As soap heartthrobs Kelly Nelson and Douglas Cummings on, respectively, Guiding Light and As the World Turns, John Wesley Shipp knows all about taking people’s breath away. Now, he’s starring in a new Hallmark film – Ruby Herring Mysteries: Her Last Breath.
John Wesley Shipp Takes Over As Dad
The movie stars Taylor Cole in the title role of Ruby, a consumer affairs reporter, and Stephen Huszar as police Detective Jake Killian. They team up to figure out if a woman who drove her car off a cliff met an accidental death or if she was murdered. In this installment, Shipp takes over the role of Ruby’s dad, John, from Shawn Christian (ex-Daniel, Days of Our Lives).
“I’m making something of a career of replacing dads,” Shipp tells Soap Hub. “I wasn’t the original dad on Dawson’s Creek, but I was the first one who aired. Now, I’m taking on the role of Ruby’s dad after it had been played [by Christian]. Taylor and I got along smashingly. We did some improvisation and kidding around. They let us play.”
Shipp’s character, John, is described as a legendary investigative reporter so, it makes sense for Ruby to go to her dad as she’s trying to figure out the mystery. “Stephen and, certainly, Taylor made me feel welcome,” says Shipp.
“I’ve played my share of physically demanding superheroes and psychopaths [the actor won Daytime Emmys for both ATWT’s Douglas and Santa Barbara’s Martin]. This, however, sort of feels like a return to [GL’s] Kelly Nelson 35 years later. John is who Kelly might have been had he turned out to be a legendary crime reporter [instead of a doctor].”
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Many More Films Ahead
The best news is that Shipp is set to appear in approximately a dozen more Hallmark Movies & Mysteries films over the next four years, which should put him on the invitation list to the Hallmark Channel’s press tour galas, which are star-studded!
“[Hallmark] treated us all like old Hollywood,” Shipp says with a smile. “Everything was taken care of. It felt like stepping back into the studio system.”
Along with the father/daughter dynamic between Shipp’s and Cole’s characters, watch for romantic banter between Ruby and Jake, too, as they work together to solve the mystery before them.
“There’s romantic tension between them and they’re delightful,” says Shipp, adding, “Right now, I’m playing the supportive dad and delighted to be doing so!” Ruby Herring Mysteries: Her Last Breath airs tonight, Sunday, September 29 at 9 p.m. ET (8 p.m. CT) on Hallmark Mysteries & Movies.
Video Credit: ABC
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