Filming takes over Arrowhead for upcoming Hallmark movie

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) – While the Kansas City Chiefs are at training camp in St. Joseph , actors, Chiefs fans, and film crews are taking over Arrowhead Stadium.

Hallmark Media said “ Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story ” is their biggest film to date and the first time they’ve filmed in Kansas City.

It’s Christmas in July at Arrowhead Stadium. This week, crews are filming in the stands, suites and the parking lot.

“This is kind of a love letter between our two brands,” SVP of Brand Development at Hallmark Lindsey Roy said.

It’s a romance that centers around a woman, played by actress Hunter King, who wants her family to win a “fan of the year” contest.

Tyler Hynes’ character determines the winner.

The pair said if they weren’t Chiefs fans before filming, “I am now,” Hynes said.

“I feel like we kind of have to be at this point, especially filming in the stadium, at this point,” King said, “and then making a movie about the Chiefs. How could you not?”

“I sprained my thumb yesterday and one of the football players was kind enough to sort of rehab my thumb for me,” Hynes said, “and looking into his eyes, I became a fan in that moment.”

Hynes said they’ve pretty much been filming round the clock since he arrived in Missouri but gave some insight into his creative process that’s allowed him to see some of Kansas City.

“My favorite thing to do when I come to a city like this, I rent a car, and I just drive around with no GPS, and I listen to the script of the movie,” Hynes said. “Doing that affords me the ability to see the different neighborhoods and run into people and say, “Hi,” to different folks in different neighborhoods, which I really enjoy, and it gives me a feel for it.”

Chief Marketing Officer and EVP of Marketing of the Kansas City Chiefs Lara Krug said Coach Andy Reid and some of the players in the movie shot scenes before heading to training camp.

Day one at Arrowhead for these actors, they had more than a thousand extras on set.

On Tuesday, they shot a tailgating scene. Many fans, including a father-daughter duo from Raymore, were chosen as extras.

Although they’re dressed for freezing temperatures, it’s 80 degrees.

“Test my acting skills to act cold,” daughter Danielle Heider said.

“It made me realize what real actors have to go through, acting to be cold when it’s not so cold,” dad Jeff Dean said.

It was movie magic; we’re told some scenes had a dusting of “snow.”

Lisa Hamilton Daly with Hallmark Media said safety was top of mind. They had safety precautions in place to keep everyone cool, she said.

“We had icepacks, we had umbrellas, we had air conditioners, we had fans, we hustled people in, because you know they had to be wrapped up in sweaters, pretending they were cold,” Hamilton Daly said. “It was a lot of acting.”

Krug said many Chiefs fans drafted to be in the movie brought their own winter gear to wear.

“To get them to come out and really be wearing the thing that is authentic, that ties them to the Chiefs, and now, to this film, I think it adds an extra bit of fun to the story.

The movie will be shown this holiday season on the Hallmark Channel during the 15th anniversary of the Countdown to Christmas.

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