NOTE FROM GEMELLI FILMS: We were absolutely blessed to have Carly Bondar on set, playing the role of Miss Hamlin. Carly is known best for her role as Valerie in the hit Disney show "iCarly." She graciously wrote a blog entry for us!
Well if you read the last blog post then you know I was supposed to be write this yesterday...and didn’t. Luckily Candice didn’t fire me (not off-screen anyway), so I’m still here in Morton, currently writing this post from on set at The Confectionary—the town’s delightful bakery.
If you didn’t read the last blog post, then hello and welcome to the Baking Up Love blog. My name is Carly Bondar, and I play Miss Hamlin in Candice Cain’s latest love story set in the pumpkin capital of the world: Morton, Illinois! I’ve been acting since my preteens, but recently I’ve been focusing on my pursuit of a career in intellectual property law. So I was pleasantly surprised when my best friend since childhood Alix Kermes called me with a proposal. Alix stars in Baking Up Love as Lynn Travis, and she has worked with Candice on multiple projects over the years—so of course I’m an OG fan of Candice’s work. And when Al asked me if I’d be interested in playing a role in the latest Candy Cain film, thereby fulfilling our lifelong dream of finally working on set together, I knew I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. The cherry on top? Our third amigo Jes Andres was already on board.
Since arriving in Morton I’ve been constantly reminded of all the reasons I feel in love with acting in the first place. Candice has cultivated an environment for her cast and crew that makes you feel as though you’re part of a great, big, boisterous, loving family. I felt an immediate sense of belonging, and I’ve already made lifelong friendships. From the very first lunch break, where Jason Frederick (Pierce Morton in Baking Up Love), Alix, Candice and I barely stopped laughing long enough to eat, to bonding and swapping stories with Missy Byrd (Desiree in Baking Up Love), Jes Andres (Morgan in Baking Up Love), and Lexi Sherman (makeup artist for Baking Up Love) during breaks in the trailer today, I’ve enjoyed every moment of my experience so far.
And that joy also has a lot to do with this town. Morton, Illinois had not previously been on my radar, and I am so grateful that has changed. Since arriving, we’ve been met with friendly smiles and kind waves. We’ve eaten DELICIOUS food (shout out to The Forge and Seasons Gastro Pub). We’ve shopped and explored. We’ve found a friend in the town’s Mayor, Jeff Kauffman—a friend who has gone above and beyond, out of his way, and bent over backwards to make our experience smooth. (If you are in Morton you have to check out the banners around town dedicated to Baking Up Love! Those were all Mayor Jeff.)
If it isn’t obvious, I’ve truly cherished every moment of this experience. Even though I just got here I’m already dreading leaving. Luckily we still have time, and we’ll all be back for the premiere in August to create even more memories. I can’t wait to see what the rest of this adventure has in store!
