’ll rescind that! We’ll reel that back…

BRITT : No, but just tell us!

BENNETT : Did you like it?

DECIDER: I loved it! What was the thought process like behind bringing it full circle?

HYNES : I can answer this question without giving away the spoilers.

BENNETT : Don’t give this away. Go on.

HYNES : Yes, there is an element to the dynamic to the story. And yes, it’s a bromance and yes, it’s putting the three of us gentlemen at the forefront of a romantic comedy and all those things. But there is a really, really beautiful counterbalance with all of our female characters and cast.

There is such a strong voice of different generations, and there is a gaze in which as an audience, they’re watching us, just like the characters in the movie are watching us and learning things from our shortcomings. And how that concludes at the end of this trilogy, I think is a lovely thing that hopefully will resonate with people that maybe they don’t see coming.

BENNETT : Now, that’s perfect.

The Groomsmen First Look begins streaming on Hallmark+ on Thursday, Oct. 17, followed by The Groomsmen Second Chances on Thursday, Oct. 24 and The Groomsmen Last Dance on Oct. 31.

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